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NFL draft confidential: College coaches’ surprise moves, sleeper picks | ESPN.com
Tennessee’s Colton Hood went No. 37 to the Giants after recording two takeaways for touchdowns, 50 tackles and eight pass breakups in his only year with the Vols after transferring in from Colorado. Hood was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
“He was a one-year starter, did a tremendous job,” an SEC coordinator said. “His best football is still ahead of him. He’s a tough guy, can run. He’ll do well.”
Brian Baldinger expecting breakout year from Abdul Carter
NFC East 2026 draft grades: Giants edition | PhillyVoice.com
With their two first-round picks, the Giants got a pair of good prospects. But ultimately, they selected an off-ball linebacker at 5 and a guard at 10. That’s not exactly good positional value. Maybe the off-ball linebacker will turn into a good edge rusher and maybe the guard will eventually return to his college position at tackle, but in both cases they’re almost certainly going to start their NFL careers at lesser positions, relatively speaking.
And then on Day 2, this is just personal preference, but if I’m taking a corner top 40 I’d like to see some INT and/or FF production. I also personally prefer receivers with explosive athletic traits, as opposed to bigger receivers who really only won in college because they could bully smaller guys. Neither Hood nor Fields were my kinds of players. That doesn’t mean they won’t have good careers. Just not my personal aesthetic preferences at their respective positions. I do like two of the three players they selected in the sixth round, as noted above. Grade: B
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NFL Confidential: Execs Make Sense of Rams’ Simpson Pick, Draft’s Top Steal, More | FOX Sports
Running back Jeremiyah Love, who was taken by the Cardinals at No. 3, had “basically the same grade” as Reese, a team source told me. But there are others in the organization who believe strongly in “positional value” — particularly Schoen, who was assumed by most to favor Reese. The fifth pick in the draft will get a contract worth a guaranteed $47.8 million. That’s $11.8 million more guaranteed than any running back has ever gotten before.
“I don’t know what the Giants would have done,” a scout told me. “But sometimes you just have to take the talent and ignore the cost. He’s a special running back. Forget the finances. It’s about: What can he do for you?”
Post-draft outlook for all 32 NFL teams: Which rosters improved most? Who got worse? | The Athletic
On paper, the draft really couldn’t have gone any better for the Giants. There’s protection for quarterback Jaxson Dart with the Francis Mauigoa selection, and he’s got a different kind of playmaker to turn to with the pick of WR Malachi Fields. There’s cornerback flexibility in Colton Hood, a player that Dane Brugler proclaims to have the “talent and wiring to be an early NFL starter.” And there’s an obvious potential star added to the defense in Arvell Reese. “We’ll talk about results down the road,” John Harbaugh said. “You got to find out. We’ll see. It’s like all draft classes. You don’t know until you get out there and start playing. But on the surface right now, I feel great about it.”
Mike Francesa on John Harbaugh
2026 NFL Draft Steals & Reaches: Most Valuable Draft Classes | Sharp Football Analysis
6. New York Giants. In Year 1 under the new John Harbaugh regime, the Giants crushed the draft.. They didn’t select a single player before expected until pick No 185, when they selected DL Bobby Jamison-Travis in Round 6. Before that, every one of their picks was drafted later than expected:
EDGE Arvell Reese – expected at 3, taken at 5
OT Francis Mauigoa – expected at 8, taken at 10
CB Colton Hood – expected at 32, taken at 37
WR Malachi Fields – expected at 73, taken at 74
OT J.C. Davis – expected at 154, taken at 191
LB Jack Kelly – expected at 189, taken at 192
Overall, it was similar to what the Harbaugh-led Ravens have done in prior years, taking value where they could.
GM Joe Schoen recalls first time seeing Arvell Reese & Francis Mauigoa: ‘Prototype players’ | Giants.com
Chris Snee, a two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman, now has a desk job as a senior scout on the second floor of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center. He started 152 games in his Giants career, all at the position that Francis Mauigoa figures to begin his NFL journey after being drafted last week at No. 10 overall. It’s not where the All-American ended his college career, though. Mauigoa started all 42 games for the Hurricanes at right tackle, never missing one start. But right guard, Snee’s old position, was where the Giants had an opening.
“That’s the advantage of having Chris Snee on our staff,” general manager Joe Schoen told John Schmeelk on the “Giants Huddle” podcast. “You can talk to a guy that’s done it at a really high level.”
Biggest post-draft questions facing every NFL team | CBSSports.com
Will Kayvon Thibodeaux be traded? There had already been trade rumors revolving around Kayvon Thibodeaux leading up to the NFL Draft, but it amplified after Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese fell to the Giants at No. 5 overall. Once he was selected, Thibodeaux’s future in New York was squarely called into question. While there were plenty of reports that suggested the Giants were fielding offers for Thibodeaux, they have publicly denied that they are looking to move him.
Something will need to give here, however, as Thibodeaux is entering the final year of his rookie deal after the Giants picked up his fifth-year option last offseason. After taking Reese and fellow pass rusher Abdul Carter in the first round over the last two years, along with the presence of Brian Burns, an extension for Thibodeaux doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards, which makes a trade a likely outcome here at some point.
Buying or Selling Every NFL Contender or Pretender After 2026 NFL Draft | Bleacher Report
There isn’t a team in this article that won fewer games in 2025 than the New York Giants, but it’s the dawn of a new day under new head coach John Harbaugh. If there’s a team poised to make a huge jump from the outhouse to the penthouse in 2026 a la last year’s New England Patriots, the Giants are that squad. Verdict: Contender (Buy)
Around the league
Nick Sirianni talks Eagles rookie minicamp | Bleeding Green Nation
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2026 NFL Draft: Washington Commanders draft recap | PFF
Packers sign veteran Tyrod Taylor as likely new QB2 | ESPN.com
Colts QB Anthony Richardson Sr. reports for voluntary OTAs: Sources | The Athletic
Matt Ryan doesn’t ‘know what to expect’ in Falcons’ quarterback battle, but high on offensive additions | NFL.com
Texans owner Cal McNair: We’re fully committed to C.J. Stroud, will see how contract works out | Pro Football Talk
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