**Dan Salomone:** The biggest thing I learned last week is that you can have a snowstorm so massive that it cancels five of your flights (one for every day that your daughter's school has been canceled this winter) and a night out at St. Elmo.
The second biggest thing I learned is this draft, especially for the Giants, will come down to positional value and how much that dictates front offices.
When viewing the 2026 draft and free agency cycle, the Giants can switch their lenses from quarterback-needy to best player available. Jaxson Dart offers that flexibility.
"Having that piece is very important," general manager Joe Schoen [said in Indianapolis](https://www.giants.com/news/joe-schoen-john-harbaugh-nfl-scouting-combine-draft-free-agency). "A lot of sleepless nights last year trying to fill that one."
There are various ways to build around Dart. [As I’ve written previously](https://www.giants.com/news/2026-nfl-draft-top-prospects-offseason-free-agency-john-harbaugh-caleb-downs-carnell-tate-spencer-fano), a stingy defense can be just as important to the growth of a young quarterback as an offensive line or an explosive wide receiver. At No. 5 – or if they trade out of it – we will see how the Giants decide to do it.
They will have plenty of options no matter what happens ahead of them. But two prospects in particular could make things interesting as it pertains to positional value: safety Caleb Downs and running back Jeremiyah Love.
John Harbaugh has made it clear that he favors Hall of Fame safeties and is a big fan of Downs. Meanwhile, the head coach with 193 total victories, including a Super Bowl, knows the game starts with stopping the run and running the ball. What if Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, the No. 2 overall prospect in Daniel Jeremiah's top 50 prospect rankings, is available when the Giants are on the clock? We will see.
This is only the second time that a Harbaugh team will be picking in the single digits. In 2016, Baltimore used the No. 6 pick on Ronnie Stanley, who has now started 120 games at left tackle for the Ravens and made two Pro Bowls. Other than that, the next highest selection in Harbaugh's 18-year run was Kyle Hamilton at No. 14 in 2022. Three Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pro selections and one second-team honor later, would anyone question taking that safety nine spots higher?
High or low, it doesn't matter where a player gets drafted. The real value is helping the team pick up some wins, and the Giants can't pass on those.