GIANTS DRAFT REESE & MAUIGOA IN FIRST ROUND OF NFL DRAFT

- Bill Bodkin, Contributor

The New York Football Giants needed to make an impact in the first round of the 2026 draft.

And, on paper, that's exactly what they did.

The New York Giants have found success when they apply these simple principles: dominate the line of scrimmage and sack the quarterback. It's the blue collar, gritty brand of football the Giants employed during their glory years of the 50s and early 60s with the likes of Rosey Grier, Sam Huff, and Jim Katcavage. It was the formula that propelled them to four Super Bowl wins in my lifetime with LT, Strahan, JPP, Osi, and Justin Tuck wreaking havoc on the run games and dropping QBs (just ask Tom Brady how they went).

With the 5th overall pick in the draft, the Giants drafted LB Averill Reese from THE Ohio State University. Listening to all the prognosticators, Reese to the Giants was an "educated wish," a long shot, and something that would happen if weird things happened in the draft. When the New York Jets took David Bailey, there were thoughts ... maybe. But when the Titans took WR Carnell Tate, and Reese was there, the Giants had to pounce.

The knock on Reese is he doesn't have a "real" position, and that he's "another" edge rusher. If we look at when the Giants won their last two Super Bowls, they employed that wild NASCAR defense -- rotating in pass rushers, and sometimes putting them all on the field. Now put this fast, strong LB (Reese) in with Abdul Carter, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux (who I think could get traded) and you're looking at a fast, run-crunching, quarterback destroying defense. The Giants need a player like this who can be moved around the field to be a field general for them. He's the type of guy that Jon Harbaugh used with great efficacy in Baltimore, and the kind of player we have not had in a long time.

The second pick (#10) screamed Jordyn Tyson - the WR from Arizona State. Everyone predicted it. Then he went to New Orleans. Huge bummer. So it seemed like a layup they'd go double defense, double Ohio State with Safety Caleb Downs. But they passed. Instead they went with the 6'5" 320 lb. highly-touted OT (potentially OG) Francis Mauigoa from THE U. The big man from American Samoa proclaimed he would die for Jaxson Dart, and who are any of us to question Our Tribal Chief's proclamation.

This is a vintage New York Giants pick. While the spotlight during the team's glory days was on the defensive side of the ball, the OL was equally important. Unglamorous names like Bart Oates, William Roberts, Doug Reisenberg, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie, Jumbo Elliott, Brand Benson, Karl Nelson, Shaun O'Hara and Rich Seubert (amongst many others) were the quiet Giants who allowed Simms, Manning and Hostetler to have prolific seasons, and OJ Anderson, Joe Morris, Ahmad Bradshaw and the juggernaut known as Brandon Jacobs to run with violent efficacy. A guy like Mauigoa can slot into the guard position, while also becoming the heir apparent to the wildly underrated Jermanie Eleumeanor at RT. He's a mauler, a masher and a big time run blocker, which we need.

The Giants have drafted blueprint, cornerstone players ... on paper. We never know what will happen in the future, but as a Giants fan you have to walk away from the first round with a sense of hope.