The New York Giants entered a new world with Saturday’s trade of Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Giants now own the fifth and 10th overall picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday. What will they do with those?
The two players most often connected to the Giants are linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs. Todd McShay of The Ringer, in both his newsletter and his podcast, said he beleives the Giants could end up with BOTH players.
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In his newsletter, McShay wrote:
I’m told they love Ohio State defenders Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs. I wouldn’t be surprised if those two guys end up in New York.
McShay did add this about Styles:
“If you want Sonny Styles, you have to get him at 5… [because] he’s going 7. If Sonny Styles is sitting there at 7, I’m told on pretty damn good authority that Dan Quinn… that’s his guy.”
Giants “might not be done dealing”
That is also from McShay.
“I don’t know for sure that they’re absolutely done,” McShay said on his podcast, mentioning the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9 as a potential trade partner.
That could be in play for the Giants at No. 5 if Styles is off the board.
Adam Schefter of ESPN laid out a scenario he believes could take place where the New York Jets take David Bailey at No. 2, the Arizona Cardinals take Jeremiyah Love at No. 3, and the Tennessee Titans take Styles at No. 4.
That leaves Arvell Reese, the Ohio State edge defender, at No. 5. The Giants seem unlikely to take Reese. Do they select Downs? Someone else? Trade down a few spots, perhaps with the aforementioned Chiefs?
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McShay believes the Giants could still get Downs at No. 9, should they deal with the offensive line-hungry Chiefs.
There is also the possibility of trading down from No. 10, turning the single pick the Giants got for Lawrence into multiple draft assets. That is what I did in my most recent mock draft.
A Dexter Lawrence note
Lawrence signed a one-year, $28 million extension after being traded to Cincinnati. McShay said the Giants offered Lawrence roughly the same extension for “more years,” but that Lawrence “had just kinda seen it through” and wanted to be out of New York.
That note just serves as a piece of information for those of you who wonder why the Giants didn’t give Lawrence the contract Cincinnati did. It sounds like the Giants offered him a BETTER one, but he simply preferred to be elsewhere.
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