Giants 2026 Sixth-Round Pick May Be Better Than New York Planned
The New York Football Giants' training camp is right around the corner before the preseason games begin. During that time, there will be plenty of players who are working hard to earn a spot on the 53-man roster that the Giants will need to cut down before the preseason begins. There are plenty of rookies on this Big Blue crew who are ready to put up a fight and earn positions for this coming season. For New York, many of these players are on the defensive line who want these starting roles.
This four-time Super Bowl-winning team may have an unexpected player battle within the defensive line before the season starts. Micah McFadden has been a favorite for the starting role of the inside linebacker this season in New York. However, he has been out for most of both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. McFadden hasn’t been a promising player. However, with the addition of the dynamic duo Arvell Reese and Tremaine Edmunds, this player may have upgrades to work with on the field this coming season if he does not suffer from another injury. However, there is one rookie who may override him when the preseason starts, and that is Jack Kelly.
Kelly has been picking up steam during practice and really showing New York what he is made of. He was the Giants' sixth-round pick, but his resume has a lot to prove. This rookie is coming out of Brigham Young University. He has a college career total of starting in 53 games, 190 tackles, 43.5 tackles for loss, 31.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. It may be a long shot for him to override McFadden as a starter, but many observed that he could have a breakout season this year despite being a draft underdog.
His body has shown how athletic he can be. Kelly shouldn’t struggle much while playing on the field. He has shown the team that he can help fix their defense. This former BYU linebacker can make the plays New York has needed and been looking for over the last several seasons. This is an area head coach John Harbaugh likes to see when his players are training. Harbaugh may decide to put him on special teams if he cannot beat out the team's current inside linebacker.
Many NFL teams' sixth-round picks often don’t make the final cut of the roster. However, given everything the versatile linebacker has shown in mini-camps and other areas, this may be a different case this coming season. This rookie is way beyond where he should be or even where he was drafted. Harbaugh may give him a shot if he keeps proving himself during practices. The front-seven contributor may even earn himself more snap plays than most rookies, which will bring the Giants to a whole new level.
