The New York Giants are entering the 2026 NFL Draft with the #5 and #37 overall picks. With a new head coach in John Harbaugh and the franchise QB Jaxson Dart, these are both the main franchise-defining decisions during the NFL Draft in less than two weeks. With seven total selections, new head coach John Harbaugh’s first draft in East Rutherford is a genuine inflection point for the Jaxson Dart era. Get it right and Big Blue has a foundation. Whiff, and the rebuild stalls before it starts. Let’s break down the best fits, the key decisions, and the dynasty implications of every major move New York could make on April 23rd.
Seven picks, heavily backloaded after the first two rounds. The real work happens at picks 5 and 37 — everything after that is probably developmental depth and roster competition.
New York’s offseason has been defined as much by subtraction as by addition. All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence – one of the best interior defensive lineman in football – formally requested a trade out:
ESPN sources: Giants All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade and he will not be participating in the team’s off-season workout program that opens Tuesday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 8, 2026
Lawrence…
Losing Lawrence would blow a canyon-sized hole in a unit that was already allowing 5.3 yards per carry last season — worst in the league. That need probably doesn’t get fixed with a third-round pick. It demands a top-end answer, which makes the Giants’ position at pick 5 simultaneously more urgent and complex.
The #Giants will pick fifth overall in the 2026 NFL draft.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) January 5, 2026
Every credible mock draft in April has funneled the Giants toward one of three players. Two are Ohio State defensive stars; one is a top running back. All three would reshape the franchise in meaningfully different ways, and the Giants have reportedly had genuine internal conversations about all of them.
Caleb Downs could become the first safety selected in the top 10 since Jamal Adams went sixth overall in 2016. He’s a two-time unanimous All-American who played with the instincts and football IQ that define elite defensive backs at the next level. The Harbaugh connection matters here – John Harbaugh has built his defensive identity around smart, versatile safeties who function as a second defensive coordinator on the field. Downs profiles as exactly that player. Taking him at five would be a statement pick: a defensive quarterback for their backend around Jaxson Dart.
According to ESPN Giants insider Jordan Raanan, internal momentum within the building has shifted toward Styles as the draft approaches. The linebacker out of Ohio State ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and posted a 43.5-inch vertical at the NFL Combine — the highest vertical by a linebacker since 2003. Multiple sources who worked under Harbaugh in Baltimore have described the fit as “perfect” for his defensive system. Styles is a chess-piece linebacker who can rush the passer off the edge, drop into coverage across multiple alignments, and fly sideline to sideline.
Love is the most complete back to enter the draft this year — and he’s not just a runner. The film makes that clear:
Be terrified. Because every awesome thing about Jeremiyah Love as a runner is also awesome as a downfield receiver.
— JetPack Galileo (@JetPackGalileo) March 17, 2026
Scratching the surface. pic.twitter.com/bzXXlrsUFu
The Giants have made no secret of their interest. Back at the NFL Combine, Raanan broke a notable piece of internal intel specifically naming Love:
Something you hear about Giants at combine: They're seriously looking at some of the top running backs, both in draft + free agency. Players like Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker.
— Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) March 2, 2026
There seems to be a clear focus on becoming a more physical…
Love is a projected top-five pick who will not be on the board at 37 — if the Giants want him, it costs pick five. Our Jeremiyah Love SPS Scouting Report details the pros and cons with drafting Love. Multiple ESPN analysts — Mel Kiper, Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates — all sent Love to New York at five in ESPN’s collaborative mock, calling him a dynamic playmaker who could elevate Jaxson Dart and this Giants offense to another level. Taking him at five would be a legitimate organizational swing – Harbaugh building his offense around a generational back — but it means passing on an elite defender in a draft year where defensive blue-chippers are rare. That trade-off is the real pick #5 debate for Big Blue.
Whoever the Giants don’t get at five, pick 37 is where they address the complementary piece. Consensus mock drafts from WalterFootball to PFF converge on a clear picture of who will realistically still be on the board. Here’s the realistic menu:
Multiple mocks have the Giants going cornerback at 37 regardless of what happens at five, and the two names that appear most consistently are Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee) and Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina). Hood is the stronger prospect — his 83.3 PFF coverage grade ranked 2nd in the SEC, he held opposing quarterbacks to a 40.1 QBR on 52 targets, and allowed just one touchdown. PFF, WalterFootball, and Empire Sports Media all pair him with the Giants at this spot. Cisse is the Seahawks Draft Blog’s pick here — a physical, press-capable corner with starting potential. Either would address the Giants’ biggest secondary need and give Harbaugh an immediate starter-level piece.
Carnell Tate and KC Concepcion will both be long gone by pick 37. The realistic receiver options at this range are Germie Bernard (Alabama) and Omar Cooper (Indiana), both projected in the 35–40 window. Bernard is a smooth route runner with size; Cooper has elite separation quickness and fits well in a spread-based system. If either falls, they’d be the best pick the Giants could make for Dart’s immediate weapons.
If the Giants swing for Love at five, defensive line becomes the priority at 37. T.J. Parker (DE, Clemson) is a high-motor edge rusher with pass-rush production who projects into the 37–42 range. Akheem Mesidor (DE, Miami) is another option with elite get-off and college production. On the interior, Chase Bisontis (G, Texas A&M) — one of the premier guards in the class — shows up in both the WalterFootball and Seahawks Draft Blog mocks in the 38–40 range, and would address the Giants’ critical guard depth problem if they decide to go offense after Love.
The Giants’ 2026 draft will be evaluated on one question above all others: did they add elite-level talent that directly enhances Jaxson Dart’s chances of success? A ball-hawking safety or a do-everything linebacker at 5th overall adds to the defense’s ability to be legitimately competitive. Love at five gives Dart another weapon and a physical identity. The right pick at 37 fills the complementary gap, and receiver or interior OL additions on Day 2 give Dart actual tools to work with.
John Harbaugh won a Super Bowl in Baltimore by building the roster in exactly that order – elite defense first, complementary weapons second, quarterback support infrastructure third. The Giants are in position to run that exact playbook. Whether they execute it will define the Dart era’s ceiling.
Track every Giants pick, trade, and dynasty implication in real time at our 2026 NFL Draft Rumor Tracker. Full prospect breakdowns, including running back SPS grades and our complete Combine SPS Recap, give you everything you need to make informed dynasty decisions before the picks are in.
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