ESPN's Mel Kiper updates final 2-round mock draft following trade
We made it folks - draft week is finally here.
Stay tuned to Giants.com throughout the week as we prepare you for the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, which kicks off on Thursday night with Round 1.
Following the blockbuster trade over the weekend, the Giants now own two picks in the top 10. ESPN's Mel Kiper, who released his final, two-round mock draft last week, had to update his projections for the Giants after the trade of Dexter Lawrence.
With the fifth overall pick, Kiper kept his prediction from last week, sticking with the selection of Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
"If things fall this way, the Giants will have a tough call to make on three Ohio State prospects," wrote Kiper. "I could see Carnell Tate as the team's No. 2 receiver opposite Malik Nabers. I could certainly see Sonny Styles quarterbacking the defense from the middle linebacker spot. But I keep coming back to what Downs could do from the back end of this secondary. Next to Jevon Holland, his incredible instincts would pop in this defense. Downs would be the first safety taken in the top five since Eric Berry went to the Chiefs in 2010, and he'd be worth it."
Now armed with the 10th overall pick, the next selection for the Giants in Kiper's mock draft is Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.
"The Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to the Bengals on Saturday night, giving New York another pick in the top 10," Kiper wrote. "And after going defense at No. 5, the Giants would be happy to see the class' top offensive tackle still on the board here. They brought back Jermaine Eluemunor, but adding Mauigoa would take this unit to the next level. Plus, they could even kick Mauigoa inside, where I think he has a Pro Bowl ceiling. Mauigoa has started 42 games in college, he's a sound pass protector, and he'd open some rushing lanes for Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr."
Last week, Kiper had the Giants taking Georgia Tech interior offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge with the 37th overall pick. But after taking Mauigoa at No. 10, the draft analyst has Big Blue going in a different direction in the second round with the selection of Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
"The final player from my current top-25 Big Board, McDonald can plug the middle at 6-2 and 326 pounds," Kiper stated. "He had 17 run stops last season. That's key for the Giants, who just traded Dexter Lawrence II and allowed a league-high 5.3 yards per carry last season. But he's more than just a run stopper; McDonald added 3.5 sacks and has some untapped potential in that area."
Here are the top 10 picks in Kiper's updated mock draft:
- Las Vegas Raiders - Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
- New York Jets - David Bailey, OLB, Texas Tech
- Arizona Cardinals - Arvell Reese, OLB, Ohio State
- Tennessee Titans - Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- New York Giants - Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
- Cleveland Browns - Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
- Washington Commanders - Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- New Orleans Saints - Rueben Bain Jr., OLB, Miami
- Kansas City Chiefs - Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State
- New York Giants - Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his fourth ranking of the top 50 prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.
No. 50 Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama
No. 49 R Mason Thomas, Edge, Oklahoma
No. 48 Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson
No. 47 Keylan Rutledge, IOL, Georgia Tech
No. 46 Malachi Lawrence, Edge, UCF
No. 45 Zion Young, Edge, Missouri
No. 44 Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
No. 43 Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina
No. 42 Caleb Banks, DT, Florida
No. 41 Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
No. 40 Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
No. 39 Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame
No. 38 Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
No. 37 Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
No. 36 Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
No. 35 Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
No. 34 Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
No. 33 Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
No. 32 Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
No. 31 Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn
No. 30 CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
No. 29 KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
No. 28 Cashius Howell, Edge, Texas A&M
No. 27 Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
No. 26 Caleb Lomu, OT, Utah
No. 25 Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
No. 24 T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson
No. 23 Akheem Mesidor, Edge, Miami
No. 22 Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
No. 21 Jordan Tyson, WR, Arizona State
No. 20 Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
No. 19 Blake Miller, OT, Clemson
No. 18 Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
No. 17 Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
No. 16 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
No. 15 Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
No. 14 Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
No. 13 Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
No. 12 Makai Lemon, WR, USC
No. 11 Olaivavega Ioane, IOL, Penn State
No. 10 Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
No. 9 Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
No. 8 Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
No. 7 Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
No. 6 Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
No. 5 Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State
No. 4 David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech
No. 3 Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
No. 2 Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
No. 1 Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
View every move made by the New York Giants during the 2026 cycle.
DL Dexter Lawrence - Traded (to CIN) for 2026 First Round Pick (No. 10 overall) (April 19)
QB Brandon Allen - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 13)
OL Daniel Faalele - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 9)
WR Ryan Miller - Exclusive Rights Signing (April 7)
OL Lucas Patrick - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (April 6)
WR Da'Quan Felton, DB Patrick McMorris, DB T.J. Moore, DB Myles Purchase - Waived, No Recall (April 6)
K Graham Gano - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 30)
LB Cam Jones - Free Agent Signing (March 25)
LS Zach Triner - Free Agent Signing (March 24)
DL Sam Roberts - Free Agent Signing (March 23)
DB Elijah Campbell - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 20)
OL Joshua Ezeudu - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 18)
WR Darnell Mooney - Free Agent Signing (March 17)
S Jason Pinnock - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 16)
WR Calvin Austin III - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 14)
LB Zaire Barnes - Free Agent Signing (March 14)
P Jordan Stout - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 13)
CB Greg Newsome II - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 13)
OL Aaron Stinnie - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
S Ar'Darius Washington - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
CB Art Green - Re-signed (March 12)
TE Isaiah Likely - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
FB Patrick Ricard - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
LB Tremaine Edmunds - Free Agent Signing (March 12)
T Jermaine Eluemunor - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 12)
K Jason Sanders - Free Agent Signing (March 11)
Chris Board - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 11)
P Jamie Gillan - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 11)
OL Evan Neal - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 11)
WR Isaiah Hodgins - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 11)
LB Micah McFadden - Unrestricted Free Agent Signing (March 11)
OLB Caleb Murphy - Re-signed (March 10)
S Anthony Johnson - Waived, No Recall (March 10)
WR Gunner Olszewski - Re-signed (March 6)
T James Hudson III - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 6)
LB Bobby Okereke - Terminated, Vested Veteran, all contracts (March 4)
WR Courtney Jackson - Free Agent Signing (February 13)
LB DeMarvin Leal - Reserve/Future (January 22)
DT Marlon Tuipulotu - Reserve/Future (January 13)
G Jake Kubas - Reserve/Future (January 7)
LB Swayze Bozeman - Reserve/Future (January 5)
TE Tanner Conner - Reserve/Future (January 5)
OLB Trace Ford - Reserve/Future (January 5)
T Reid Holskey - Reserve/Future (January 5)
S Patrick McMorris - Reserve/Future (January 5)
CB Myles Purchase - Reserve/Future (January 5)
