The NFL world was flipped upside down this weekend, as the New York Giants traded standout defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals. In return, the G-Men received the No. 10 overall pick. Why does that matter for Ohio State and Ryan Day, you ask?
Ohio State fans crush Bryce Underwood over rough Michigan spring game
Well, it's because the Giants need to completely overhaul their defense and there are two particular Buckeyes stars who NYG fans have their eyes on: Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs. With the NFC East side now holding the No. 5 and No. 10 overall picks, the door is fully open for the Giants to take both Downs and Styles with those two selections. Will this end up being the case?
If the Giants stay at pick No. 5, the 3 players on their radar are:
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) April 17, 2026
Jeremiyah Love
Caleb Downs
Sonny Styles
(via @JordanRaanan) pic.twitter.com/A3aCidL7Cd
Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs are locks to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft
In his latest three-round mock draft for Saturday Blitz, Nicholas Rome put this idea out there and it really got us thinking. With the No. 5 overall pick, there's a great chance that Styles, one of the best defensive players in this draft class, will be available for the Giants.
Yes, Jeremiyah Love might be on the board too, but the Giants don't have a great history of taking a RB so high in the draft (cough cough Saquon Barkley cough cough). Joe Schoen has to NAIL this draft and taking a running back, even if it's a player of Love's caliber, seems like too high of a risk.
Styles has superstar written all over him and he'd be a smart pick at No. 5. That leaves things up in the air for Downs for this scenario to work out. It's all going to depend if he's still on the board or not. In a new mock draft on NFL.com, Downs gets his name taken off the board at No. 8 overall.
However, other mocks have him falling a little bit, so him potentially being available at No. 10 isn't so crazy to think about. Both Styles and Downs were total standouts for Ohio State and Matt Patricia last season and them playing together at the next level would be so dang sweet to see.
Obviously, a lot needs to go down for that to happen once draft night gets here. From our chair, Styles at No. 5 feels like a bit of a safe call to make for the Giants. And if Downs is still on the board at No. 10, Schoen shouldn't even think twice about things and bring him home to MetLife Stadium as well. Yup, Thursday night can't get here soon enough.
Add us as a preferred source on Google