Giants Mock Draft Tracker 3.0: Wr Carnell Tate Still Top Choice At No. 5

Carnell Tate | Getty Images

Wide receiver remains the most popular choice by mock drafters for the New York Giants with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate is still the top selection.

In this week’s mock draft tracker, 23 of 54 mocks (42.6%) had the Giants using their first pick on a wide receiver. Tate was the choice in 16 of those (29.6%), while Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State was choses seven times. Offensive tackles were chosen 17 times (31.5%) with a nearly even split between Francis Muaigoa of Miami (nine) and Spencer Fano of Utah (eight).

Below, a few comments from mock drafters explaining their choices:

Rob Rang of FOX Sports on picking Muaigoa:

I think the Giants’ draft picks are going to be a direct reflection of their new head coach. Few players in this draft strike me as a cleaner fit for John Harbaugh than Mauigoa, a massive and mauling three-year standout who ranks as the cleanest plug-and-play offensive lineman of this class. With current right tackle Jermaine Eluemanor (31) a free agent, the Giants would be wise to build around Jaxson Dart by making their protection of him top priority. 

Jeff Risdon of The Big Lead on picking Spencer Fano:

Tough choice here for new Giants coach John Harbaugh with several appealing options. Here, the lean goes to the NFL-ready, high-floor Fano to stabilize the offensive line in front of Jaxson Dart.

Chad Reuter of NFL Media on picking cornerback Mansoor Delane:

New head coach John Harbaugh played defensive back at Miami of Ohio and coached the position for one season with the Eagles — and the Ravens selected DBs Kyle Hamilton, Malaki Starks and Nate Wiggins in the first round during his time with the team. Safety Caleb Downs, who functions like a quarterback in the secondary, is surely tempting, but in this scenario, Harbaugh chooses Delane, an elite coverage corner.

Joel Klatt of FOX Sports on picking Carnell Tate:

John Harbaugh has a really specific blueprint and the Giants have some really pressing needs on their roster. However, I think they’ll make a vanity pick here. They can give Jaxson Dart some help as wide receiver Malik Nabers makes his way back from an ACL tear. I think Dart is at his best when he’s pushing the ball down the field, and no wide receiver in this draft was better at making contested grabs.

Tate is so good and was largely overshadowed because of Jeremiah Smith. But he was incredible down the field this past season, constantly getting open and creating space. 

Todd McShay on picking safety Caleb Downs:

Wide receiver and offensive line have gotten a lot of attention at this spot in mocks, but I’m not sure either would be an ideal fit. First off, I think the Giants will bring back unrestricted free agent RT Jermaine Eluemunor. If that happens, it’ll give them Andrew Thomas and Eluemunor as starting tackles and second-year OT/OG Marcus Mbow as a potential guard starter with swing tackle flexibility. I also believe there’s enough depth in this class to find a difference-making starter at WR (such as a tall vertical threat like Chris Brazzell II or an explosive YAC option like Zachariah Branch) in Round 2 to pair with Malik Nabers. There’s no IDL worth selecting here, but Downs would provide much-needed stability to the back end, as well as leadership and playmaking ability. He would be the new standard for preparedness and attention to detail for New York on that side of the ball. Yes, the team brought in Jevon Holland in 2025 and drafted Tyler Nubin in Round 2 in 2024, but neither played well enough last season to secure their spot in 2026.