Sonny Styles
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Sonny Styles is projected to land with the Giants with the No. 5 pick.
The New York Giants are predicted to select a star-caliber Ohio State defensive player at No. 5, but it may not be the one you think.
Dan Duggan of The Athletic predicted the Giants to choose Sonny Styles from the Buckeyes with the fifth overall pick in his most recent Giants mock draft.
Styles, a 6-5, 244-pound linebacker who converted from safety while in Columbus, has seen his draft stock rise since the NFL Combine. He earned the No. 1 linebacker grade off the combine and is being compared to superstar middle linebacker Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers.
Dan Duggan Chose Sonny Styles Over Caleb Downs at No. 5
Giants‘ first-year head coach John Harbaugh has a knack for hitting on dominant defensive players. Many, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., have predicted the Giants would choose Caleb Downs — the safety who has drawn comparisons to Kyle Hamilton, the two-time All-Pro safety for the Baltimore Ravens who Harbaugh picked in the first round in 2022.
Duggan admitted he thought long and hard over Downs vs Styles but went with the linebacker.
“There was some consideration of a wide receiver or an offensive lineman, but this decision came down to a pair of Ohio State defenders,” Duggan wrote. “Styles got the nod over safety Caleb Downs because of his star potential.”
Dugggan noted Styles’ eye-popping performance in Indianapolis, where he ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and did a 43.5 vertical leap, and Harbaugh’s experience at targeting impact players in the first round.
“His eye-popping performance at the combine confirmed the athleticism he shows on the field,” Duggan wrote. “The Ravens invested premium resources at inside linebacker when John Harbaugh was in Baltimore. It won’t be a surprise if Harbaugh values Styles as the heart of his defense for the next decade.”
The Giants May Target a Wideout Later in the Draft
Duggan predicted all seven of the Giants’ picks next month. Even though Duggan noted their potential need at wide receiver, he waited until Day 3, and the fifth round, to make his first wide-receiver pick.
But he finally did make the selection of Oregon wideout Malik Benson, with pick No. 145 overall.
“Their wide receiver room needs reinforcements with Wan’Dale Robinson departing in free agency, Malik Nabers recovering from knee surgery, Darius Slayton coming off a down season and Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin arriving on one-year prove-it deals,” Duggan wrote.
Robinson led the Giants in receptions, but of course rejoined former Giants coach Brian Daboll with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. The Giants added tight end Isaiah Likely, plus Mooney and Austin, but need more sustainable options that will support Nabers long term.
Benson, who was a high-school sprinter whose comp was Will Fuller V, is not a big receiver. But he could be a dynamic deep threat, which is something Giants need desperately.
“Even if the Giants can get through this season with those veterans, there isn’t much youth to complement Nabers,” Duggan wrote. “The 6-foot, 189-pound Benson, who ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the combine, would be an immediate deep threat with the traits to potentially develop into more.”