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Giants Now: ESPN's Matt Miller releases 2-round mock draft

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ESPN's Matt Miller releases 2-round mock draft

The calendar has flipped to February, which means in a few short weeks, the NFL world will gather in Indianapolis for the 2026 NFL Combine.

Before festivities in Indianapolis begin, many draft analysts have begun to release their projections for this year's draft.

ESPN's Matt Miller just came out with his first mock draft since returning from the Senior Bowl in Mobile. Unlike some of the other early mock drafts we've seen in recent weeks, Miller projected the first two rounds of this year's draft.

With the fifth overall pick, Miller has the Giants adding another playmaker in the form of Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.

"The Giants are fascinating to project in many ways," Miller wrote. "They have a good young nucleus in QB Jaxson Dart, RB Cam Skattebo, WR Malik Nabers and edge Abdul Carter, along with established stars in OT Andrew Thomas, Edge Brian Burns and DT Dexter Lawrence II -- but something is clearly missing. Could loading up on offense be the answer? Tate would be the perfect complement to Nabers given his precise route running and workmanlike ability to win catches in traffic. Tate's tape reminds me of Justin Jefferson at LSU, and he enters the league with a similar body type and skill set.

"So although the Giants could consider a right tackle or defensive back here, pairing Tate with Nabers to give Dart more playmakers is the move."

Tate enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2025, serving as one of Ohio State's starting outside receivers alongside Jeremiah Smith.

The junior caught 51 passes for a career-high 875 yards and nine touchdowns, despite playing four fewer games than the previous season. He recorded 100+ receiving yards and a touchdown in four games during his junior campaign.

A lower body injury suffered towards the beginning of November cost him nearly a month of the season, but Tate was able to return for the Buckeyes' final three games. He caught a touchdown in two of those three contests.

The young wideout first came on strong as a true sophomore during the Buckeyes' run to a National Championship in 2024. He caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 15 games while serving as the No. 3 option in the passing game behind fellow wide receivers Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

With the 37th overall pick, Miller has the Giants addressing the other side of the ball with the selection of Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds.

"As far as I'm concerned, Ponds is one of the best pure football players in this class," the draft analyst wrote. "He's the best nickelback available and was a consistent playmaker for the Hoosiers, with seven career interceptions."

Ponds began his collegiate career at James Madison where he played 13 games during the 2023 season. He finished with 51 tackles (32 solo), including two tackles for loss, to go with two interceptions and 13 passes defensed, and was named second-team All-Sun Belt.

Ponds then transferred to Indiana where he blossomed over the last two seasons. As a sophomore in 2024, he registered three interceptions, nine passes defensed and 4.5 tackles for loss across 13 games, which led to a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

But the young corner saved his best for this past season. During Indiana's season that resulted in a National Championship, Ponds had 61 tackles (44 solo), four tackles for loss, two interceptions, 11 pass breakups and a forced fumble.

His accolades from the season include first-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, Rose Bowl Defensive Player of the Game and Peach Bowl Defensive Player of the Game. In fact, on the very first play of the Peach Bowl against Oregon, Ponds picked off quarterback Dante Moore and returned it the other way for a touchdown.

NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his first ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.

View photos of the all-time history of New York Giants in the Pro Bowl.

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