My, how expectations for the New York Giants have changed in the final moments before the 2026 NFL Draft. After weeks of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles being the runaway choice of mock drafter for the Giants at No. 5, the Dexter Lawrence trade and the annual rash of late intel from league insiders has drastically altered the picture.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs will go into Thursday night as the favorite of mock drafters to be selected at BOTH No. 5 and No. 10.
Downs is the choice at No. 5 in 16 of 55 mock drafts (29.6%). Styles is the choice 12 times (22.2%). Running back Jeremiyah Love is the choice 10 times (18.5%). Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is the choice six times (11.1%).
At No. 10, Downs is again the choice in 29.6% of mock drafts. Tyson is the choice in 24.1%. Interestingly, offensive linemen are next. Penn State guard Vega Ioane is the choice at No. 10 in 16.7% of mocks, and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa in 9.3%.
The most-mocked combination is Downs at No. 5 and Tyson at No. 10. Would you be OK if it turned out that way?
- Making the case: Better pick for the Giants — Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs?
- Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles? Giants in ‘great position’ in 2026 NFL Draft
- NY Giants 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
- NY Giants 2026 NFL Draft scouting report: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
What is going on here?
Perhaps we have been reading the Styles situation wrong all along. After his historic on-field workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, some analysts figured that rather than the fifth pick being the floor for Styles in the draft, that it has become his ceiling.
It was easy to connect the dots to the Giants because of the many fantastic off-ball linebackers John Harbaugh coached with the Ravens.
Let’s not forget — and perhaps we have been guilty of doing so — what Harbaugh said about Downs roughly two months ago:
Big fan, big fan,” Harbaugh said of Downs during an interview with Mike Francesa. “We favor Hall of Fame safeties, so if we have a chance to draft a potential future Hall of Fame safety in Caleb Downs, that would be just fine with me.
“We’ll take the best player. You know, when you draft that high, you take the best player. It’s not a need pick. It’s the best player pick because you’re going for the guy that’s going to be that kind of a player. You’re talking about a guy that you would like to see someday wearing a gold jacket if possible. That’s what the goal is with that pick. …
“That guy would be just fine with me. I’d take him in a second.”
Of course, maybe all of this means the Giants will take Styles at No. 5. Or Love. Or Carnell Tate. Or trade the pick. Thank goodness we only have to wait a few more hours to find out.
| Date | Mock | Round 1 (No. 5) | Round 1 (No. 10) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4/23 | USA Today (Camenker) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/23 | SB Nation (Dator/Schofield) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami |
| 4/23 | CBS (Prisco) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/23 | NFL Media (Parr) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/23 | Philly Voice (Kempski) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/23 | The Athletic (Mock) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 4/23 | ESPN (Yates) | Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/23 | USA Today (Middlehurst-Schwartz) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/23 | The Athletic (Brugler) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami |
| 4/23 | SI (Breer) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | NBC Sports (Rogers) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/22 | USA Today (McKessy) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | Draft Sharks (Hallam) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/22 | NFL Media (Jeremiah) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | A to Z Sports (Crabbs) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/22 | CBS (Wilson) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | Fansided (LaCanfora) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/22 | CBS (White) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | NY Post (Serby) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/22 | FOX Sports (Rang) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami |
| 4/22 | Grinding the Mocks (Robinson) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | ESPN (Miller) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | CBS (Edwards) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami |
| 4/22 | LA Times (Farmer) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU |
| 4/22 | 33rd Team (Meirov) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State | Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami |
| 4/22 | ESPN (Staff-Ranaan) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/22 | ESPN (Schrager) | Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/22 | CBS (Prisco) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Peter Woods, DT, Clemson |
| 4/21 | NFL Media (Brooks) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/21 | SI (Conor Orr) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/21 | The Athletic (Baumgardner) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/21 | Boston Globe (Volin) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 4/21 | Sporting News (Iyer) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Peter Woods, DT, Clemson |
| 4/21 | SNY (Hughes) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/21 | NFL Media (Brooks) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/20 | NFL Media (Reuter) | Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/20 | NBC Sports (Florio) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/20 | NBC Sports (Chris Simms) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/20 | NFL Media (Edholm) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/20 | FOX Sports (Klatt) | David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/20 | SB Nation (Schofield) | Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/20 | ESPN (Reid) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/20 | SI (Melo) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/20 | Philadelphia Inquirer (Jackson) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Vega Ioane, G, Penn State |
| 4/20 | College Football News (Fiutak) | Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami | Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU |
| 4/19 | CBS (McFadden) | Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/19 | Bleacher Report (Davenport) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/19 | The Athletic (Baumgardner) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 4/19 | USA Today (Davis) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/19 | Bleacher Report (Knox) | Jeremiyah Love, RB (Notre Dame) | Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo |
| 4/19 | Draft Network (Sanchez) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami |
| 4/18 | Athlon Sports (Easterling) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State |
| 4/18 | ESPN (Kiper) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State | Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami |
| 4/18 | The Huddle Report (Williams) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |