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Kayden McDonald of Ohio State celebrates after being selected thirty-sixth overall pick by the Houston Texans during Round Two of the 2026 NFL Draft.

The New York Giants, by all intents and purposes, came out of the 2026 NFL Draft with a pretty impressive haul.

They landed three Day 1 starters with their first three picks, including Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, who wasn’t expected to be available with the fifth overall pick.

New York drafted an immediate upgrade along their offensive line, landing Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who expects to be the right guard when Week 1 rolls around.

And in the second round, they nabbed Tennessee’s Colton Hood, who could compete with Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome to be one of the Giants’ starting cornerbacks.

But according to a report from ESPN, Hood may not have been New York’s first choice in Round 2, and they lost their top target to the Houston Texans.

Giants May Have Preferred Kayden McDonald in Round 2

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the New York Giants were a team heavily linked to Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald heading into the second round, but were jumped by the Houston Texans for his services.

“After the Giants’ two top-10 selections, defensive line felt like a position to watch for New York at one point. Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald had the Giants on his radar of teams to potentially select him. One team exec believed the Giants might have been a threat to trade up for McDonald,” wrote Fowler.

“Houston traded up to No. 36 — one spot ahead of New York — to select McDonald. But the Giants had a group of players they liked at 37 — most notably their eventual pick, Tennessee corner Colton Hood. ‘No, Hood was our guy,’ a team source said when asked about the defensive line rumblings.”

It makes sense. The Giants’ interior defensive line was a weakness even before they traded away Dexter Lawrence, and they desperately could’ve used McDonald’s size and presence in their front to turn around their horrendous run defense.

According to Pro Football Focus, McDonald was the No. 1 run defender in all of college football last season, receiving a 91.8 grade.

Clearly, word got out, and the Giants were forced to pivot to Hood after the Texans traded up.

New York saying “Hood was our guy” is fine, and I’m sure they were more than happy to select him at No. 37.

But it could just be the front office trying to save face after losing out on one of their top targets in the draft.

Giants Receive Positive Reviews on Malachi Fields

Despite losing out on McDonald in the second round, the New York Giants received positive reviews on their third-round pick, Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields.

“A few receiver coaches messaged me this week that they liked the Giants’ pick of Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields in the third round,” continued Fowler.

“‘Downfield playmaking, plays faster than he ran and was able to go up and make plays on the ball,’ an NFC assistant coach said. ‘Could win isolate routes outside the numbers.'”

The Giants had to trade up to get Fields, sending two fourth-round picks and a fifth-round pick to get back into the third, but the price seems to be worth it.

New York needed to make an addition to their wide receiver room. Outside of Malik Nabers, there aren’t many high upside options on the depth chart.

Fields is certainly a player with some potential, and has the chance to make an impact with the Giants early on.