Giants land big right tackle upgrade with 5 overall pick in latest mock

I think Spencer Fano might be the safest pick the Giants can make at No. 5 overall. The 6-foot-6, 308-pound Utah right tackle allowed zero sacks and just five pressures over 822 snaps in 2025 while generating elite run-blocking grades across the board.

With Jermaine Eluemunor hitting free agency at 31 years old and commanding a contract that could price him out of the Giants’ range, Fano represents the perfect long-term solution at right tackle. More importantly, he’s exactly the type of technically sound, zone-blocking specialist that Greg Roman’s run-game scheme and Matt Nagy’s wide-zone concepts desperately need.

Protecting Jaxson Dart isn’t a luxury. It’s mission-critical to his development and the entire franchise timeline. Dart flashed legitimate franchise quarterback potential as a rookie, but the offensive line needs to take another step forward if he’s going to maximize his dual-threat skill set. Pairing Fano with Andrew Thomas gives the Giants bookend tackles for the next five years, and that’s the foundation every championship-caliber offense is built on.

The Scouting Report: Elite Technique With Pro-Ready Footwork

From an NFL scout’s perspective, Fano is one of the most polished tackle prospects I’ve evaluated in years. His technique is NFL-ready right now. The hand placement is textbook, the footwork is advanced, and the anchor strength against bull rushes is legitimate despite a lean 308-pound frame. Over 36 career starts at Utah, split between left tackle (11 starts as a true freshman in 2023) and right tackle (15 starts in 2024/2025), Fano allowed just four sacks total. Once he flipped to the right side, he allowed only one sack over two full seasons.

That’s not luck. That’s elite pass protection.

What separates Fano from other top tackle prospects is his movement skills in space. He’s a 4.90 forty guy in a tackle’s body, which means he can reach, pull, and climb to the second level with ease. In pass protection, his kickslide depth and balance are outstanding. He maintains proper form and base while protecting the edge, and Utah consistently left him on an island against opposing edge rushers without safety help. The fact that he held up against elite Big 12 competition while giving up zero sacks in 2025 tells you everything you need to know about his readiness for Sunday football.

Perfect Scheme Fit for Nagy and Roman’s Offense

Here’s where Fano becomes a no-brainer for the Giants: he’s a perfect scheme fit for what Matt Nagy and Greg Roman want to do offensively. Nagy’s offense relies heavily on outside zone concepts and play-action passes off wide-zone runs, which requires tackles who can reach, mirror, and maintain blocks on the move. Fano excels at exactly that. His ability to execute hook blocks, pull across the formation, and climb to linebackers in the second level makes him a weapon in zone-blocking schemes, not just a liability you tolerate.

Roman’s run-game philosophy is built around gap schemes, heavy personnel, and creative blocking angles. Fano’s versatility allows him to execute both inside-zone and power concepts with equal effectiveness. His work rate and motor are relentless, he sticks with blocks through the whistle, and he’s comfortable executing difficult combo blocks before peeling off to the second level. That’s exactly what Roman needs to maximize Cam Skattebo’s downhill running style and create explosive plays off misdirection.

Mel Kiper summed it up perfectly when he projected Fano to the Giants at pick 5: “In January, I had Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate here. I think that’s still very possible, as New York needs a WR2 opposite Malik Nabers. But it doesn’t matter who Jaxson Dart is throwing to if he doesn’t have enough time to get the ball out.

Fano started 36 games over three seasons, and he allowed just four sacks (and only one over the past two years once flipping from left tackle to right tackle). His technique and power are outstanding. If free agent Jermaine Eluemunor doesn’t return, I like Fano sliding into the RT spot in the lineup, helping keep Dart clean and driving defenders out of the way for running back Cam Skattebo,” per ESPN.

The Eluemunor Decision Makes This Pick Easy

Jermaine Eluemunor played 1,088 snaps in 2025, allowing 19 pressures and four sacks with 14 penalties. The penalties were frustrating at times, but he’s a solid pass protector who stays healthy, two variables that are incredibly hard to find in today’s NFL. The Giants have every reason to want him back, but if he’s commanding Taylor Moton money (two years, $44 million), the math doesn’t work. Eluemunor is 31 years old, and you don’t break the bank for a right tackle on the wrong side of 30 when you’re trying to build a contender around a 22-year-old quarterback.

That’s where Fano changes the calculus. He’s 21 years old, he’s pro-ready, and he fits the scheme perfectly. The Giants can draft Fano, let Eluemunor walk, and immediately plug in an upgrade who will anchor the right tackle spot for the next five years. That’s not a rebuild move. That’s a win-now move that also secures the long-term future.

The Receiver Debate Misses the Point

I get the argument for taking a receiver like Carnell Tate or another playmaker to pair with Malik Nabers. The Giants need a WR2, and this is a deep receiver class. But here’s the thing: this receiver class is so deep that the Giants can find a legitimate starting-caliber receiver in the second round at pick 37. Matt Miller’s recent ESPN mock had them landing Ohio State WR Carnell Tate at 5 and Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds at 37, which is great value. But the reality is that elite offensive tackles don’t fall to the second round, and the Giants can’t afford to gamble on Eluemunor’s health and contract demands.

Dart doesn’t need another weapon if he’s getting hit every other drop. He needs time to throw, clean pockets, and an offensive line that can create running lanes for Skattebo. Fano provides all of that immediately while also giving the Giants positional flexibility if they ever need to kick him inside to guard or flip him to left tackle down the road.

The Projection: Day 1 Starter, Decade-Long Anchor

Spencer Fano is a Week 1 starter at right tackle for the Giants, and he’s going to be a Pro Bowl-caliber player by Year 3 if the development curve continues. His combination of elite technique, pro-ready footwork, and scheme versatility makes him one of the safest picks in the entire 2026 draft class. John Harbaugh has only picked in the top 10 once in his 18-year head coaching career, so whoever he targets at No. 5 is going to have gold jacket potential. Fano fits that bill.

The Giants can go receiver if they want, but protecting Jaxson Dart and maximizing Cam Skattebo’s talents in Greg Roman’s run-game scheme should be the priority. Fano does both at an elite level, and he’s going to do it for the next decade-plus. That’s the kind of franchise-altering pick that turns 4-13 teams into playoff contenders.