F
New York Giants
The Giants jumped the board for Payton and paid for it: F.
by asdfasdfff ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 9 picks
· 1 steals
· 2 reaches
When the story of this class is written, it opens with Patrick Payton at Round 6, Pick 11, a reach of 66 spots that the board flatly disagrees with. Little went right, and the F does not pretend otherwise.
Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere. For all the activity, safety went untouched, which is hard to explain. That is an offensive lineman worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly.
Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
There is no soft landing here: they fought the board and left safety open, and the grade is the bill.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 5 they get a building block for the line. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 10th overall pick they get a matchup problem out wide at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In pick 16 they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. Need was not the driver here.
Peter Woods in the Round 2 slot lands just on the right side of the ledger. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Connor Lew in the 105th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
DeMonte Capehart at No. 145 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the interior defensive lineman. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Taylen Green at Round 6, Pick 5 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A need, and now a little less of one.
Patrick Payton at slot 192 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ephesians Prysock at the 193rd pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.