New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh.
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New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh's friend may have dropped some news about what the team is doing in the draft.
New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh was head coach of the Baltimore Ravens for 18 years, and during that time he made high-powered friends in the NFL. So, when it comes to the Giants’ draft strategy for the 2026 NFL draft, those friends already have an idea of how Harbaugh thinks and what he may do when things come down to the wire.
The 2026 NFL draft is slated to take place between April 23 and 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The New York Giants’ first pick is at No. 5, so they have a golden opportunity to get a college standout on the squad.
The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor is a friend of Harbaugh’s and has a long relationship with the New York Giants‘ organization. He’s even writing a book about the New York Giants’ history between 2007 and 2011, when they won two Super Bowls. So, when O’Connor talks, people in the Giants’ camp listen. Now, he’s possibly spilled the beans on what Harbaugh and the Giants plan to do at the 2026 NFL draft.
John Harbaugh Friend and Longtime New York Giants Insider Names Who He Thinks the Team Will Draft
In a post on X on Wednesday, April 1, O’Conner said that he’s “putting [his] $20” on the team going with Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with this year’s No. 5 overall pick. No, this wasn’t an April Fool’s joke, either.
“Harbaugh wants a big, physical, all-weather defense that mirrors the championship Giants teams of the past,” he says in his post, adding that Styles is five inches taller and 40 pounds heavier than the safety, Caleb Downs. “He’s going to look awfully good walking off that bus and then staring across the line at the quarterback.”
He adds, “If the Titans don’t take Jeremiyah Love, it gets very interesting. But first and foremost, what’s worked for the Giants when they’ve won Super Bowls is that nasty defense, followed by a strong offensive line, followed by opportunistic quarterbacks who weren’t superstars but who could play like a superstar when it mattered most.”
The Case for John Harbaugh and the New York Giants to Go With a Running Back
In a Wednesday, April 1 feature for Yahoo Sports, NFL analysts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald discuss the 2026 NFL draft and give their picks. They want to see the Giants go with Love instead.
“This pick might be a shocker, but there is a strand of logic to follow here: namely, John Harbaugh and Greg Roman getting back together in New York,” they say in the piece. “Matt Nagy will be calling plays, but Roman is with the Giants as a senior offensive assistant and Harbaugh has thoroughly demonstrated a desire to be a good running team through almost his entire Baltimore tenure.”
They also say that the team “may view a game-breaking running back as the last piece considering the offensive line isn’t in immediate need of an upgrade and they threw some bodies at wide receiver.” Plus, if Cam Skattebo isn’t ready to go by the start of the season, having love will be an added bonus.