F
New York Giants
The Giants overdrafted Payton and paid the price. Grade: F.
by sssss ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
The Patrick Payton selection is the head-turner. The Giants reached 66 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. There is no dressing it up: a F.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. The running back hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The Burke pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
There is no spinning it; the board won this weekend going away.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 5 they get protection for the quarterback at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
By-the-book stuff, Carnell Tate at the Round 1 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No edge and no loss on Anthony Hill Jr. in the 37th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Dillon Thieneman in slot 39 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
The board had cheaper options than Connor Lew at pick No. 70, and it noticed. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tacario Davis in the 105th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Zxavian Harris in slot 145 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They paid a round early for Taylen Green in Round 6, Pick 5, more than the board wanted. It fills a real need, too.
They reached a country mile for Patrick Payton at pick 192, and the board is aghast. A need, and now a little less of one.
They barely believed it either: Travis Burke still on the board at the 193rd pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.