The New York Giants hold the fifth and 10th overall picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, a class that appears light on true blue-chip talent. This draft is also unique because many of the top-tier prospects play positions that are not traditionally selected in the top 10—let alone the top five—forcing the Giants to weigh positional value against overall talent as they approach their selection.
Both Ohio State defenders — linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs — are two players the Giants are likely
interested in adding. In his pre-draft press conference, Joe Schoen stated that he “watched A LOT of Ohio State film,“ which comes as no surprise, of course, but Styles and Downs are both players who have the potential to be decade-long, face of the franchise-type defensive players on a unit that struggled mightily in 2025.
Here are the cases for both Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs:
Sonny Styles
The Giants could use another starting linebacker. Bobby Okereke was released earlier this offseason, which made room for Tremaine Edmunds, whom the Giants signed to a three-year, $36-million contract with $23.7-million in guarantees. Like Styles, Edmunds is incredibly tall and long with above-average (or better in Styles’ case) linebacking athletic ability. New York also retained Micah McFadden, who can be a starter after missing almost all of the 2025 season.
The pairing of Styles with Edmunds would allow for a more gradual integration, if necessary, while also giving him a veteran presence with a similar stylistic profile. Dennard Wilson could get creative with the duo, maximizing their versatility and range. Over time, Styles projects as the eventual green-dot wearer and leader of the defense, which aligns with his makeup and presence. He would be a strong addition for the Giants, offering not only high-end upside but also a dependable floor.
Here is my synopsis on Styles’ play:
Sonny Styles has an elite size + athletic profile and his best football has yet to be played, but that doesn’t mean he is purely a projection. Yes, Sonny Styles has only played two seasons at linebacker and is new to the position, but he won a National Championship as a linebacker and wore the Green Dot in a complex Matt Patricia coached defense. He is a very smart and talented young man with elite physical tools.
Styles’ progression from 2024 to 2025 as a linebacker was evident, and his tackling mechanics highlighted this, as did his ability to quickly process and fit the run, while shedding and maintaining his gap-responsibility at beyond a competent level. Not only is Styles physical in the box, but his sideline-to-sideline range allowed him to be excellent in pursuit from the backside. He is a dangerous read defender and does an excellent job diagnosing plays around the line of scrimmage.
He has some stiffness in his lower-half, but is fluid enough to mirror/match tight ends in coverage, but may struggle against the shorter Wan’Dale Robinson types, which isn’t a surprise given Styles’ massive size. Few players possess his size/speed, while showing a comprehension to play the run as well as he did through two seasons with the Buckeyes.
One of the more intriguing aspects of Styles is his versatility that doesn’t appear to come at the expense of his competence at linebacker. His presence allows creative defensive coordinators to bestow a wide range of responsibility onto Styles, whose ability allowed him to execute those assignments at a high rate in the Big-Ten; projecting that skill forward isn’t always easy, but the young man has the correct temperament and mentality to be translate his college effectiveness to the next level, especially if he continues his upward trajectory of development.
Overall, Styles is a rare athletic prototype with good stack & shed technique and excellent range as a linebacker, who can also be effectively used across the defensive front. He was inconsistent – at times – with his reads, but that’s me nitpicking. Styles will be an impact player in the NFL – one who can thrive with a creative and adaptive defensive coordinator.
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Caleb Downs
The Giants have botched the safety position. Joe Schoen inherited Julian Love and Xavier McKinney and replaced the two with Tyler Nubin and Jevon Holland; the former was a second-round draft pick who regressed in 2025, and the latter underwhelmed in his first season after signing a three-year $45.3-million contract with $30.3 million guaranteed. Some of the struggles may be attributed to coaching; even still, the end result is much worse than that of the players who had to be replaced.
The Giants brought back Jason Pinnock and added Ardarius Washington to their roster in free agency this offseason — so are they seriously in a spot to select in the Top-5? It’s easy to just say no; it doesn’t make much sense to do that if we analyze the totality of the decision in a vacuum. With Downs, or anything for that matter, though, one should refrain from that kind of analysis. Downs has defensive cornerstone upside; a player with rare anticipation skills and football IQ, while also possessing above-average athletic traits and sufficient size.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia stated that Downs was the smartest player he has ever coached. Reports about his interviews were elite, and his fast processing and play speed are very evident on tape. His impact all across the defense is palpable, and quarterbacks will have to know where he is at all times. For that, he is certainly in consideration for me at five.
Here is my synopsis of Downs’ play:
Caleb Downs is an elite processing safety with elite field vision and reactive quickness to eliminate throwing windows as they’re opening. His ability to perceive offensive intentions, and react accordingly, is second to none. Downs possesses an immediate ability to explode from a stagnant stance and disrupt routes underneath him, while also leveraging that short-area-quickness to trigger downhill to be an A+ asset in run support.
The addition of a player like Caleb Downs, due to his ability to fit the run from depth and operate around the line of scrimmage, will give a defense the ability to play lighter up front, enticing defenses to run the football. Downs is reliable and can allow defenses to potentially steal gaps while preventing offensive explosive passing plays. His discernment and reactive quickness are weapons sharper than many players who operate the safety position at the NFL level.
Downs possesses elite spatial awareness and football IQ at all three levels of the field. He can impact the game deep with his eyes and range, while being a deceptive defender in zone to bait quarterbacks into mistakes over the middle of the field. He also impacts the game well at the line of scrimmage, which keeps the offense honest – all while being excellent in run support. I understand taking a safety in the top five without elite size/AA is unconventional and risky, but Caleb Downs is an outlier I would be willing to bet on.
Final thoughts
I am a happy man if the Giants leave the first round with either Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs. Styles may not slip past the Tennessee Titans, where Robert Saleh sits as the head coach of a team that would LOVE a player like Styles, but anything is possible. I have a higher overall grade on Downs, but the potential of Styles — coupled with his current level of comprehension and effectiveness — led me to select Styles. Again, either way I am pleased.
