College Football 2026: Draft Prospects For The Ny Giants In Week 5

Good morning New York Giants fans! Happy Saturday and welcome to Week 5 of the college football season!

We’re really starting to get into the meat of the college season, with more matchups between ranked opponents and divisional games starting to become more common. These matchups of “good against good” give us some of our best games must-watch scouting tape, and I’m here for it.

This week we have a match-up between Alabama and Mississippi State that could be a preview of the 2028 and 2029 first overall picks. And while I encourage everyone to watch that game, I won’t be spotlighting it. As usual, we’re using the draft as a lens through which to view the Giants, and there are intriguing players at positions of need at other schools.

And as usual, use this as your discussion post for all of today’s games.

So let’s get to it.

North Carolina vs. (3) Notre Dame

ESPN – noon

Player spotlight: DJ McKinney (CB, Notre Dame)

I’ll keep it real with everyone: If I was going to recommend one game to watch in the noon slot, it’s (17) Mississippi State vs. (7) Alabama. The two young quarterbacks in that game are absolutely electric and ‘Bama is well stocked with future NFL talent.

But I want to take the opportunity to highlight one of the very best secondaries in college football in Notre Dame. Pretty much everyone will be watching star CB Leonard Moore, who has the upside to rival Pat Surtain II… But the hope is that the Giants won’t be anywhere near bad enough to draft him. Instead, I want to focus on his teammate, DJ McKinney.

McKinney has good size at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds and the traits to be a press-man corner in the NFL. He started his college career at Oklahoma State before transferring to Colorado for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and finally finishing his career at Notre Dame. He already has 4 total tackles, 2 passes defensed, and a Pick-6 on the season.

McKinney may be overshadowed by Moore, but he’s an interesting player to keep an eye on as a Day 2 prospect for the Giants.

(14) Iowa vs. (5) Ohio State

CBS – 3:30 p.m.

Player spotlight: Kade Pieper (OC, Iowa)

The Giants’ tackle and guard spots are solidified for the foreseeable future, however we don’t know if John Michael Schmitz will earn a contract extension. If he doesn’t, it’s tough to go wrong with offensive linemen from Iowa.

Pieper is probably the best natural interior lineman in this draft class, and while he’s undersized at 6-foot-3, 298 pounds, he’s a tough, tenacious blocker. It’s also worth noting that John Harbaugh has had some decent success with undersized but athletic Iowa centers… Tyler Linderbaum measured in at 6-foot-2, 296 pounds, with 31-inch arms.

Pieper typically blocks with the kind of technique we’ve come to expect from Hawkeyes’ linemen, and his athleticism fits well in zone schemes as well as man-gap schemes that ask the center to pull. That could make him an intriguing fit in Greg Roman’s multiple (but power-centric) run schemes, as well as a capable pass protector.

I also want to call attention to the potential matchup between Iowa DB Zach Lutmer and star WR Jeremiah Smith. Smith is, pretty universally, considered the best player in the country and is generally considered in the “Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones” tier of wide receiver prospect. This is a fantastic opportunity for Lutmer to raise his profile, and could also give us some great tape on Smith.

Clemson vs. (4) Miami

ABC – 7:30 p.m.

Player spotlight – Ahmad Moten Sr. (iDL, Miami)

Regardless of how well the Giants’ defensive line plays over the rest of the season, the Giants need to continue to add to the unit in 2027.

The good news is that if they don’t go the free agent route, this looks like a talented defensive line class. We’ve already talked about a few defensive linemen in this class, and now I want to bring up one who could be an option on the second day of the draft.

Moten has solid size at 6-foot-3, and roughly 310 pounds, with an explosive lower body and powerful upper body. He has enough strength to stand up offensive linemen and control gaps, as well as the athleticism to shoot those gaps and disrupt in the backfield. He also uses his strength well to discard blocks and make plays on ball carriers. The Giants need more from their interior pass rush, and Moten’s explosiveness, technique, and wide-open motor make him a disruptive defender on passing downs.

The Giants’ defensive line has been more stout than some anticipated. However it needs more long-term answers, as well as players who can disrupt and prevent quarterbacks from stepping up into the pocket.