The Giants got two names onto ESPN’s projected top 100 NFL players for 2026, with offensive tackle Andrew Thomas and edge defender Brian Burns both landing at No. 81. One of the team’s biggest offensive pieces, wide receiver Malik Nabers, was left off the list.
Thomas earned his spot on the strength of what ESPN called a healthy return to form. The outlet noted that he’s “entering a season healthy for the first time in years” and added that “when he’s healthy, he’s one of the league’s best left tackles.” ESPN pointed to his 92.3% pass block win rate, which ranks fifth among all left tackles over the past three seasons, and said there’s no reason to expect that to change with Thomas “healthy and in his prime.”
The numbers behind Thomas back up the praise. Last season, he was one of just three offensive tackles to finish in the top 15 in both pass block win rate and run block win rate.
The other two were the Rams’ Warren McClendon Jr. and the Vikings’ Brian O’Neill. Among offensive tackles ranked ahead of Thomas were Jordan Mailata of the Philadelphia Eagles at No.
48, Lane Johnson of the Eagles at No. 40, Garrett Bolles of the Denver Broncos at No.
37, Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers at No. 28, Tristan Wirfs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 27, and Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions at No.
Burns, meanwhile, got recognition for a monster season that only seems to be setting him up for more. ESPN highlighted his career-best 16.5 sacks and said he “looks even better this summer.”
New coach John Harbaugh praised Burns’ fit in Dennard Wilson’s defense, saying, “He does so many things well, he’s going to excel,” and ESPN also noted that the presence of Abdul Carter should help keep Burns from facing heavy double teams. Burns was doubled at a rate of just over 13% last season.
His production already placed him near the top of the league. Burns had the second-most sacks in the NFL last season, and that total was the most by a Giants player in a single season since Jason Pierre-Paul’s 16.5 in 2011.
In Other News...
Najee Harris Is Suddenly Pushing A Giants Week 1 Shakeup
Najee Harris arrived in New York only in mid-August, but he has already worked his way into the conversation around the Giants backfield. The former Steelers runner got into the preseason finale and has climbed the depth chart quickly enough to make the teams running back picture feel a lot less settled than it did a few weeks ago.
Concerns around Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. have only added to the uncertainty, and that has opened the door for Harris to keep pushing toward the top of the rotation. With Week 1 approaching, the Giants still have time to sort it out, but the way this backfield is trending leaves open the possibility that Harris could wind up as the lead option. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Defense May Ride On One Veteran Fix Up Front
The Giants spent part of their offseason trying to steady the middle of a defense that got gashed too often against the run last season, and DJ Reader is the veteran brought in to help change that. At 32, he arrives with the kind of size and experience New York has been looking for up front, and the front office is banking on him to give the interior defensive line more resistance when opponents try to pound the ball between the tackles.
There is still some uncertainty attached to the move, though, because Readers recent play has not matched his best years and the Giants are asking for a bounce-back at a position where decline can show quickly. New York also added Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese to the linebacker group, but the entire plan still hinges on whether Reader can hold the middle well enough to let those pieces work behind him. [Read more 🡒]
Eli Manning Hall Of Fame Debate Just Got More Complicated
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is changing the way it chooses its next class, trimming its selection committee from 50 members to 28 in an effort to address possible biases. Hall of Fame president and CEO Jim Porter said the overhaul is meant to strengthen the institutions traditions, but it also adds a fresh layer of intrigue to an already tricky process for players whose cases have long split opinion.
For Giants fans, that matters because Eli Manning remains one of the most debated modern candidates on the board. His rsum has been discussed for years, and now his path could be shaped by a smaller voting group as the Hall weighs candidates already generating plenty of disagreement. The new setup does not settle the argument around Manning, but it does make the next few elections even more worth watching. [Read more 🡒]