Track every NY Giants pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after Arvell Reese goes No. 5 overall
With new head coach John Harbaugh in the spotlight, the New York Giants selected Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.
Reese, who can play on the edge, but is more known for his elite play against the run, was linked to the New York Jets throughout the offseason.
"I can say I'm going be used in a unique way," Reese said on a conference call with local reporters. "I'm a weapon. That's how it's supposed to be."
With the No. 10 overall selection, which they acquired on Sunday from the Cincinnati Bengals for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, the Giants selected Francis Mauigoa, an offensive tackle/guard from Miami.
Though New York continues to employ Joe Schoen as general manager, it is believed that Harbaugh, the Super Bowl-winning coach who spent 18 years leading the Baltimore Ravens before being fired this past offseason, will call the shots in the war room over the next three days. Harbaugh said he was pleasantly surprised to see Reese fall to the Giants.
"These are two top-five players in this draft, in our opinion," Harbaugh said, referring as well to David Bailey, who went to the Jets at No. 2, but noted that Reese ranked first internally among non-quarterbacks. "You couldn't do any better."
The Giants, who went 4-13 in 2025, have made the playoffs just twice in 12 seasons since winning the Super Bowl following the 2011 season.
List of Giants draft picks for 2026
The Giants had seven picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, including two in the first round. Here's a full list of the their draft picks.
- Round 1, Pick 5: Arvell Reese, LB Ohio State
- Round 1, Pick 10 (from Bengals): Francis Mauigoa, OT Miami
- Round 2, Pick 37: Colton Hood, CB Tennessee
- Round 3, Pick 74 (from Browns): Malachi Fields, WR Notre Dame
- Round 6, Pick 186: Bobby-Jamison-Travis, DT Auburn
- Round 6, Pick 192 (from Dolphins): J.C. Davis, OT Illinois
- Round 6, Pick 193 (from Cowboys): Jack Kelly, LB BYU
Players the Giants drafted in the 1st round
New York was expected to put more weapons around second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, but Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, considered by many experts to be the best offensive player in the draft, went to the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 3 overall pick.
Love is the first running back selected in the top five since the Giants selected Saquon Barkley No. 2 overall in 2018.
The Giants were said to be very high on Mauigoa, a 6-foot, 330-pounder and 2025 Consensus All-American.
On the stage on Thursday night, Mauigoa told Dart, "I'm ready to die for you, man," and later told reporters, "That should be everybody's mentality. As offensive linemen, we should be able to put everything on the line because the quarterback is the key to the offense."
Harbaugh and Schoen had also been rumored to be enamored with former Ohio State defensive players, including linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downes, and Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Styles went to the Washington Commanders at No. 8 and Tyson was selected by the New Orleans Saints at No. 9. The Dallas Cowboys then traded up to No. 11 to select Downes.
"We stuck with the board," Schoen said. "It just didn't make any sense to try to get cute and do anything else."
