I don’t like to do 17 mock drafts so that I can point back to Mock 7.0 and claim I “nailed” the Giants’ first-round pick. I try to treat mock drafts like an NCAA Tournament bracket, where there is only one “sheet of integrity.”
My Giants’ seven-round mock draft was published on Monday, so I’m locked into Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with the fifth pick and Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 10. Naturally, within hours, there seemed to be an endless stream of reports that Styles will not be the pick at No. 5.
There’s no changing predictions at this stage of the process and no way of knowing whose information is more accurate. So, I’ll stick with Styles, but it’s worth examining the other possibilities. The 10th pick is an even greater wild card since the Giants only obtained it on Saturday in the blockbuster trade that sent All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals.
I have a three-year streak of correctly identifying the Giants’ first pick in this exercise — outside linebacker Abdul Carter in 2025, wide receiver Malik Nabers in 2024 and cornerback Deonte Banks in 2023. So, here’s a breakdown of how I landed on Styles and Tyson through a position-by-position analysis of the Giants’ options:
• Quarterback: The Giants’ wins in the final two games of last season robbed some drama from the pre-draft process, as there were already hot takes cooking about how they should take Fernando Mendoza and dump Jaxson Dart if they got the No. 1 pick. Alas, the Giants landed at No. 5 and are committed to building around Dart after his promising rookie season.
• Running back: I’m not sure I’m ready to do this again. Eight years after controversially using the No. 2 pick on Saquon Barkley, the Giants are again in a position to take a running back with a top pick. The good news for positional value devotees is that the Giants may get saved from themselves, as Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love widely expected to go third to the Cardinals or fourth to the Titans. If Love makes it to No. 5, I believe he’d be the pick as new coach John Harbaugh could establish the team’s identity with arguably the top prospect in this class.
• Wide receiver: This is where acquiring the 10th pick spices things up. There had been very little buzz about the Giants taking a wide receiver with the fifth pick. But now that they have a second top-10 pick, the menu of options has expanded. The Giants have done their homework on the top three receivers in the class — Tyson, Ohio State’s Carnell Tate and USC’s Makai Lemon. There’s a clear need for a No. 2 wide receiver to support Nabers and give Dart more firepower. The Giants have shown more attention to Tyson lately, which has fueled speculation that he could be their favored receiver.
• Tight end: Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq is the only tight end deemed worthy of a first-round pick. There has been zero buzz connecting the Giants to him, which makes sense since they just signed Isaiah Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract and are high on third-year tight end Theo Johnson. Tight end might rank last on the list of positions the Giants will address in this draft.
• Offensive line: Acquiring the 10th pick made offensive line far more of a possibility. It’s impossible to ignore the hole at right guard and that no interior offensive lineman is signed beyond this season. Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, Penn State’s Vega Ioane and Utah’s Spencer Fano could all be options at No. 10. It’s notable that the Giants aren’t believed to have hosted Mauigoa for a pre-draft visit, which would have been an important step considering he has a herniated disc in his back that could be a red flag.
• Defensive line: This already was a big need, and the urgency to draft a defensive tackle intensified after the Lawrence trade. But it would be a major reach to take a defensive tackle in the top-10. That’s a position more likely to be targeted in the second round.
• Outside linebacker: There’s a plausible scenario where an edge rusher — Ohio State’s Arvell Reese or Texas Tech’s David Bailey — is the best player available when the Giants are on the clock at No. 5. It’s hard to imagine the Giants selecting an edge rusher with a top-five pick for the third time in five years, especially with the additional investment they’ve made in Brian Burns. Instead, Reese or Bailey sliding to No. 5 could make the pick more attractive to teams looking to trade up.
• Inside linebacker: Styles has been linked to the Giants throughout the pre-draft process and it’s easy to understand why. He has exceptional talent and intangibles. Harbaugh’s teams in Baltimore traditionally featured an elite middle linebacker. Styles could be plugged in as the centerpiece of the Giants’ defense.
• Cornerback: This is another position that is a more serious consideration now that the Giants have a second top-10 pick. LSU’s Mansoor Delane checks all the boxes for a team that has uncertainty at corner beyond this season.
• Safety: Another Ohio State defensive player, safety Caleb Downs, has also been linked to the Giants throughout the draft process. That chatter has grown recently, with many predicting he’ll be one of the Giants’ picks. Like Styles, Downs is a clean prospect who would continue a Harbaugh tradition of having a standout at a position in the heart of the defense.
Now comes the hard part of narrowing down the options, which is trickier with two top-10 picks. Quarterback, tight end and defensive line can be eliminated without a second thought. I’m going to remove outside linebacker as well because I think the Giants will trade back to acquire more picks if one of the top edge rushers is available at No. 5. I’ll also rule out running back. To be clear, Love may be the top prospect on the Giants’ board, but there are strong indications that he’ll be gone before the fifth pick.
So that leaves wide receiver, offensive line, inside linebacker, cornerback and safety. I don’t see offensive line or cornerback as realistic options at No. 5. I think the fifth pick will come down to Styles and Downs, with Tyson being a wild card because he might have the lowest odds of the trio of reaching No. 10, since there are wide receiver-needy teams between the Giants’ two picks.
I gave Styles the slight edge over Downs for the fifth pick, but I could easily see the safety being the selection. I’m leaning toward Styles because this is the first pick of the Harbaugh era and a middle linebacker can set the tone as the leader of the defense.
For all of the positional value debate at the top of this draft, taking a wide receiver with the 10th pick would balance out taking a linebacker at No. 5. Styles would become the 10th-highest-paid inside linebacker in the league if he’s the fifth pick. Meanwhile, Tyson would become the 40th highest-paid wide receiver if he’s the 10th pick. I feel a bit shaky about Tyson making it to No. 10 with the four teams between the fifth and 10th picks all candidates to take a wide receiver.
I went with Tyson over offensive line and cornerback because I expect getting another weapon for Dart to be a priority. If Tyson is gone, I think the Giants would pivot to an offensive lineman at No. 10 (or after a trade back). Ioane is my contingency plan to Tyson.