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The New York Giants have had their foot on the gas during John Harbaugh’s first year as their head coach. They have hit a few cones and veered into a ditch or two along the way, but a clear path to the franchise’s first NFC East title since 2011 has emerged.
Big Blue attacked free agency, made four picks in the first two days of the NFL Draft, and focused on developing struggling talents who seemed to have overstayed their welcome. This comprehensive approach has produced positive results overall.
Several players are on the rise through seven games of the 2026 campaign, but there are also some who have fallen, even drastically so in certain cases. Let’s break it all down in the Giants’ first-half stock report.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft thrived in his rookie campaign, largely despite an unpredictable quarterback situation. Now, after recovering from a 2025 season-ending knee injury, Malik Nabers is essentially doing the same thing.
The 23-year-old wide receiver has caught passes from Jaxson Dart, Jameis Winston, and J.J. McCarthy in two months. Despite the changes at the position, he continues to bloom.
After taking some time to readjust to NFL action, Nabers has accumulated 509 receiving yards across his last four games. Fans were hoping he would regain his pre-injury form by Thanksgiving. He surpassed it by Halloween.
Because he hasn’t yet become a sack machine, people may hesitate to crown Abdul Carter a star NFL edge rusher, but he has arguably earned the title.
The 6-foot-3, 252-pound outside linebacker continues to make quarterbacks squirm, recording two sacks and 25 total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, but he is also much more well-rounded this year.
Carter is holding his own against the run, has just one missed tackle, and is drawing holding penalties thanks to his elusiveness.
Offensive linemen must prepare extensively for No. 3 moving forward.
The former Baltimore Ravens tight end has posted a few quiet outings this season, but he is fitting in excellently overall. Isaiah Likely has been one of the most impactful free-agent signings so far.
Leading New York with five receiving touchdowns and ranking second with 395 receiving yards and 41 receptions, the 26-year-old is puncturing holes in defenses all over the field.
He is quite dangerous on deep routes (20 or more yards), registering three catches for 73 yards and two TDs, which adds a vital new layer to the offense.
John Harbaugh gave Deonte Banks another chance, one many fans felt he didn’t deserve after a rough couple of years under former defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
The 2023 first-rounder has seized this opportunity, and with guidance from new DC Dennard Wilson, he has become a highly reliable coverage cornerback.
Banks is making game-saving plays and displaying impressive hustle. If you had to encapsulate the Harbaugh effect in one player, you would probably point to No. 2.
Last offseason, the consensus opinion on veteran offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor was that the Giants had to pay him, even though it seemed unlikely that he would replicate his 2025 output at almost 32 years of age.
The Giants wisely committed more than $25 million guaranteed to their starting right tackle, as he has somehow managed to level up.
Father Time is nowhere to be found. Despite frequently being left on an island, Eluemunor has surrendered just one sack and seven total pressures in 368 offensive snaps.
Jevon Holland has cooled off a bit, but the sixth-year safety is still instrumental to the Giants’ strong start. He recorded an interception in each of the first three games, with the last one sealing a 12-7 home win versus the Tennessee Titans.
He is also an asset on run defense, notching 30 combined tackles, and has the versatility needed to prosper in Wilson’s system.
D.J. Reader is supposed to be a mere stopgap until New York can acquire a suitable long-term replacement for Dexter Lawrence. That may still be true, but few stopgaps make such a consistent impact.
The 32-year-old defensive tackle is performing at his peak, and possibly beyond. The Giants still have improvements to make on run defense, giving up more than 128 rushing yards per game, but Reader’s stout resistance is preventing disaster from taking shape. He has 15 stops in 251 defensive snaps.
John Harbaugh went the unconventional route, acquiring a young quarterback instead of placing complete trust in a respected backup like Jameis Winston. The Minnesota Vikings, a team brimming with QB uncertainty, decided that J.J. McCarthy was expendable.
For only the price of a 2027 fifth-round selection, the Giants gambled on the former No. 10 pick. They are cleaning up on that deal so far.
McCarthy survived a couple of early mistakes in his Big Blue debut and threw for 243 yards in the fourth quarter of the team’s near-comeback against the New Orleans Saints. He proved his eruption was no fluke in his first New York start, completing 71.4 percent of his passes and displaying superb touch in a 27-21 overtime win versus the Houston Texans.
Has McCarthy arrived? Who knows, but he is definitely surging.
Top-five picks are expected to make a difference in their rookie year, but Arvell Reese still deserves his flowers for establishing himself as one of the defense’s most important players in two months.
The young linebacker covers incredible ground, showing the ability to rush a QB and then dart downfield to bring down the pass-catcher. He is physically gifted and relentless, qualities that bode well for his NFL ceiling.
Reese boasts a team-high 56 combined tackles, along with 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, one interception, and four passes defended.
A wild card entering the 2026 campaign, former Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Greg Newsome II has found a home for himself in the Meadowlands.
Following a solid first half that includes a 62.0 passer rating allowed, the offseason addition inked a three-year, $46 million contract extension worth $32 million guaranteed. He has earned his spot in a surprisingly stingy secondary.
The undrafted 2024 offensive lineman has overtaken John Michael Schmitz for the starting center slot. He has yet to give up a sack through four games, while allowing three pressures and two hurries.
There is no denying that this undrafted rookie kicker has ability, but promise can only hold so much value at this position. Although Dominic Zvada still has some leeway, he is declining rapidly.
The former Michigan standout and Big Ten Kicker of the Year has converted 13-of-18 field goals, missing twice from 40-49 yards and three times from 50 yards or more. He isn’t missing the easy kicks, though.
Zvada also failed to kick the ball out of the back of the end zone in a 34-27 loss versus the Saints, costing the Giants precious seconds that could have changed the outcome.
Perhaps a revival is plausible, but he has to win back the trust he lost in recent weeks.
Odell Beckham Jr., Saquon Barkley, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. are the only Giants players to record 1,000 scrimmage yards in each of their first two NFL seasons. Earning that distinction has done little for Tracy in the present.
Despite scoring three touchdowns in his last two games, the WR-turned-RB is occupying a much smaller role than he did last year.
Tracy, who is currently on IR with a hamstring injury, has a modest 19 carries for 55 yards, averaging a worrying 2.9 yards per attempt.
He is firmly behind Cam Skattebo on the depth chart, and Devin Singletary might even cut into his workload.
Giants fans did not have much confidence in center John Michael Schmitz going into the season, but he still had management on his side. That is no longer true.
The No. 57 selection in the 2023 NFL Draft lost his spot to Bryan Hudson and is running out of time to impress Harbaugh before free agency arrives.
Remember when Darnell Mooney was gaining steam as New York’s potential No. 2 wide receiver?
Aside from a couple of key catches, Mooney has largely been a non-factor for Big Blue. His opportunities should only shrink with rookie Malachi Fields starting to emerge.
Lacking alternatives and believing he was still reliable, the Giants signed veteran left guard Jon Runyan Jr. to a two-year, $22 million extension. He has not validated their faith quite yet.
Runyan is scuffling as a run-blocker, which applies to other members of this offensive line as well, and he has allowed two sacks and 15 pressures. The 29-year-old was also a penalty magnet in the first month of the season.
Even with the new deal, New York may have to keep its options open in 2027.
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