TheGiants' 2025 season did not go as planned, as the team fired Brian Daboll on Nov. 10 after a 2-8 start and missed the playoffs for the third straight season.
New York finished the year with a 4-13 record, earning the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 in Pittsburgh.
The franchise enters a new era afterhiring John Harbaugh as the team's head coach and GM Joe Schoen is tasked with building the Super Bowl champ a contending team around last year's No. 25 pick, QB Jaxson Dart .
Here's what the draft experts have Big Blue doing in the first round...
Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports
No. 5: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
I'm not as convinced on Styles as many others seemingly are at this point, but there's enough reliable smoke out there about the Giants' interest in him that I'm joining the party.
No. 5: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
I go back and forth on whether I like a receiver or back here; it surely depends to some extent on how the Giants feel about Cam Skattebo ‘s health. Francis Mauigoa could step right in at right guard, but the Giants just re-signed Jermaine Eluemunor . Darnell Mooney ‘s signing gives them a bit of flexibility at receiver if they want to go with Love.
No. 5: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
Listen, it’s just too hard to find dynamic linebackers with a true three-down skill set who can defend the run, make plays in coverage, and get after the quarterback as a blitzer. Throw in Styles’ rare combination of size and athleticism, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for the league’s next superstar at the position.
No. 5: LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State
The Giants already added free agent Tremaine Edmunds as an immediate solution for the middle of their second level, but Styles' talent and freakish athletic profile are simply too strong to pass up in favor of addressing a need elsewhere on the roster.
Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
No. 5: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
McCoy is not a prospect I have associated with New York during this process, but every year there are a few picks that make you think, "Why didn't I think of that?" I refer to mock drafts as thought exercises because the goal is to be most accurate with the final version. McCoy has the potential to be in a tier of cornerbacks that includes Derek Stingley Jr. and Patrick Surtain II . Stingley did not play his final season of college football, either. Why not Mansoor Delane ? Delane is more of a zone-heavy corner, and [, Harbuagh's former team, the] Ravens have played the fifth-lowest rate of zone coverage over the past decade. The other consideration was Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate .
Jordan Camenaker, USA Today
No. 5: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Is safety the Giants' biggest need? Maybe not, but the Ravens frequently used three safeties during Harbaugh's final few seasons with the team. He also acknowledged he was a "big fan" of Downs in a February interview on "The Mike Francesca Podcast" that also tipped Harbaugh's overall draft strategy.
Chad Reuter, NFL.com
No. 5: RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame
The thing about the Harbaughs is they want to run the ball. Last year, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh selected Omarion Hampton in Round 1, and who's to say John won't take the most talented ball-carrier this April? Dart led the Giants with nine rushing TDs last season, but that can't happen again if the team wants to make a playoff push. Love's rushing and receiving abilities take the offense to the next level.
Jets 2026 NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Prognosticators split on which pass rusher goes at No. 2
Mets at Giants: How to watch on SNY on April 4, 2026