The New York Giants feel like they are trending upward. After a successful offseason and a history-making preseason, the Giants are poised to start the season with momentum on their side.

With Russell Wilson under center, Malik Nabers ready to receive the ball, and Dexter Lawrence leading the defense, the 2025 season has the potential to be great.

Right now, though, it’s just potential that we’ll have to wait and see if it comes to fruition. While we wait for the regular season to start, CBS Sports released its 2026 preseason mock draft.

Using FanDuel’s reverse Super Bowl rankings, they predict the Giants will have the fourth overall selection, and they’ll use it to select defensive tackle Peter Woods out of Clemson.

You want the scariest defensive line in football, because you just got it. Peter Woods is a versatile and powerful interior defender. Put him next to Dexter Lawrence, Abdul Carter and Brian Burns, and you’ll never have to blitz again.

Over his two seasons at Clemson, Woods has recorded 52 tackles (31 solo), three sacks, and one forced fumble. At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Woods is a huge body along the line and has the strength and hands to compete in the NFL.

The Giants’ defensive line is aging, too. Darius Alexander is a 25-year-old rookie, and D.J. Davison is the same age with four years of NFL experience. They need to add youth to their line to start preparing for the future. Dexter Lawrence and Chauncey Gholston are both 27, while Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Roy Roberson-Harris are both 32.

The advantage the Giants have right now along their line is that it is solid. Lawrence leads the group, without question, and the linemen are all on the same page. They work well together and have proven that they can get the job done. However, they aren’t going to play forever.

Woods is an athletic player with the ability to break through the line and get to the quarterback. He’s still developing, and we’ll see that on his film this year, but if he continues to progress the way that he has, he’s a solid option for the Giants in the first round if there are no other glaring needs.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants land ‘versatile and powerful’ iDL in 2026 CBS Sports mock draft