The 2026 NFL Draft is, as of this writing, 22 days away.
NFL teams are in the final stages of building out their draft boards as well as working through various strategies for the draft itself. The NFL media is likewise preparing for the draft, putting out massive numbers of scouting reports, big boards, and mock drafts.
We usually like to limit ourselves to the most interesting mock drafts as far as the New York Giants are concerned. It’s less about being accurate as it is trying to glean information about the Giants from League sources through plugged-in mock drafters.
So when Bruce Feldman from the The Athletic released his mock draft, we had to pay attention. Feldman’s beat is college football and he’s best known for his annual Freaks List, chronicling the college game’s freakiest athletes. It’s interesting, then, to get a mock draft that’s informed by Feldman’s contacts in the NFL — or at least those of his colleagues — as well as from the college coaching ranks.
So let’s see what he has to say about the Giants’ pick at 5th overall.
5. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
The Giants have loaded up on some Freaks List honorees in recent years and Styles is about as freaky as they come. The fit here makes a lot of sense with the Giants’ talent up front and Styles’ ability to roam the field as a former safety. At 6-5, 244 pounds, with almost 33-inch arms, he ran a 4.46 40 in Indianapolis and his jump numbers were even more impressive — 11-2 in the broad jump and 43 1/2 in the vertical. He started 41 games for the Buckeyes and was a co-captain. He also received the program’s Block “O” award, honoring his toughness, accountability and character. He made 82 tackles and 6.5 TFLs on a star-studded defense in 2025.
Chris’ thoughts
At this point the selection of Styles is almost chalk for the Giants, and starting to resemble the selection of Abdul Carter at No. 3 overall a year ago. Like Carter, Styles is a truly elite athlete with prototypical athletic traits for the position. And also like Carter, Styles is relatively new to the position with just two years of experience as a linebacker.
Off-ball linebacker typically isn’t considered a position worth drafting this highly, as the down-to-down impact is rarely there. For every Patrick Willis, Luke Kuechley, Bobby Wagner, or Fred Warner, there are dozens of players like Blake Martinez, Chase Blackburn, or Azeez Al-Shaair who can do the job well-enough within the structure of a well-coached defense.
Styles, however, brings the kind of versatility to the position that could transcend the label “off-ball linebacker.” He’s obviously capable of coming downhill and flowing to the football or making plays off blocks, as well as covering running backs and tight ends. However, he’s also fully capable of dropping into deeper zones as the Middle Safety in a Stack Dime or Air Raid Killer look, or serving as the Apex or Overhang defender in a “Kyle Hamilton” or “Nick Emmanwori” role.
The two coaches Feldman referenced Styles’ background as a safety as well as his unique blend of size and athleticism.
“On the film, he’s massive,” said a Big Ten running backs coach. “They just stuck Sonny in the middle and let him roam. He was really good and he can fly, but you didn’t feel him as much as you did Arvell [Reese].”
“He’s a beautiful athlete, like he was created in a lab. He looks like a power forward,” said a Big Ten OC. “I just can’t believe he was a safety, but you see that frame and that closing speed, it’s impressive, man. He’s not the same kind of player (Reese) is. He doesn’t have that kind of violence to his game, and I don’t know if he’s that instinctive out there.”
I do find it interesting that “violence” seems to come up repeatedly in reference to Styles. And while it’s true that he seldom blows offensive players up, he is a very good tackler. His 2.2% missed tackle rate is simply excellent, and I don’t think I can remember “sound tackler” ever being levied as a criticism against a player before.
Styles also offers upside as an occasional pass rusher. He isn’t quite big enough to consistently play as an edge defender, however his versatility and alignment diversity should allow him to blitz from all over the front 7. He’s had roughly the same pass rush snaps over the last two years as Arvell Reese had last year, and Styles had similar production rates as Reese.
Overall, Styles and teammate wide receiver Carnell Tate are tied atop my draft board. Tate has the higher floor and a game I believe instantly translates to the NFL, and I think he should produce at a very high level for the next decade or more. Styles, meanwhile, has the potential to be a DROY and DPOY candidate thanks to his traits and ability to impact multiple areas of the defense — if he reaches his ceiling.
Overall, I tend to view Styles as more of a luxury pick for the Giants. I believe, quite strongly, that the Giants’ defensive struggles had much, much more to do with a poor scheme that was installed with a lack of attention to detail or situational football, and a lack of accountability at the top.
That said, Styles is a luxury the Giants can afford due to the depth of talent on offense in this draft. Despite the Giants’ defense being the pain point last year, the Giants’ offense needs an infusion of talent, even after free agency. The good news is that some coupling exercises suggest that they can find potential starters later in the draft.
They might yet be able to land the X receiver they currently lack at 37th overall if they like Chris Brazzell II (Tennessee) or Germie Bernard (Alabama), or if Denzel Boston (Washington) surprisingly falls. It’s even possible (albeit unlikely) that Bryce Lance (NDSU), Ted Hurst (Georgia State), or Malachi Fields (Notre Dame) could slip to the top of the fourth round. Likewise, the Giants could look at guards Emmanuel Pregnon (Oregon) or Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech) in the second round, or possibly find Jalen Farmer (Kentucky) or Billy Schrauth (Notre Dame) in the fourth.
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