Now that the New York Giants have the fifth and 10 overall picks in the 2026 NFL Draft after the trade of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, the entire NFL world wants to know how GM Joe Schoen and head coach John Harbaugh will use those picks.
Pro Football Focus put together a list of five potential combinations. Click the poll below to vote for your favorite combination. You can do so until Thursday morning.
Below, each combination with both PFF’s thoughts, and mine.
LB Sonny Styles at No.5, S Caleb Downs at No. 10
PFF says:
This is a dream scenario for Giants fans. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Downs had been gaining traction as a potential fifth-overall selection. If the Giants are now able to land two players they deem worthy of a top-five pick, they would walk away as one of the biggest winners on Thursday night.
Ed says:
Until the last day or so, when doubt has been cast on whether the Giants really wanted Styles, this would have seemed like the perfect scenario. I still think it is. These are the two players the Giants have long been thought to like the most. Even though neither is an offensive player, getting your two top players — if that is what they are — is a home run.
Sonny Styles at No. 5; Jordyn Tyson at No. 10
PFF says:
In this scenario, the Giants would be choosing between cornerstone defensive pieces at fifth overall. As it stands, linebacker likely represents their biggest defensive need, although that remains debatable.
The Giants can wait to see how the board unfolds for the four teams between their selections. If Downs is off the board by 10th overall, or if they feel they need another playmaker alongside Malik Nabers, Jordyn Tyson makes sense.
Ed says:
Tyson is a massive boom-bust gamble at 5 or 10. It is going to be fascinating to see if the Giants are willing to roll those dice.
Francis Mauigoa at No. 5; Caleb Downs at No. 10
PFF says:
Veteran right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor may have one or two solid years left, but he was the most-penalized offensive tackle in the NFL last season.
If Jaxson Dart is going to take this franchise to the level the team expects, the Giants likely will not be picking in range of a blue-chip offensive tackle prospect like Mauigoa again anytime soon.
When the Seahawks were coming off a disappointing seven-win season in 2021, they capitalized on their draft position to select Charles Cross ninth overall. Cross later played a pivotal role in their Super Bowl run, allowing just two sacks this past season.
The Giants already have one elite bookend lineman in Andrew Thomas. This could be their best opportunity to solidify Dart’s pocket while he is still on a rookie contract.
Ed says:
There seems to be an increasing drumbeat that offensive linemen will fly off the draft board early, and that the Giants might be one of the teams banging that drum. As much as I believe in building from inside out I would have a hard time arguing with taking Mauigoa, even though I would be surprised. I am just not sure he would be the best use of the fifth pick.
Jeremiyah Love at No. 5; Mansoor Delane at No. 10
PFF says:
How’s this for a pairing out of left field? Insiders suggest Thursday night could bring plenty of surprises, and this combination would certainly qualify. That said, it should not be viewed as a far-fetched scenario. Betting markets currently list Love as the fourth-most likely selection at fifth overall.
Delane also ranks fourth in the betting market for the 10th overall pick, but two players with shorter odds are offensive prospects, making it difficult to envision the Giants leaving their defense untouched on the first night of the draft.
As popular as Cam Skattebo has become in New York, he still carries many of the same — if not greater — injury and workload concerns that contributed to him falling outside the top 100 in last year’s draft.
Ed says:
A curveball! I’m a little squeamish about a running back at No. 5, but if Harbaugh thinks that is the best way to help Jaxson Dart, so be it. As for Delane, if Downs were off the board I couldn’t argue with it. The cornerback in the draft at a position of need? That works.
Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs at No. 5; Olaivavega Ioane at No. 10
PFF says:
Ioane’s chances of being selected inside the top 10 appeared slim before the Dexter Lawrence trade, but he is now firmly back in the mix. Many will argue that guard is New York’s biggest need.
Projected starters Jon Runyan Jr. and free-agent addition Daniel Faalele earned PFF offensive grades of 52.9 and 56.8, respectively, last season. Before the trade, New York’s lone pick at fifth overall was too high to consider an interior offensive lineman.
Now, with an additional pick, Ioane at 10th overall does not feel like a significant reach. His current average draft position in the PFF Mock Draft Simulator is 16.5, but several NFL teams view him as one of the safest prospects in the first round.
Selecting Ioane would mean passing on higher-profile prospects such as Rueben Bain Jr. or Mansoor Delane, but the idea of “best player available” is often overstated. Most teams prioritize players who can provide immediate impact, and for the Giants, that could be Ioane.
Ed says:
I have to admit I am an Ioane fan and would be happy about this. It’s not nearly as sexy as taking a wide receiver in this spot, but it is probably a lot less risky. Again, the best player on the board at a position of need.
