The New York Giants have the No. 5 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and Matt Severance breaks down their options
By Matt Severance Apr 9, 2026 at 9:45 am ET • 3 min read
The New York Giants believe they found their quarterback of the future with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in Jaxson Dart out of Ole Miss, as he was hugely promising as a rookie. So they are widely expected to look defense with their No. 5 choice in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, which starts April 23 in Pittsburgh.
Two of the DraftKings betting favorites to be the choice are a pair of former Ohio State defensive stars in linebacker Sonny Styles (+180) and safety Caleb Downs (+450). But the Giants' plans could change if Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (+425) is still there. I did a Titans draft preview at No. 4 overall on Tuesday, and that's where I expect Love to go and where he's favored to land.
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Styles was a little overshadowed on his own team last season by fellow linebacker/edge rusher Arvell Reese, who is the clear favorite to go No. 2 to the New York Jets. Styles was first-team All-Big Ten himself and led the Buckeyes with 82 tackles. It was his second year in a row as a linebacker after the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder played safety his first two seasons. He must have gotten a lot bigger, as that's huge for a safety.
NFL.com gives Styles a comp to San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. Styles has good genes, as his father Lorenzo also played at Ohio State and was chosen in the third round of the 1995 draft by Atlanta. Styles has an Over/Under draft spot of 5.5, while to simply go top five, he is -150 and for top 10 he's priced -1200. The CBS Sports Big Board ranks him as the No. 10 prospect.
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Downs, an Alabama transfer, could become the first safety to be chosen in the top 10 since Jamal Adams was chosen sixth in 2016 by the Jets. Downs was twice named a unanimous All-American in college, just the sixth defensive back ever to get two such honors. Yep, Deion Sanders was one.
Downs finished ninth in the 2025 Heisman voting, the first true defensive back to finish top 10 since Tyrann Mathieu in 2011, and was the Jim Thorpe Award winner and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. Downs was the only defensive back in the FBS to total at least 250 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and five picks in the past three seasons combined.
NFL.com gives Downs a comp to Texans safety Jalen Pitre.He sits seventh on the Big Board rankings and is +285 for top five but -225 for top 10. No safety has gone top five since Eric Berry in 2010.
The Giants last took a defensive back in Round 1 in corner Deonte Banks in 2023. This marks their eighth top seven pick in the past nine drafts but first under new coach John Harbaugh. New York had a good pass rush in 2025 thanks to Brian Burns and rookie No. 3 overall pick Adbul Carter but still ranked 26th in points allowed and 28th in total yards.
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So defense is a priority for Harbaugh. All four full-time Giants head coaches since Tom Coughlin finished with a losing record. Since Coughlin left after 2025, only the Jets have a worse overall record.
For a draft position O/U, Downs is set at 9.5 with the Over as a -130 favorite. Kansas City picks ninth and Cincinnati 10th. A lot of CBS mock drafts have him landing with the Bengals.
I asked CBS Sports and SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White thoughts on the Giants: "The fifth pick is where I think the draft basically starts, with Fernando Mendoza, Arvell Reese, David Bailey and Jeremiyah Love looking like the top four picks in some order. I would fade Sonny Styles as the clear betting favorite, considering the signing of Tremaine Edmunds and the de-prioritization of off-ball linebacker in asset allocation by NFL teams in recent years. Caleb Downs makes more sense to me considering how much success John Harbaugh had building a defense around Kyle Hamilton, but this far out I'd rather take a shot at beating some buzz by backing a longshot like Mansoor Delane or Spencer Fano."
Picks: Giants take Downs but open to trading back a few spots; Downs Under 9.5 draft position at +220
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