Giants need to add a standout receiver to aid Jaxson Dart, complement Malik Nabers
Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, left, and Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy; Getty Images/Chris Coduto
In the Giants' Week 2 loss to the Cowboys, they displayed an improved passing game.
Malik Nabers (167) and Wan’Dale Robinson (142) each had more than 140 receiving yards. Russell Wilson completed a 52-yard pass to Darius Slayton and threw for 450 yards and three touchdowns. Even though the Giants lost, things looked promising after they played four quarterbacks in 2024 and had one of the league’s worst offenses.
It didn’t last. Two weeks later, Wilson was benched for Jaxson Dart and Nabers was lost for the season with an ACL injury against the Chargers. The Giants’ offense has persevered, but one can only wonder how much better things would have been with Nabers.
“You definitely can't replicate Malik,” Dart said this week. “He's the best receiver in the NFL, in my opinion. So I think that guys have done a good job of stepping up. We don’t have a ton of [missed assignments]. Usually for us, we’re all on the same page.”
The 2026 draft has several promising receivers whom the Giants could target to take pressure off Nabers and help Dart’s development. With the Giants in contention for the No. 1 pick, they could trade down and snag a receiver, given the uncertainty of their current group.
Robinson could chase a bigger payday as a free agent. Slayton had a down year exacerbated by injuries and untimely drops. They’ve cycled through several third options with Beaux Collins, Jalin Hyatt, Ray-Ray McCloud and now Isaiah Hodgins.
Still, the offense has been decent this season. The Giants were 30th in offense (294.8 yards per game) and yards per play (4.71) last season. This year, although Nabers played in only four games, they’re 12th (343.2) and 18th (5.31) in those categories.
The Giants’ 218.1 passing yards per game is 15th this season, way up from 28th last season (189.9). After recording only four 40-yard passing plays last season, which was tied for the second fewest, the Giants have nine this year, tied with the Texans for second most.
“Sometimes you take for granted when you've got a guy like Malik out there and you're just like, he's one-on-one, we can just go ahead and hammer the ball to him,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly said Thursday. “So those guys have done a really good job of being able to go and buy into the scheme, understand the details of the scheme and the plays and what we're trying to get done.”
How much better could it be with a healthy Nabers and another young, promising receiver?
Two standouts in this class are Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate.
Tyson (6-2, 200 pounds) has 711 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 61 catches in nine games. He missed three games because of injury, but Tyson’s speed is a weapon that could help the Giants be more explosive.
Tate has 838 yards and nine touchdowns on 48 catches. He’s got great size at 6-3 and his 17.5 yards per catch was third in the Big Ten. According to ESPN, he has zero drops on 58 targets.
He’s also familiar with playing alongside a No. 1 receiver in sophomore All-American Jeremiah Smith. Drafting a receiver who can slide into a No. 2 role easily would be a plus.
Another option? USC’s Makai Lemon, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver. Besides his numbers (1,156 yards, 11 TDs), the unanimous All-American, who is 5-11, has been praised for having a great catch radius.
In his mock draft, ESPN’s Field Yates said Lemon has one drop in three seasons. Given Slayton’s struggles with drops and Hyatt’s tenure being a disappointment, Lemon could fit as a reliable option.
Some other receivers of note: Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, a first-team All-SEC selection at receiver, returner and all-purpose player who led the conference with 12 total touchdowns, and Washington’s Denzel Boston, who is 6-4 and had 11 touchdowns this season.
The Giants have multiple needs to fill, but Dart’s growth should be a key guide in the draft process. Having reliable, effective receivers is part of why Caleb Williams and Drake Maye took a second-year leap this season.
After a terrible 2024, the offense wasn’t the problem this season. It can be even better in 2026 if the Giants help Dart by adding another receiver.
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.
