Evan Barnes: Giants coach John Harbaugh got what he wanted in draft — big, physical players
From left: Giants head coach John Harbaugh, first-round draft pick Arvell Reese and general manager Joe Schoen at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Friday in East Rutherford, N.J. Credit: Noah K. Murray
After his first NFL Draft as Giants head coach, John Harbaugh summed up his newest class of players sharing a similar trait to his first wave of free agents.
“I think we got a bunch of giants. Figuratively and literally,” Harbaugh said Saturday.
That’s been the theme of Harbaugh’s offseason. He wanted the Giants to get bigger and they did so. Bigger at tight end with Isaiah Likely. Bigger with fullback Patrick Ricard. And now a draft class of big dudes who fit the Giants’ plans to be more physical.
It’s hard to truly grade a draft after the picks are in. The Giants won’t know how good this 2026 class is until at least 2029 when time allows these new seeds to develop and grow.
But what we can judge is did the Giants take care of key needs? Did they get top value players based on what was available? For the second question, yes. The first? A bit murky.
They clearly got bigger adding Arvell Reese (6-4, 214 pounds) at No. 5 and Francis Mauigoa (6-5 1/2, 329 pounds) at No. 10. Receiver Malachi Fields, the 74th pick, is already the tallest receiver on the roster at 6-4 and has a wide catch radius to show for it.
Harbaugh called him a “power forward” type player. Fields is ready to embrace that bruising role as Jaxson Dart’s newest target.
“Being a big dude and playing big is just something special,” Fields said Saturday.
That sums up the attitude Harbaugh wants. Now let’s look at the picks.
Getting Reese and Mauigoa addressed issues at inside linebacker and right guard, respectively. Reese was pegged as a top-three pick in most mock drafts so to have a top-five talent fall into the Giants’ lap? That’s a win.
Reese’s upside is high along with his versatility to play multiple positions. The Giants signed Tremaine Edmunds so Reese doesn’t have to be a savior. Just a student, even with expectations to produce immediately.
As for Mauigoa, he’s a great piece to try at guard. The Giants haven’t drafted a lineman that high since Evan Neal in 2022. That might conjure up worry but Mauigoa deserves a clean slate with some caveats.
He’s only played 12 reps at guard in college since he was a tackle. The Giants shouldn’t force him to start if he’s not ready by Week One. They didn’t do it with Marcus Mbow last year with Andrew Thomas injured.
There’s also the fact Mauigoa has a herniated disc in his back. He isn’t worried and neither are the Giants. They better be right after Mauigoa started every game the last three seasons.
“I didn't really pay attention to it, but I know some physicians told me some advice for later on,” Mauigoa said. “But I'll handle that when the time comes. Right now my body is feeling great.”
Second-round pick Colton Hood aims to add some competitiveness in the cornerback room. It helps that he was mentored by his uncle Roderick, who played eight years in the NFL and spent time on the Eagles when Harbaugh was special teams coordinator.
Hood has one season as a starter at Tennessee so he shouldn’t be penned in to start immediately. But will he push new signee Greg Newsome II and add more pressure on Deonte Banks to fix his struggles? Yes, since the Giants can’t have that position be a liability anymore.
With Fields, Dart now has two tall receiving options after the Giants signed tight end Isaiah Likely. That’s two assets he didn’t have enough of last season and a win for the Giants adding another weapon.
The Giants are trusting that Fields plays faster than his 4.61 40-yard dash time at the combine. He’ll have to if he wants to prove himself a worthy complement to Malik Nabers.
A big hole remains at defensive tackle. Drafting Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round seemed like help but Harbaugh was clear he’d add some veteran help. That decision, not adding Jamison-Travis, will be key for how the team replaces Dexter Lawrence.
The Giants still haven’t addressed it sufficiently and that’s the biggest hole left this offseason. Jamison-Travis can certainly help. He’s just part of the solution, not the main answer. Without more sure things at that position, the Giants haven’t inspired full confidence that they fixed their woeful run defense.
Still, there’s much to be excited about, leading with Reese and Mauigoa. The Giants indeed got more giants to fit Harbaugh’s plan to be a more physical team. They'll be satisfied how they handled his first draft and now just need to turn that hope into production by fall.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
