The New York Giants' biggest NFL Draft steal is a shocker. At least according to one outlet.
The New York Giants have generally been lauded for their work in the 2026 NFL Draft, even if there are some who believe the Giants didn't exactly display a sense of direction with their decision to select Arvell Reese.
The Giants made seven picks in total in the draft, filling some pretty significant needs in the process.
But while Reese and New York's trade for wide receiver Malachi Fields grabbed most of the headlines, the Giants may have nabbed a massive sleeper in the latter rounds of the draft: sixth-round selection Illinois Fighting Illini offensive tackle J.C. Davis.
In fact, Pro Football Focus feels that Davis was quite easily New York's biggest steal of the class, stating that Davis went 45 spots later than he should have at No. 192.
"Davis, a two-year starter at Illinois, has the length to remain at tackle at the next level, though improved recovery in pass protection will be key to earning early playing time," PFF wrote. "He earned an 82.1 pass-blocking grade at New Mexico in 2023, followed by marks of 73.1 in 2024 and 77.4 in 2025 at Illinois. In his final season, he allowed three sacks, two hits and 13 hurries across 417 pass-blocking snaps, while posting an 86.7 run-blocking grade that highlights his impact in the run game."
J.C. Davis. Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images.The path to playing time will certainly be challenging for Davis, as the Giants already have Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor as their two starting tackles. They also have Marcus Mbow — who played well in limited action last year — off the bench, and they selected Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick.
New York is going to kick Mauigoa inside to guard, but you have to think that Big Blue also views him as a potential option at tackle in the event of an injury.
For those reasons, Davis may have a difficult time securing a roster spot, but clearly, the Giants liked him enough to pass on other names that would have filled more prominent needs for the squad (like Jeff Caldwell at wide receiver, for example).
Davis stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 322 pounds, so he has very good size for the position. He also tested fairly well at the Scouting Combine, ranking a respectable 10th in total score among all tackles that participated, via NFL.com.
Whether or not the Oakland, Ca. native actually makes the 53-man roster, however, remains to be seen.
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