The New York Giants are going to be a fascinating team to watch during the 2026 NFL Draft, and for a handful of different reasons.
First off, the Giants have a new head coach in John Harbaugh, and they're selecting 5th overall. Second, the Giants could be poised to trade Dexter Lawrence in the days leading up to the draft, which could add even more intrigue as they try to get back into contention in the NFC East.
Peter Schrager is as plugged in as it gets, and he's been bouncing some ideas off the GMs, coaches, and scouts that he knows leading up to the draft. One piece of information he recently threw out there -- tied to the Giants, specifically -- would be a mind-boggling twist in the top 5 picks overall.
New York Giants could shock everyone with Caleb Downs pick at 5 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft
Text from a respected NFL GM in response to a heated discussion we had on "The Schrager Hour" over whether a team can really take a safety (Downs) in the top 5 in 2026:
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 15, 2026
"Throw positional value out this year."
Food for thought.
The idea of the New York Giants taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is not far-fetched or shocking. The idea of NFL teams taking a safety with the 5th overall pick?
Now that is mind-boggling in today's day and age, but apparently, we should be throwing that positional value out the window when it comes to this year's draft.
This is not the ideal class of prospects when it comes to an overload of blue-chip players at quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback, interior defensive line, and edge rusher. In fact, it's rather weak at the top end in most of those cases. Because of that, teams like the Giants could forsake traditional positional value and take a player like Caleb Downs -- one of the safest prospects and a true blue-chip player at his position -- with the 5th overall pick.
Not to mention, John Harbaugh's teams have historically valued the safety position very highly, and we've seen just how much of an impact someone like Kyle Hamilton made for him. If the Giants feel like Downs can have that kind of impact, even if he's not the exact same in terms of body type or athletic traits, then why would they not take him 5th overall?
If NFL teams are truly throwing out positional value, it could give us one of the most interesting draft classes in recent memory. We could see a running back and safety selected in the top five of the same NFL Draft. The last time those two positions were even selected in the top 10 overall was back in the 2010 NFL Draft (LaRon Landry taken 5th, CJ Spiller taken 9th).
In the modern NFL era, we've never seen a running back and safety selected in the top 5 picks of the same draft class. If positional value is out the window, we might see a first in modern NFL history and have our collective minds blown.
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