At the combine a year ago, Joe Schoen said the Giants were going to take swings at the quarterback position.

Tommy DeVito was the only one under contract, leading to the signings of veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston before they eventually drafted Jaxson Dart. The No. 25 overall pick proved to be a home run, so much so that it helped lure John Harbaugh to the Giants in one of the biggest hirings in franchise history.

Now Schoen can focus on getting more bats to support his ace.

"Having that piece is very important," the general manager said this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. "A lot of sleepless nights last year trying to fill that one."

The Giants, while still having plenty of holes, proceed with more flexibility heading into the draft. The same goes for free agency, which is really the closer checkpoint on the NFL calendar.

Teams will return from Indianapolis next week and regroup before the new league year begins on March 11. They will do so with a salary cap of $301.2 million per club, marking the third consecutive year a new record number has been set.

"We have some [unrestricted free agents] that we would like to keep," Schoen said. "If we can't keep them, that certainly opens up other holes. Yes, you feel good about having the quarterback, but there are some other positions that we're going to need to fill throughout this free agency process."

The Giants will be at an advantage with a young core on rookie deals.

Aside from Dart, they also have a promising edge rusher in Abdul Carter and two offensive weapons in Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, who are in good spots in their rehab process, according to Schoen.

"When you talk about a surplus at those positions and the quarterback position, what those guys are getting on the open market, OK, you like to build it out," Schoen said. "What would Abdul get on the open market? Well, he's on a working contract. What would Malik Nabers get on the open market. OK, we're paying Malik what we are, but receivers are getting $40 million a year. To me, we have some young, core positions, a position where we have a surplus and value."

Schoen added: "So you're really going to build it around Jaxson, new head coach, and some other changes within the organization. I'm excited about where we are and this is the start of that process."

With that said, teams are always looking to add more explosiveness and production.

Enter the next wave of wide receivers and running backs, who took the podium Friday in Indianapolis.

Ohio State's Carnell Tate knows a thing or two about playing next to an elite wide receiver; could Nabers be next?

Tate, who moved up two spots to No. 7 in Daniel Jeremiah's updated top 50 prospects list, is in line to become the sixth wide receiver from Ohio State to be drafted in the first round since 2022.

And it won't be stopping anytime soon.

Tate's career timeline was sandwiched between Emeka Egbuka (No. 19 pick by Tampa Bay in 2025) and Jeremiah Smith, who still has one more year of college and will be a headliner in the 2027 draft.

"The competition there, we're all pushing to be the best receiver on the field that day, in that practice," the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Tate said. "Typically, when you're the best wide receiver at Ohio State, you're the best receiver in the county. So, we've all got high expectations for each other, always pushing each other to do better."

Tate added: "It means a lot to me, and it's also a lot on your shoulders now. Now you've got to be the next one to come out there and put it on for the school and carry the Receiver U."

Tate said he has met with the Giants, who have been a frequent landing spot for Tate in mock drafts at No. 5.

"I came from playing with another receiver," Tate said. "To go out there and play along another receiver, it'll be a great opportunity, especially playing in New York – big showcase. I'd love to go out there and play in New York."

Tate thinks his game "brings it all to the table."

"I've got the contested catch," he said. "I've got the route running. I also bring [it] in the run game; a lot of receivers don't do that. I'm able to impact the game with or without the ball in my hands."

If a team wants a game-changer, "you've got one right here," he concluded.

Is Makai Lemon the next Amon-Ra St. Brown?

USC wide receiver Makai Lemon draws comparisons to the Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown, and "they are warranted," according to Jeremiah. The NFL Media analyst has him No. 10 in his rankings and the second receiver behind Tate.

"Lemon is one of my favorite players in this draft," Jeremiah wrote in his scouting report. "He is a wideout with a running back's body and a linebacker's temperament. He is at his best working in the slot. He wins with quickness off the line, understands how to tempo routes and consistently wins in traffic. He doesn't waste steps and he can explode in and out of the break point. He plays bigger than his size, displaying several 50/50-ball wins on elevated throws. To see his entire repertoire, just throw on the Iowa tape. He was a craftsman in that game and couldn't be covered (10 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown). He is ultra-competitive after the catch, breaking tackles and fighting for yards."

Lemon said he has talked to the four-time Pro Bowl receiver a few times and models his game after him – "the type of grit he plays with, the way he can have a positive impact on the team without the ball in his hands."

Lemon said he has met with the Giants and was asked what it would be like to team up with Dart, Skattebo, and Nabers.

"It would be a huge blessing," said Lemon, who won the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver. "Those guys are young guys, and they're great players. To be alongside them, it would be cool."

Jeremiyah Love says running backs are "very" valuable; just look at the Seahawks

Harbaugh stated this week that stopping the run is a "must thing" for his team. In the same breath, he added it's also about running the ball.

"Once you can establish that, you can do those things, then it gives you a chance to open up the playbook and do whatever you want," he said.

The Giants already have Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary, who helped the Giants finish fifth in the league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2025 (Dart also contributed greatly to those numbers).

But could Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love be too good to pass up if available at No. 5? The running back is the No. 2 prospect in Jeremiah's top 50.

"Love is a dynamic weapon as a runner and receiver," Jeremiah wrote. "On inside runs, he runs high/narrow, but he explodes to and through the hole. He will drop a level lower on contact and has the lower-leg drive to bounce off defenders. He doesn't always let things develop because he can get skinny through narrow passages. He has elite speed on outside runs to capture the corner and take it the distance. He has a rare ability to make defenders miss without gearing down. His spin move is electric. In the passing game, he can run routes like a wideout. He's smooth, polished and natural. He plucks the ball effortlessly. In pass protection, he is both aware and willing, but he's best utilized out in the route. Overall, Love is a home run hitter and will immediately expand the playbook for his drafting team."

For the entirety of his 18 seasons, Harbaugh's Ravens ranked No. 1 in rushing yards and yards per carry, No. 3 in rushing touchdowns, and No. 6 in points per game.

"Running backs are very valuable," Love said. "I feel like that's just being more and more recognized as of today. Like, we had Kenneth Walker in the Super Bowl [and win] MVP. Running backs like him are continuing to pave the way for guys that are just coming into the league or that are already in the league and just making a bigger name for running backs."

Like Skattebo, Love was a Heisman finalist in his final season, and the unanimous All-American said he has met with the Giants.

"Being able to play with a back like Skatt, have somebody that's more of a veteran than me, somebody that's older than me that I could learn form, I'd be able to take away a lot from that," Love said. "All the coaches that were in the Giants room were very cool people. I like them a lot. I feel like they like me a lot as well, and I mean, hopefully they call my name on draft night and we can continue building better relationships. Hopefully somebody does."

Somebody will.