The New York Giants are going to be picking near the top of the NFL Draft again in 2026 after starting the season off with an abysmal 2-11 record. According to Tankathon, they currently hold the No. 2 pick in the draft order.
It’s never too early to start looking ahead to the NFL Draft, and that’s what top insider Dane Brugler of The Athletic has done. He published his first mock draft of the season this week, featuring the Giants making a blockbuster trade at the top of the order.
Giants trade down but land star playmaker in The Athletic mock draft
In Brugler’s latest mock draft, he had the Giants trading with the Las Vegas Raiders to move down from the No. 2 overall pick to the No. 4 overall pick.
With the fourth-overall pick in this mock draft, Brugler had the Giants taking Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Brugler describes Tate as an “impressively detailed route runner” and a “winner at the catch point.” The Buckeyes product has several highlight-reel catches on his tape where he makes contested grabs look easy.
This season, Tate has racked up 44 receptions for 793 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. This is building off a 2024 sophomore campaign in which he had 733 yards and six touchdowns.
Tate has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the country, making plays as a route runner in space and demonstrating his strength at the catch point. He would be a versatile and dynamic playmaker to add to the Giants’ young offense.
Drafting Tate would give the Giants a dynamic, young core of playmakers
Adding Tate to the Giants’ offense would give it explosive potential for the 2026 season. The Giants’ offense features a young and exciting core of players, headlined by rookie QB Jaxson Dart, WR Malik Nabers, and RB Cam Skattebo.
“Tate would complement Malik Nabers really well and reflect the Giants’ desire to surround their young quarterback, Jaxson Dart, with more help,” Brugler wrote.
Although Skattebo and Nabers are on injured reserve for the time being, they still give the offense a positive long-term outlook as they enter their second and third seasons, respectively, in 2026.
Dart needs more help in the playmaking department, however, especially this season with Nabers and Skattebo sidelined. Adding Tate to the offense would give Dart an elite one-two punch to target in the passing game, and it would also give some insurance to the offense as Nabers recovers and likely deals with some rust at the beginning of the season.
The Giants’ offense aims to be more explosive in 2026 as they build on Dart’s solid base in year two of his career. Getting the head coaching hiring right will be crucial, but adding playmakers such as Tate to the mix will be helpful as well.
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