New York Giants Must Avoid Three Players in the NFL Draft

The New York Giants are heading into the 2026 NFL Draft with some very obvious needs on their roster.

The Giants desperately need help at cornerback and right guard, and they also need to shore up the defensive tackle and wide receiver positions.

Are there other areas in which New York could use some help? Sure, but none that should preclude the Giants from addressing those other categories first.

So why in the world are the three top names being linked to New York at No. 5 players who occupy none of those positions?

Linebacker Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs and running back Jeremiyah Love seem to be the three most commonly linked players to the Giants with the draft looming in less than two weeks.

It's a classic case of "best player available," or at least an attempt at it (I'm not sure any of those players would genuinely be BPA at No. 5), and it's an avenue New York should absolutely not be exploring.

Perhaps this entire thing is a smokescreen by the Giants to entice another team into trading up. After all, we have heard rampant speculation over the last week that John Harbaugh would really prefer to trade down for more draft capital.

What better way to do that than make another team think you might take a player it really wants?

But let me just say this now: New York should absolutely, positively not select any of Styles, Downs or Love with the fifth overall pick.

Ideally, the Giants would trade down for either a cornerback (like Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy) or a guard (like Olaivavega Ioane) in the first round. Then, New York could circle back around to fill other needs as the draft progresses.

Big Blue does not currently own a third-round pick, so being able to acquire an extra Day 2 selection would be pivotal for the Giants as they try to patch roster holes.

There are only a couple of players I wouldn't mind New York outright taking at No. 5: wide receiver Carnell Tate or defensive lineman Rueben Bain, the latter of whom I think is a genuinely special talent and could fill a Justin Tuck type of role for the G-Men.

I know there is a whole lot of chatter about Styles and Downs being top-of-the-line defensive talents, but a.) they play non-premium positions, an b.) I don't value them the same way like so many others do. Styles isn't Ray Lewis, and Downs isn't Ed Reed.

Love? I think he's phenomenal, but he's a running back. The Giants should have already learned their lesson with Saquon Barkley. Different regime, I know, but the same logic applies.

New York has glaring holes that need to be repaired. Cornerback and right guard are the two primary ones. You can't go into the season with Paulson Adebo and Greg Newsome II as your two starting corners, nor can you expect Daniel Faalele to suddenly put it all together in the trenches.

Fix the problems you actually have; then you can worry about taking BPA ... a strategy I absolutely detest for a team in the Giants' position.

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