After trading Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, the New York Giants now have the fifth and 10th picks.th Overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Before the Lawrence trade, mock drafts varied widely on who the Giants would take with the fifth pick. Now that they have two top 10 picks, they have a good chance to add two players who have been linked to them.
Anything can happen in the NFL Draft, especially this year because there are six teams, including the Giants, who have two selections in the first round. Here are three bold predictions from Big Blue for the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Giants draft Ohio State superstars Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs
For the past few months there has been debate over who New York should make with its first pick. The players most discussed are Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love and Ohio State Buckeyes All-Americans Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs.
Unfortunately for New York, Love will not be on the board as the Tennessee Titans will take him with the fourth overall pick. So, with the fifth overall pick and the first pick of the John Harbaugh era, New York will take Styles with the fifth pick.
With the addition of Styles, the Giants have the best interior linebacker in the draft, and then they will run into some good fortune as Downs will still be on the board at 10, which will allow them to draft the best safety in the draft.
Having the best players at two spots will be a huge benefit to a struggling defense in the coming years. Styles and Downs played key roles in the Buckeyes winning the National Championship in 2024 and Giants fans hope they will someday help bring home the franchise's fifth Lombardi Trophy.
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The Giants find Dexter Lawrence's replacement in Kayden McDonald
With Lawrence gone, Big Blue will need to focus on the defensive tackle position as they are very thin at the position. Players' luck falling to them would continue as Ohio State defensive tackle Cayden McDonald would fall to them with 37.th Overall selection.
Some believe McDonald could be taken late in the first round, while others think that since he only had one year as a full-time starter, he could slide to the second round. In his final year with the Buckeyes. The 6'2, 326-pound defensive lineman had 65 tackles with three sacks, and was named a unanimous All-American.
He will be the third consecutive Buckeye the Giants will draft, but more importantly, he will be Lawrence's replacement.
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Giants trade Kayvon Thibodeaux on second day of NFL draft
With Kayvon Thibodeaux entering the final year of his contract, the 25-year-old edge rusher has been the subject of trade rumors since the conclusion of the 2025 season. The Giants are on the edge with second-team All-Pro Brian Burns and second-year player Abdul Carter.
New York does not have a third-round selection, and with several positions needing to be addressed, the team will actively try to acquire more selections. Thibodaux is an ideal candidate for a trade during day three of the draft, as the franchise has no plans beyond 2026, and other teams could always use a quality edge rusher.
By trading Thibodaux for a mid-round pick, the team could consider acquiring a wide receiver like Indiana's Elijah Sarratt or Notre Dame's Malachi Fields. Or the team could consider addressing the interior offensive line with Kentucky's Jalen Farmer, or a cornerback like South Carolina's cornerback Brandon Cisse, or Ohio State's Davison Igbinosun.
The Giants are building for 2026 and beyond, and trading a pass rusher in the final year of his deal for a player who can help the team in the years to come makes a lot of sense.
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