Saints Offered Giants Fourth-Round Pick For OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
Although Joe Schoen dismissed trade talks involving Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Friday report about Saints interest in the former Giants top-five pick appears to have been accurate. New Orleans did pursue Thibodeaux, only to see their effort fail before pivoting to Tyree Wilson on Saturday.
New Orleans sent Las Vegas a fifth-round pick for Wilson and a seventh, and although the team declined the incoming pass rusher’s fifth-year option, it will determine his fit alongside Chase Young beginning soon. Wilson was not the Saints’ first choice, though, with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan indicating the team made a better offer for Thibodeaux.
The Saints offered a fourth-round pick for Thibodeaux, per Duggan, who adds the Giants held out for a second-rounder. It is unclear if this was the only offer a team made during the draft.
Considering Thibodeaux’s inconsistency, injury history and contract status, a second-round pick is probably unrealistic. But New York stuck to its guns, even after yet another top-five investment in a pass rusher (Arvell Reese). While Reese will begin his career as an off-ball linebacker in New York, the Giants will surely explore capitalizing on his hybrid skillset.
The Giants having extended Brian Burns — a 2025 second-team All-Pro — and drafted Abdul Carter third overall last year. Reese may be opening his career at ILB, but the Giants will undoubtedly deploy him as a rusher frequently. Even the franchise that popularized the NASCAR package around an edge-rushing surplus in the early 2010s may not have a good way to get Burns, Thibodeaux, Carter and Reese on the field together too often. While the Giants have held firm on Thibodeaux, trade rumors have followed the 2022 draftee for a while.
Now in a contract year, Thibodeaux is also tied to a $14.75MM full guarantee for 2026 — his fifth-year option salary. That affects his trade value. The Broncos received first- and fourth-round picks for Bradley Chubb in his 2022 fifth-year option season, while the Commanders fetched a second-round return from the Bears for Montez Sweat a year later. Both players had shown more promise than Thibodeaux on their respective rookie contracts. A few edge rushers in recent years — from Jaelan Phillips to Chase Young to Yannick Ngakoue to Dante Fowler — have brought third-round returns or a third plus a Day 3 choice. This is probably the best the Giants can hope for in a 2026 Thibodeaux trade.
I mentioned in our Giants Offseason Outlook piece that the Giants stringing this situation out until the trade deadline may be the best way to maximize Thibodeaux’s value. Of course, that is before the team chose to make another prime investment at the position via Reese. With Reese needing to see pass-rushing time, it is certainly possible the Giants do not let this trade market reach the regular season.
The Saints held No. 132 overall in Round 4; their Round 2 selection came in 42nd. The latter pick was understandably a no-go in a trade; New Orleans chose Georgia defensive tackle Christen Miller with that choice. Although the Saints traded for Wilson, one year remains on his contract (he is only due $4.2MM this year). Two years remain on Young’s three-year, $51MM pact while two seasons are also left on Carl Granderson‘s four-year, $52MM extension. No guaranteed money remains on Granderson’s accord. The Saints did not draft an edge rusher this year.
An early-March report indicated the Giants would “prefer” to trade Thibodeaux; again, that came well before the team knew Reese — closely linked to the Jets at No. 2 — would be available at 5. A draft-week report suggested the Giants would accept a mid-round pick for the fifth-year rusher, but the team is not there yet. If the Giants stand pat here, we may see a fascinating redux of their oversaturated pass-rushing groups from the early ’10s — which housed Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Mathias Kiwanuka.
This quartet has obviously not proven to be on that level, but teams rarely feature this level of EDGE talent together, making it a must-follow position group for as long as Thibodeaux stays in the Big Apple.
Former DL Josh Mauro Passes Away
Former NFL defensive lineman Josh Mauro has passed away at the age of 35, his family announced.
The English-born and Texas-raised Mauro enjoyed a solid college career at Stanford, where he totaled 21.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks over 47 games. He was at his best in his last season with the Cardinal, 2013, during which he recorded personal highs in tackles (51), TFL (12) and interceptions (one). He also chipped in four sacks.
Mauro signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but they cut him before the season. He quickly caught on with the Cardinals and wound up spending his first few years in their uniform. In 2016, his most productive season, Mauro made a career-high 13 starts in 15 games and notched 32 tackles.
Mauro spent three of his first four years in Arizona playing for defensive coordinator James Bettcher, who took the same job with the Giants in 2018. He followed Bettcher to New York on a one-year deal in free agency. After Mauro served a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs to open the season, the run-stopping lineman returned to log 28 tackles and a sack over 12 games and four starts.
Mauro left the Giants for what proved to be a one-year stint with the Raiders in 2019. He reunited with defensive line coach Brentson Buckner, who held the same position in Arizona during Mauro’s first three seasons. Playing for the Raiders in their final season in Oakland, Mauro tallied 19 tackles over 13 games and seven starts.
Mauro began the 2020 campaign in the Jaguars organization, but he reunited with the Cardinals when they plucked him off the Jags’ practice squad in October. He played in three of Arizona’s games that year and five more in 2021. While Mauro worked out for the Bears ahead of the 2022 season, he never signed another contract. Mauro finished his eight-year career with 130 tackles and five sacks over 80 games and 40 starts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/26
NFL teams have begun making roster adjustments following the conclusion of the 2026 draft. Here are the latest moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: P Trenton Gill
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Received international exemption: OL Kilian Zierer
New England Patriots
- Waived: WR John Jiles, TE Marshall Lang
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: WR Samori Toure, WR, Elijah Cooks, RB Evan Hull
New York Giants
- Waived: DL DeMarvin Leal
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Re-signed: WR Brandon Johnson
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: RB Cam Akers
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Patrick McMorris, RB Sincere McCormick
Gill was a Bears seventh-round pick in 2022 who ranked among the league’s bottom 10 punters during his first two seasons in Chicago. He then served as one of the Buccaneers’ three punters in 2024 and did not sign with another team until joining Atlanta’s practice squad this past January. He then signed a reserve/futures contract with the Falcons. Former Patriots All-Pro Jake Bailey then arrived in March on a three-year, $9MM deal, solidifying the team’s punter situation in 2026 and resulting in Gill’s release.
Leal never lived up to his third-round draft billing in Pittsburgh, appearing in just 32 games with one sack and three tackles for loss across the last four seasons. He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants in January, but he was deemed surplus to requirements after defensive line additions in free agency and the draft.
Akers, 26, finished the 2025 season as a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks. The departure of Kenneth Walker in free agency preserved the possibility of a 2026 role in Seattle, but the team quickly restocked their backfield by signing former Packer Emanuel Wilson and drafting Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. Akers has played for four different teams across his six-year career and will now be looking for a new home.
Giants’ Joe Schoen Candidate For Post-Draft Firing?
APRIL 27: Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes uncertainty over Schoen’s future has largely originated from outside the organization. Nevertheless, he reports Aponte is viewed around the league as a potential Schoen successor. The post-draft stage of the offseason will be worth watching closely in the case of the Giants.
APRIL 22: We have not seen a post-draft GM firing in a while, but that point on the calendar has brought changes in the not-so-distant past. The Jets and Texans each canned GMs (Mike Maccagnan, Brian Gaine) after the 2019 draft, while the Bills fired Doug Whaley following the 2017 draft.
Maccagnan and Whaley were fired months after those AFC East organizations hired a new head coach (Adam Gase, Sean McDermott), and both HCs then played central roles in identifying GM successors. These examples are eerily similar to this Giants offseason, which has seen major changes outside of the GM chair.
[RELATED: Many Scenarios In Play For Giants’ Two-First-Rounder Night]
Joe Schoen helped the Giants land John Harbaugh, but the latter insisted on reporting to ownership. Ownership greenlit that change to land the Super Bowl-winning HC and would not have done so for another candidate, but Schoen was rumored to be an impediment to that potential change during a three-day wait for the Giants’ Harbaugh hire to become official.
It stood to reason Schoen would be against a change that increased a head coach’s authority, but the Giants’ struggles during his GM tenure did not give the fifth-year Big Blue boss much of a case to prevent it. A report during the Harbaugh pursuit indicated a likely willingness for the high-profile coach to work with the Giants’ holdover GM, but Schoen did have to answer questions about his presence preventing the team from hiring a quality coach.
Later in the offseason, we heard the Giants’ Dawn Aponte hire (as senior VP of football operations and strategy) stripped power from Schoen. That February report indicated Schoen had essentially been “relegated to handling scouting” while the “rest of the building reports to Dawn.” Teams regularly retain scouting staffs through drafts, as to ensure continuity ahead of the event, before making changes on that level. While GM switches at that juncture are rare, the late-2010s moves show they are not unprecedented. With Schoen running the scouting (and Harbaugh and Aponte siphoning power), dot connecting here regarding a post-draft change is not too difficult.
Schoen should indeed be considered in jeopardy of being fired following the draft, SportsBoom.com’s Jason La Canfora notes. The veteran Giants GM, who has overseen a 13-38 record since a surprising 2022 playoff berth, is considered in “very real danger” of losing his job soon, per La Canfora.
This would be a hard-luck firing, given Schoen’s contributions in running the Giants’ HC search amid John Mara’s battle with cancer, but the team’s on-field struggles — which led to Brian Daboll‘s in-season ouster — certainly warrant a change. Harbaugh throwing his weight around to identify a GM to work alongside him would make sense. Harbaugh’s hire resulted in organization-wide changes, to the point long-running staffer Kevin Abrams was booted in January, and scouting-side moves are assuredly coming post-draft.
Schoen, 46, came over from the Bills with Daboll in 2022. He worked for the Dolphins and Panthers previously during an NFL career that has spanned 25 years. He has spoken of collaboration occurring between GM and HC this offseason, as Harbaugh will be heavily involved in the draft room when the Giants are deliberating.
“The early returns on that, it’s been great,” Schoen said (via the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz) of collaboration between the GM and HC. “Coach Harbaugh is passionate about the draft. I’m passionate about the draft. My staff is passionate about it. Just the ongoing football conversations, sitting in the film room with him, whether it’s walking through the board or watching the film. It’s been a lot of fun.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together working through not just first-rounders, second-rounders. He knows about fourth- and fifth-rounders. He’s sending me text messages asking me about maybe undrafted free agents, or he saw an article or an agent might have texted him. It’s been a lot of fun being in these meetings and watching film with him.”
A separate report (from EssentiallySports.com’s Tony Pauline) indicated Harbaugh has not been especially collaborative lately, with a source close to the situation indicating “John knows what he’s going to do and John’s not talking to anybody!” The Giants hold two first-round picks, and several pathways have emerged regarding the team’s draft approach post-Dexter Lawrence. Schoen extended Lawrence in 2023 but saw the defensive tackle become disillusioned with the franchise’s direction. Letting Saquon Barkley and fellow first-team All-Pro Xavier McKinney walk in free agency did not age well for Schoen.
GMs rarely receive second chances, and Schoen will have next to no chance at another GM gig if he is fired post-draft. It would stand to reason the veteran exec would land in a prominent non-GM role elsewhere if fired, but his Giants employment should be considered a situation to closely monitor coming out of this weekend’s draft.
Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. Undecided On Potential Reunion
Odell Beckham Jr. has played for five teams in his 10-year NFL career, but the majority of his success came as a member of the Giants from 2014-18. Although the free agent wide receiver has not suited up since Dec. 8, 2024, the Giants brought him in for a workout on Monday. While head coach John Harbaugh said Beckham “looked good,” it is unclear if the 33-year-old will rejoin the Giants.
“We’re not decided on that yet; he’s not quite decided on that yet,’’ Harbaugh revealed (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “I think we just have to kind of see where we’re at this next week.’’
The Giants entered this week’s draft needing at least one receiver. After addressing other weaknesses with their first three selections, they traded up 31 picks to grab former Notre Dame wideout Malachi Fields in the third round. Fields is now part of a receiving corps that also includes Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, free agent signings Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin, and 2023 third-rounder Jalin Hyatt, among others. If the Giants are not fully content with their current group, they could take a cheap flier on Beckham or another available veteran.
A first-rounder of the Giants 12 years ago, Beckham earned all three of his Pro Bowl nods and his two second-team All-Pro selections in their uniform. Among pass catchers, the former LSU star ranks second in franchise history in yards (5,467) and fourth in both receptions (390) and touchdowns (44). Beckham largely shined as a Giant, but they cut ties in a March 2019 trade with the Browns. The deal delivered a first-round pick (No. 17), which the Giants used on Dexter Lawrence, among other assets.
Beckham played a full season and hauled in 74 catches for 1,035 yards in his first year in Cleveland, but he has not approached those numbers since then. Various injuries limited Beckham to 44 of a possible 84 regular-season games from 2020-24. In addition to the Browns, he spent time with the Rams, Ravens and Dolphins during that five-year run. While he was effective during his short stint with the Rams in 2021, he tore his ACL in Super Bowl LVI. Beckham caught a touchdown in the Rams’ 23-20 triumph over the Bengals, but he has not reached those heights since.
After sitting out 2022 to rehab his knee injury, Beckham returned to post decent complementary production with the Harbaugh-coached Ravens in 2023. Beckham snagged 35 receptions for 565 yards (16.1 YPC) and three TDs in Baltimore, but he made no impact in a nine-game, nine-catch year with the Dolphins in 2024. Although Beckham did not find a job last season, he still served a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
2026 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team
Here is every team’s haul from the 2026 NFL Draft:
Arizona Cardinals
- Round 1, No. 3: Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
- Round 2, No. 34: Chase Bisontis (G, Texas A&M)
- Round 3, No. 65: Carson Beck (QB, Miami)
- Round 4, No. 104: Kaleb Proctor (DT, Southeastern Louisiana)
- Round 5, No. 143: Reggie Virgil (WR, Texas Tech)
- Round 6, No. 183: Karson Sharar (LB, Iowa)
- Round 7, No. 217: Jayden Williams (T, Ole Miss)
Atlanta Falcons
- Round 2, No. 48: Avieon Terrell (CB, Clemson)
- Round 3, No. 79: Zachariah Branch (WR, Georgia)
- Round 4, No. 134 (from Raiders)*: Kendal Daniels (LB, Oklahoma)
- Round 6, No. 208 (from Bills via Jets and Raiders): Anterio Thompson (DT, Washington)
- Round 6, No. 215) (from Eagles)*: Harold Perkins (LB, LSU)
- Round 7, No. 231: Ethan Onianwa (T, Ohio State)
Baltimore Ravens
- Round 1, No. 14: Vega Ioane (G, Penn State)
- Round 2, No. 45: Zion Young (EDGE, Missouri)
- Round 3, No. 80: Ja’Kobi Lane (WR, USC)
- Round 4, No. 115: Elijah Sarratt (WR, Indiana)
- Round 4, No. 133 (from 49ers)*: Matthew Hibner (TE, SMU)
- Round 5, No. 162 (from Chargers): Chandler Rivers (CB, Duke)
- Round 5, No. 173*: Josh Cuevas (TE, Alabama)
- Round 5, No. 174*: Adam Randall (RB, Clemson)
- Round 6, No. 211 (from Broncos via Jets, Vikings and Eagles): Ryan Eckley (P, Michigan State)
- Round 7, No. 250: Rayshaun Benny (DT, Michigan)
- Round 7, No. 253: Evan Beerntsen (G, Northwestern)
Buffalo Bills
- Round 2, No. 35 (from Titans): T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson)
- Round 2, No. 62: Davison Igbinosun (CB, Ohio State)
- Round 4, No. 102 (from Raiders): Jude Bowry (T, Boston College)
- Round 4, No. 125 (from Bears via Chiefs and Patriots): Skylar Bell (WR, UConn)
- Round 4, No. 126: Kaleb Elarms-Orr (LB, TCU)
- Round 5, No. 167 (from Texans): Jalon Kilgore (S, South Carolina)
- Round 5, No. 181 (from Lions)*: Zane Durant (DT, Penn State)
- Round 7, No. 220 (from Jets): Toriano Pride Jr. (CB, Missouri)
- Round 7, No. 239 (from Eagles via Jaguars, Browns and Bears): Tommy Doman (P, Florida)
- Round 7, No. 241 (from Bears): Ar’maj Reed-Adams (G, Texas A&M)
Carolina Panthers
- Round 1, No. 19: Monroe Freeling (T, Georgia)
- Round 2, No. 49 (from Vikings): Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech)
- Round 3, No. 83: Chris Brazzell II (WR, Tennessee)
- Round 4, No. 129 (from Bears): Will Lee III (CB, Texas A&M)
- Round 5, No. 144 (from Titans via Panthers): Sam Hecht (C, Kansas State)
- Round 5, No. 151 (from Dolphins): Zakee Wheatley (S, Penn State)
Chicago Bears
- Round 1, No. 25: Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
- Round 2, No. 57: Logan Jones (C, Iowa)
- Round 3, No. 69 (from Giants via Texans, Bills and Titans): Sam Roush (TE, Stanford)
- Round 3, No. 89: Zavion Thomas (WR, LSU)
- Round 4, No. 124 (from Jaguars via Panthers): Malik Muhammad (CB, Texas)
- Round 5, No. 166 (from 49ers via Eagles and Panthers): Keyshaun Elliott (LB, Arizona State)
- Round 6, No. 213 (from Seahawks via Jaguars, Lions and Bills): Jordan Van Den Berg (DT, Georgia Tech)
Cincinnati Bengals
- Round 2, No. 41: Cashius Howell (DE, Texas A&M)
- Round 3, No. 72: Tacario Davis (CB, Washington)
- Round 4, No. 128 (from Texans via Lions and Bengals): Connor Lew (C, Auburn)
- Round 4, No. 140 (from Bengals): Colbie Young (WR, Georgia)
- Round 6, No. 189: Brian Parker II (C, Duke)
- Round 7, No. 221 (from Giants via Cowboys): Jack Endries (TE, Texas)
- Round 7, No. 226: Landon Robinson (DT, Navy)
Cleveland Browns
- Round 1, No. 9 (from Chiefs): Spencer Fano (T, Utah)
- Round 1, No. 24 (from Jaguars): KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
- Round 2, No. 39: Denzel Boston (WR, Washington)
- Round 2, No. 58 (from 49ers): Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo)
- Round 3, No. 86 (from Chargers): Austin Barber (T, Florida)
- Round 5, No. 146: Parker Brailsford (C, Alabama)
- Round 5, No. 149 (from Bengals): Justin Jefferson (LB, Alabama)
- Round 5, No. 170 (from Broncos): Joe Royer (TE, Cincinnati)
- Round 6, No. 182 (from Jets via Browns, Jaguars, Raiders, Bills and Broncos): Taylen Green (QB, Arkansas)
- Round 7, No. 248 (from Seahawks): Carsen Ryan (TE, BYU)
Dallas Cowboys
- Round 1, No. 11 (from Dolphins): Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)
- Round 1, No. 23 (from Eagles): Malachi Lawrence (EDGE, Central Florida)
- Round 3, No. 92 (from 49ers): Jaishawn Barham (EDGE, Michigan)
- Round 4, No. 112: Drew Shelton (T, Penn State)
- Round 4, No. 114 (from Falcons via Eagles): Devin Moore (CB, Florida)
- Round 5, No. 137 (from Eagles)*: LT Overton (EDGE, Alabama)
- Round 7, No. 218 (from Titans): Anthony Smith (WR, East Carolina)
2026 NFL Draft Results By Round
From the No. 1 overall pick to Mr. Irrelevant (No. 257), here are the results from the 2026 NFL Draft:
Round 1
1) Las Vegas Raiders: Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
2) New York Jets: David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech)
3) Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
4) Tennessee Titans: Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State)
5) New York Giants: Arvell Reese (LB/EDGE, Ohio State)
6) Kansas City Chiefs (from Browns): Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
7) Washington Commanders: Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
8) New Orleans Saints: Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)
9) Cleveland Browns (from Chiefs): Spencer Fano (T, Utah)
10) New York Giants (from Bengals): Francis Mauigoa (T, Miami)
11) Dallas Cowboys (from Dolphins): Caleb Downs, (S, Ohio State)
12) Miami Dolphins (from Cowboys): Kadyn Proctor (T, Alabama)
13) Los Angeles Rams (from Falcons): Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama)
14) Baltimore Ravens: Vega Ioane (G, Penn State)
15) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain Jr. (EDGE, Miami)
16) New York Jets (from Colts): Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
17) Detroit Lions: Blake Miller (T, Clemson)
18) Minnesota Vikings: Caleb Banks (DT, Florida)
19) Carolina Panthers: Monroe Freeling (T, Georgia)
20) Philadelphia Eagles (from Packers via Cowboys): Makai Lemon (WR, USC)
21) Pittsburgh Steelers: Max Iheanachor (T, Arizona State)
22) Los Angeles Chargers: Akheem Mesidor (EDGE, Miami)
23) Dallas Cowboys (from Eagles): Malachi Lawrence (EDGE, Central Florida)
24) Cleveland Browns (from Jaguars): KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
25) Chicago Bears: Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
26) Houston Texans (from Bills): Keylan Rutledge (G, Georgia Tech)
27) Miami Dolphins (from 49ers): Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State)
28) New England Patriots (from Texans via Bills): Caleb Lomu (T, Utah)
29) Kansas City Chiefs (from Rams): Peter Woods (DT, Clemson)
30) New York Jets (from Broncos via Dolphins and 49ers): Omar Cooper Jr. (WR, Indiana)
31) Tennessee Titans (from Patriots via Bills): Keldric Faulk (DE, Auburn)
32) Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price (RB, Notre Dame)
Round 2
33) San Francisco 49ers (from Jets): De’Zhaun Stribling (WR, Ole Miss)
34) Arizona Cardinals: Chase Bisontis (G, Texas A&M)
35) Buffalo Bills (from Titans): T.J. Parker (EDGE, Clemson)
36) Houston Texans (from Raiders): Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
37) New York Giants: Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)
38) Las Vegas Raiders (from Commanders via Texans): Treydan Stukes (S, Arizona)
39) Cleveland Browns: Denzel Boston (WR, Washington)
40) Kansas City Chiefs: R Mason Thomas (EDGE, Oklahoma)
41) Cincinnati Bengals: Cashius Howell (EDGE, Texas A&M)
42) New Orleans Saints: Christen Miller (DT, Georgia)
43) Miami Dolphins: Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech)
44) Detroit Lions (from Cowboys via Jets): Derrick Moore (EDGE, Michigan)
45) Baltimore Ravens: Zion Young (EDGE, Missouri)
46) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Josiah Trotter (LB, Missouri)
47) Pittsburgh Steelers (from Colts): Germie Bernard (WR, Alabama)
48) Atlanta Falcons: Avieon Terrell (CB, Clemson)
49) Carolina Panthers (from Vikings): Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech)
50) New York Jets (from Lions): D’Angelo Ponds (CB, Indiana)
51) Minnesota Vikings (from Panthers): Jake Golday (LB, Cincinnati)
52) Green Bay Packers: Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)
53) Indianapolis Colts (from Steelers): C.J. Allen (LB, Georgia)
54) Philadelphia Eagles: Eli Stowers (TE, Vanderbilt)
55) New England Patriots (from Chargers): Gabe Jacas (EDGE, Illinois)
56) Jacksonville Jaguars: Nate Boerkircher (TE, Texas A&M)
57) Chicago Bears: Logan Jones (C, Iowa)
58) Cleveland Browns (from 49ers): Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo)
59) Houston Texans: Marlin Klein (TE, Michigan)
60) Tennessee Titans (from Bills via Bears): Anthony Hill Jr. (LB, Texas)
61) Los Angeles Rams: Max Klare (TE, Ohio State)
62) Buffalo Bills (from Broncos): Davison Igbinosun (CB, Ohio State)
63) Los Angeles Chargers (from Patriots): Jake Slaughter, C (Florida)
64) Seattle Seahawks: Bud Clark (S, TCU)
Giants Add No. 74 From Browns, Draft WR Malachi Fields
The Giants have completed a 31-spot climb up the board in Round 3. They acquired No. 74 from the Browns and drafted Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields.
New York sent Cleveland Nos. 105, 145 and a 2027 fourth-round pick, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. A few wideouts came off the board between the the Giants’ selection of cornerback Colton Hood at No. 37 and their trade-up with the Browns. The Giants had not addressed the position in the draft, leading them to make an aggressive move to reel in Fields. He joins Hood, linebacker/edge Arvell Reese (fifth overall) and offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa (10th) as the first four picks of the John Harbaugh era.
Fields spent the majority of his college career at Virginia, where he played from 2021-24. A foot injury limited Fields to one game in his second year with the Cavaliers, but he bounced back to post back-to-back seasons of 50-plus catches, 800-plus yards and five touchdowns.
After earning a third-team All-ACC nod in 2024, Fields transferred to Notre Dame. While playing with a freshman quarterback, CJ Carr, Fields’ catch total dropped to 36 in 12 games. However, he amassed 630 yards on a stellar 17.5 YPC and logged his third five-TD season in a row.
Heading into the draft, both Dane Brugler of The Athletic (No. 58) and Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network (No. 60) ranked Fields among the 60 best prospects in the class. The 6-foot-4, 218 pounder compares favorably to Michael Pittman Jr., per Brugler. Pittman is a six-year veteran with 485 catches and two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. A similar career for Fields would be a nice outcome for the Giants, who are hoping he emerges as a formidable target for quarterback Jaxson Dart and a strong complement to No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers.
Giants Engaged In Kayvon Thibodeaux Trade Talks; Saints Showing Interest
6:57pm: While Thibodeaux could be on the move soon — he dropped a Paul Walker Furious 7 image on his Instagram after this latest rumor circulated — GM Joe Schoen said (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan) no trade is being discussed now.
5:13pm: Similar to their Mathias Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul first-round picks earlier this century, the Giants have stacked their edge-rushing corps by drafting Arvell Reese. That came after Abdul Carter arrived in New York despite the presences of Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
While the Giants are preparing to start Reese as an off-ball linebacker — presumably with pass-down rush responsibilities a la an early-career Von Miller — a logjam has formed here. The Giants may be prepared to resolve the issue tonight. They are engaged in trade talks on Thibodeaux, veteran insider Jordan Schultz reports. The Saints are among the teams showing “strong interest.”
If the Giants do not move Thibodeaux, he might not have a starting role. A fascinating NASCAR package-style setup in which all four edge rushers share the field would generate intrigue — like the Giants’ JPP-Kiwanuka-Justin Tuck-Osi Umenyiora line did during the 2011 Super Bowl XLVI-winning season — but Thibodeaux’s name has come up in trade talks for several weeks. With one year left on his contract, the former No. 5 overall pick may soon need to relocate.
The Saints have been in on Thibodeaux since February, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill. In late February, a report indicated the Giants were listening on the Oregon product. Days later, they were viewed as preferring to trade him. This was well before it was viewed likely that Reese — who was closely tied to the Jets at No. 2 overall — could fall to 5.
Although a potential early-Day 3 pick has been floated as satisfactory compensation, a recent report indicated the Giants were not prepared to accept anything south of a Day 2 choice for Thibodeaux. While Chase Young, Jaelan Phillips, Yannick Ngakoue and Dante Fowler generated third-rounders (or thirds and then something else) in contract years, Thibodeaux has been inconsistent as a pass rusher. He has one six-sack season on his resume, and that 11.5-sack 2023 season looks like an outlier. The Giants look to have vacillated on whether to keep or trade Thibodeaux this offseason, the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy adds. The Reese pick certainly stands to increase internal trade interest.
The Saints were connected to potentially trading up for Reese in Round 1. The Chiefs then viewed them as a threat for cornerback Mansoor Delane. But New Orleans did not move up the board and then left Rueben Bain Jr. there, choosing wideout Jordyn Tyson at No. 8. New Orleans returns Young and Carl Granderson but has not re-signed franchise sack kingpin Cameron Jordan, who is entering an age-37 season.
Thibodeaux, 25, is due fully guaranteed $14.75MM salary this season — his fifth-year option campaign — but is coming off a second straight injury-shortened year. After missing five games in 2024, he missed seven in ’25. It would be surprising if anyone offered more than a third-rounder for the former top prospect, and it is worth wondering if the Giants would accept a fourth-rounder and another Day 3 pick to finalize this deal. By engaging in talks now, the team appears to be hoping an EDGE-needy team will offer that elusive third to finish this process.
Texans Trade Up To Draft DT Kayden McDonald
The first draft of the second round comes early as the Texans move up two picks to draft Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. They trade places with the Raiders to make the pick, giving Las Vegas pick Nos. 38 & 91 in exchange for pick Nos. 36 & 117.
McDonald was widely expected to be the 2026 NFL Draft class’s only first-round interior defender, opting to attend the festivities in Pittsburgh, but slipped into Day 2 after seeing the Florida’s Caleb Banks and Clemson’s Peter Woods taken in the first round. With teams seeing his name near the top of the list of best remaining players throughout the day, it’s clear he was a priority for a few clubs. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Houston felt the need to trade up ahead of the Giants, a team they expected might take McDonald before they could in order to replace Dexter Lawrence.
After essentially redshirting in his first year with the Buckeyes, McDonald held a rotational role off the bench in the team’s 2024 championship run. 2025 was McDonald’s first and only season as a full-time starter, but the All-American defender showed enough in 14 games to prove he was NFL ready. The disruptive, explosive defensive tackle made plays all over the field for Ohio State notching 65 total tackles, three sacks, and nine tackles for loss. While he was able to produce in the pass rush, he really excelled as a run stopper.
The Texans had quite a few strong contributors on the defensive line last year, with Sheldon Rankins and Tommy Togiai leading the way and Tim Settle rotating in. Settle made his way to Washington in free agency, setting up a perfect role for McDonald to fill as a rookie. Houston’s defense was one of the best in the league last year, and while McDonald has clear starting potential, he may benefit by starting slow in the NFL in a rotational role. If the Texans let Togiai walk in free agency after this year, McDonald will have a clear path to a starting role in Year 2.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.