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The initial round of the interview process is complete. Now we wait until the New York Giants make their final decision on a head coach. There could be a second interview for a select candidate or candidates, considering co-owner Steve Tisch didn't sit it on a majority of the meetings. Or they could be forced into action like they were the last time around, when Ben McAdoo ultimately was the choice.

As of late Wednesday afternoon, the Giants hadn't settled on a candidate, a source told ESPN. There was talk of New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia being the Giants' guy (via the New York Daily News), but they had not reached that point, especially before Eric Studesville became the sixth and final candidate to interview during the initial round of interviews.

That's not to say the Giants won't hire Patricia. He's in the mix and near the top of their list. But it would also appear premature to rule out Steve Wilks, Pat Shurmur and even Josh McDaniels.

Steve Spagnuolo and Studesville are the long shots. Studesville's interview, unlike Wilks' a day earlier, came without Tisch in the room.

Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is reportedly high on the Giants' head-coaching job, but he's not necessarily the favorite. Jim Rogash/Getty Images

So what now? There are no more known interviews planned. The Giants' brass will have to make a choice on how to move forward. Tisch and John Mara will make the final decision. General manager Dave Gettleman and assistant general manager Kevin Abrams will provide input.

The favorites at this point appear to be Wilks and Patricia. Wilks -- the Carolina Panthers' defensive coordinator -- has the obvious connection to Gettleman, and the Lions are in a holding pattern, with Patricia waiting to hear from the Giants. MMQB's Peter King reported Wednesday morning that Patricia would prefer the Giants to the Lions, which was the reason for the holdup in Detroit.

Multiple league sources on Wednesday afternoon still believed Patricia ultimately ends up with the Lions. His connection to general manager Bob Quinn makes it an obvious marriage.

McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, likely would be in the mix of Giants favorites with Wilks and Patricia if there weren't questions about whether the Giants are even his first choice. There has been talk about other jobs being more favorable. So even if the Giants offer him the job, it seems to be a crapshoot if he would even take the offer.

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Shurmur also remains in the mix for several jobs, including the Giants. The Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator is the sleeper in this particular search. He hasn't gained a lot of buzz but shouldn't completely be discounted, especially given his history with quarterbacks.

The Giants appear poised to take their time with the search. But they also took the same approach two years ago, when Mara and Tisch didn't expect to make a final decision at least for a few days and potentially not until the following week. Once the Philadelphia Eagles became involved and planned a second interview with McAdoo, the Giants hired him within the next 24 hours. The deal was done on a Wednesday night.

The same could unfold here. If the Lions, Arizona Cardinals or Indianapolis Colts dish out offers or start to seriously move on the Giants' desired candidate, it would greatly accelerate the search.