The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone, reshuffling draft boards and mock drafts alike.
The Combine has had a definite impact on the selections mocked to the New York Giants at fifth overall, as we can see in the Post-Combine Mock Draft put out by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
The Combine rarely has the kind of impact on NFL boards as it does public boards, usually just confirming what scouts saw on tape. There are instances where a workout can send scouts back to the film room to see what they missed (good or bad) on a prospect, but the medical checks and interviews are usually far more important.
Usually, shifting mock drafts are a matter of the public evaluators catching up with NFL Scouts who have been doing their homework on the players for a year — or more, in some cases.
But as we like to point out, the mock drafts put out by the “big name” draft analysts are often informed by league intel as their own analysis. So the trends are as important to pay attention to as the individuals selected.
- Las Vegas Raiders – Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
- New York Jets – Arvell Reese (EDGE/LB, Ohio State)
- Arizona Cardinals – Francis Mauigoa (OL, Miami)
- Tennessee Titans – Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
Brugler says: For much of the season and pre-draft process, I felt like I had to convince doubters of why Styles deserved to be a top-10 pick. After his workout in Indianapolis, the skeptics have disappeared. But it wasn’t just what Styles did on the field, which prompted a standing ovation when he walked into one team’s interview room. His interviews with NFL teams were “phenomenal,” according to a team source.
Chris’ Thoughts
This wouldn’t surprise me at all, and it wouldn’t have surprised me prior to Bobby Okereke being released earlier this week. Now, the Giants have a glaring hole in the middle of their defense with Darius Muasau and Chris Board at the top of their linebacker depth chart.
Styles’ historic workout was the talk of the town in Indy and he confirmed what we all saw on tape from him. It’s also notable that Brugler cites that Styles was impressive in interviews — that confirms reports from The Ringer’s Todd McShay who relayed that teams were blown away by Styles and Art Stapleton who reported that the Giants were “extremely impressed” by Styles on Wednesday night.
As a prospect, Styles presents an uncommon skillset that turns the “positional value” argument against him on its head. At 6-foot-5, 244 pounds, with 33-inch arms Styles has a 1.56-second 10-yard split and a 43.5-inch vertical, and that level of lower-body explosiveness suggests significant pass rush upside. In fact, he would be an undersized, but elite athlete as a defensive end.
Nobody is suggesting that Styles transition to edge defender, however it is notable that Styles has similar pass rush production as Arvell Reese despite the later being the “edge” prospect.
Styles has 10 sacks and 39 pressures on 169 pass rush snaps at Ohio State. Reese, meanwhile, had 138 pass rush snaps this year and had 11 sacks and 34 pressures.
Combine that with the fact that Styles is also a converted safety, and he begins to look far more like a 3-dimensional player who can contribute in coverage and as a blitzer. That makes him significantly more valuable than the typical 245-pound “downhill thumper” common in the days of yore. Modern offenses are making a point of forcing defenses into light boxes with light sub-packages, and having a versatile defender who can be at home in base or dime packages is an advantage.
A hyper-athletic trio of Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Sonny Styles would certainly cause problems for opposing teams.
The Giants need to address their offense and surround Jaxson Dart with talent, and not leave him with a bunch of depth players who can’t hang onto the ball. However, Ernie Accorsi’s “Planet Theory” is at play here and there simply aren’t that many humans walking the Earth who can do what Sonny Styles can do — and at his size. So value and (created) need meet with this pick.
The Giants can still pour the rest of their resources into building the offense, but the board may dictate that this pick goes to the defense.
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