What Does Big Blue Need to Keep Their Eyes on at the 2026 NFL Combine?
The New York Football Giants are heading into the end of the week, looking towards the 2026 NFL Combine. This event will focus on who the Giants want and who they need, looking ahead to the upcoming year. Not only are they looking to fill their free-agent spots, but also to replace and bring in new blood for the team. This year's combine will be attended by Giants general manager Joe Schoen and the team's new head coach, John Harbaugh. They have several prospects to choose from, but they have to really think about who they want to take. The Giants have the fifth pick in the draft unless they decide to trade down with another franchise.
It’s one of the biggest events of the year, and the Giants need to take the time and focus on putting their offensive line back together and giving their starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart, something to work with. Many early mock drafts have suggested that the Giants should go for a wide receiver or someone who can make explosive plays. The Giants have players who can make these plays happen, but adding to the roster will give them the boost they have been looking for. This year, the Giants will prioritize building around Dart, which has been their goal from the start. He should not be the only one on the offensive line making plays happen.
They have considered who they would like to pick up, who is coming out of college and heading into the draft. The Giants have contemplated Carnell Tate, a wide receiver who is coming out of Ohio State. In 2025, he caught 51 passes for 875 yards and scored nine touchdowns over the course of 11 games. If he can check off all of the boxes that New York is looking for in a wide receiver, then he is the guy that they will be able to draft in the first round. However, others may stand out.
The Giants have also considered other areas to draft from. They have contemplated drafting a quarterback. However, Dart has been their guy and will remain so for the next several seasons. Harbaugh has his heart set on working with him for this coming season to make him the quarterback that the team needs him to be. Harbaugh just needs to trust this young quarterback. Dart will have all his weapons back in the coming season. He just needs the fillers that are leaving the team until the Giants decide to re-sign Wan’Dale Robinson.
It’s not just about Big Blue searching to fix its offensive line. They also need to take the time to focus on their defensive line. It’s not as solid as it seems, and the Giants found that only one to two people were covering last season. They had left so many openings. New York will be looking into players who are also stacked, just as Abdul Carter and Brian Burns. They need bigger men who are going to cover, such as Peter Woods, who is coming out of Clemson University, and Kayden McDonald, out of Ohio State. They are disruptive and can take anyone on the opposing team's offensive line out.
Big Blue doesn’t need to focus only on these areas. They need to find players who can step in as backups in case players go out due to injury, as they did in the previous season. These positions need to be explosive and unexpected, as the Giants will want. They will need to review a bit of each position before deciding on their roster. It’s not going to be an easy ride for them, but the Giants know what they are going to need for the coming year.
For the Giants who are picking near the top of the draft, the combine is about more than official workouts. It’s a chance for this team to gather medical data, psychological profiles, interview intel, and athletic testing results that can confirm or completely reshape how they view candidates like Tate, Woods, and others. The performances here could push someone into the top five or drop them down boards, ultimately helping New York decide whether to draft the next best wide receiver, a quarterback who stands out, a defensive playmaker, or even trade that fifth pick for an elite package of future assets.
