- The “Sauce & Garrett” Path (Styles & Tyson): Mirroring the Jets' 2022 strategy, the Giants could take a defensive cornerstone at No. 5 (Styles) and an offensive weapon at No. 10 (Jordyn Tyson). Tyson is a YAC specialist who would provide a physical, after-the-catch complement to Malik Nabers, addressing a primary offensive weakness from the 2025 season.
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The New York Giants delivered the first shakeup of draft week when they dealt Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for the 10th overall pick.
The last franchise to make multiple selections inside the top 10 of a draft was the Chicago Bears in 2024. However, the Giants find themselves in a situation closer to the Jets' two years earlier, when New York selected fourth and 10th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jets used those picks on Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. While that pair did not turn around the franchise, the return was still highly productive.
The Giants have numerous needs across the roster, leaving a wide range of possibilities at this spot. While linebacker is arguably the top priority, the team could also target premium positions such as safety, wide receiver or the interior offensive line.
Explore PFF Tools Mock Draft Simulator Be the GM for any team in the 2026 NFL Draft with a fully immersive simulation that lets you trade picks and players for a realistic, in-depth draft experience. Customizable Draft Big Board Take control of your rankings with a customizable big board that lets you add players, share with friends, export to CSV and save your personalized list. Scouting Assistant Master the evaluation process with a customizable grading system built for serious scouts. Choose your own scouting categories, assign 0–10 grades in each area and generate a finalized prospect grade tailored to your criteria. NCAA Premium Stats Our exclusive database, featuring the most in-depth collection of NCAA player performance data. Subscribe For Full AccessLB Sonny Styles at No.5, S Caleb Downs at No. 10
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.
Styles and Downs would complement each other perfectly in New York, as they did last season while sharing 653 snaps on Ohio State’s defense as the unit’s two leading tacklers. Downs played only 29 snaps without Styles on the field, while Styles logged just 10 snaps without Downs.
The Giants did not retain a single player at either position who played more than 20% of snaps last season and earned a PFF grade above 60.0. Free-agent acquisition Tremaine Edmunds brings experience to the middle of the defense, but he struggled in coverage last season, earning a 52.9 PFF coverage grade.
Dexter Lawrence was a top-tier interior pass rusher over his seven years with the Giants, recording a PFF pass-rush grade above 80.0 in each of the past four seasons. However, he struggled against the run in 2025, earning just a 57.0 PFF run-defense grade. His absence will likely be felt more in pass-rush situations than against the run.
The good news for the Giants is that Styles and Downs are both coverage-first defenders. Ohio State’s defense allowed just 5.0 yards per attempt last season — the lowest mark in the Power Four. Both players are solid against the run, but they are considered blue-chip prospects because of their impact in coverage and their ability to disrupt opposing passing attacks.
Sonny Styles at No. 5; Jordyn Tyson at No. 10
If the Giants instead want to follow the path of the Jets in 2022 or the Texans in 2023 by selecting one offensive and one defensive player inside the top 10, this may be their best route.
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.
Carnell Tate could be off the board by this point, with several landing spots between sixth and ninth overall. But even if Tate is available, Tyson may still be the preferred option for Giants general manager Joe Schoen, who met with him in Arizona last week.
Nabers has aligned in the slot on more than 25% of passing snaps since being drafted sixth overall. As a rookie, he ranked seventh in PFF receiving grade when lined up in the slot. Makai Lemon’s size and play style suggest he will be a slot-heavy option early in his career, which complicates the fit.
Tate has the size and experience to play on the perimeter full-time and is accustomed to a secondary role, as he was throughout college. Tyson, however, profiles as the better option after the catch and after contact — two areas in which the Giants’ receiving corps excelled last season.
Francis Mauigoa at No. 5; Caleb Downs at No. 10
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.
Mauigoa is not out of the question at 10th overall if the Giants prioritize Styles or Downs earlier. That scenario could work out favorably, as Monroe Freeling and Spencer Fano would remain viable options at that spot if Mauigoa is selected earlier by teams such as the Browns or Chiefs.
Dillon Thieneman, on the other hand, may be a reach at this position and could feel like a reactionary pick if Downs is off the board before 10th overall. Thieneman currently has an average draft position of 15.8 in PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator. Meanwhile, there is no clear solution at linebacker at No. 10 if Sonny Styles is unavailable. Georgia’s CJ Allen would be a long shot.
Jeremiyah Love at No. 5; Mansoor Delane at No. 10
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.
John Harbaugh has shown a willingness to invest premium resources at running back, as seen when the Ravens signed Derrick Henry. Selecting Love in the top five would reflect a similar level of commitment.
As for Delane, he would likely step in immediately as a perimeter cornerback. The Giants attempted to address the position in free agency, but the additions of Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II offer limited certainty. The two ranked 52nd and 61st, respectively, among 67 qualifying cornerbacks in PFF overall grade last season.
It is also worth noting that, unlike Downs, Styles and Mauigoa, the Giants hosted both Love and Delane on top-30 pre-draft visits.
Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs at No. 5; Olaivavega Ioane at No. 10
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.