The New York Giants enter a new era led by a Super Bowl–winning head coach and a promising young core. Still, the 2025 season produced just four wins — another frustrating chapter for the franchise. Holding the fifth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft is the byproduct of that struggle, and now attention turns to how John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen will align their vision and reshape the roster moving forward.
Free agent moves will set up the Giants’ decision at five, but a “gold jacket” player will be the target, according to Harbaugh. But, in a perceived weaker draft class, will the Giants have an opportunity to select that kind of player? And, if identified, how much will positional value play into Harbaugh and Schoen’s decision-making process?
The New York Giants face key questions on defense, particularly along the spine of the unit. On offense, adding another receiver could be a priority even if Wan’Dale Robinson is retained, while the offensive line remains a point of uncertainty depending on free agency decisions surrounding Jermaine Eluemunor. Below are four players who fit the gold jacket potential description.
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
A safety in the top five, really? Eric Berry in 2010 was the last safety selected in the top five; the late, great Sean Taylor prior to that, in 2004. Of course, the Giants have MUCH bigger needs than a safety room that invested a substantial contract into Jevon Holland and a 2024 second-round pick in Tyler Nubin. Safe to say, the Giants have struggled to optimize their safety room, especially in hindsight after seeing the success of former Giants Xavier McKinney and Julian Love elsewhere — though with McKinney it was a bit more complex.
Nevertheless, Caleb Downs is the kind of game-changing safety that offenses plan around. He’s the type of player with the range, instincts, timing, and athletic traits to eliminate intermediate and deep concepts that are not delivered with anticipation — if the quarterback is a tad late, Downs will make the offense, and the receiver, especially, pay.
He’s also exceptional in run support from depth, allowing the defense to structure itself in lighter boxes that can be effectively fit from two-high shells by Downs, who only missed 11.1% of his tackles in college, and he had 96 STOPs around the line of scrimmage. He would be a versatile weapon for Dennard Wilson, one who excels at everything and has an infectious football IQ.
Caleb Downs is one of those potential gold jacket players. He had 257 career tackles through three seasons of healthy play, with 16 tackles for a loss, 12 passes defensed, six interceptions, and three forced fumbles. It’s unconventional to select a safety at No. 5, but, in this draft class, he may be the best overall player, similar to 2022 with Kyle Hamilton, who played under Harbaugh in Baltimore but was selected 14th overall.
Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami
The Giants need talent on the defensive line, and Bain Jr. can shut down the run while being a nightmare as a pass rusher, with speed and power moves. Bain Jr., like Caleb Downs, allows the defense to steal gaps upfront, which would be imperative for the Giants’ pass defense, and would make for an elite complement next to Dexter Lawrence in base or sub-package personnel. In base, Bain Jr. could operate as a 4i-4-techinque, with him sliding inside as a three-technique in nickel fronts, which would allow Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, or Abdul Carter to operate on the edge. Bain Jr., of course, would find snaps on the edge as well, but would moreso be used inside of the 5-techique position.
It’s fair to question the allocation of resources. The Giants have spent two top-five picks on edge defenders since 2022 and traded for Brian Burns, but Bain Jr. is a different type of player — one that can align inside more consistently and not be overwhelmed, while actually making plays.
Bain Jr. had 83 pressures in 2025 and 156 through three seasons with the Hurricanes. He finished his time at Miami with 121 tackles, 33.5 tackles for a loss, 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and 81 STOPS. I don’t know if the Giants will further invest at the edge position, but Bain Jr. is a potential gold jacket individual.
Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State
The Giants desperately need some speed on the second level of their defense. The second Buckeye on this list only has 960 career defensive snaps and played just two seasons at Ohio State. He played six games in his first season at Ohio State before he suffered a concussion. The Big-Ten Linebacker of the Year secured 69 tackles in 2025, with 10 tackles for a loss and 6.5-sacks. He finished his college career with 112 tackles, 13.4 tackles for a loss, and seven sacks, along with 34 pressures and 53 STOPs.
Reese often lined up on the edge, playing a role similar to Abdul Carter in Ohio State’s defense. This would give the Giants a combination of two interchangeable — albeit somewhat situationally limited — elite, explosive players who can align at linebacker or edge defender. It’s fair to question whether this is the wisest way to allocate such important resources, but when it comes to gold-jacket potential, Reese’s overall explosiveness and upside put him on the list.
Acquiring talent for the front seven is important, and there’s no doubt that Reese is very talented, but the Giants must get stronger in their front. Still, the speed and burst of Reese would close throwing windows, give the Giants an excellent pursuit defender capable of stacking and shedding blocks at the second level, and also provide an absolute menace for the pressure packages designed by Dennard Wilson.
Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
The Giants have a decision to make with right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor set to hit free agency. The veteran played well for the Giants across his two-year contract, and he deserves a pay raise. Eluemunor may find greener pastures somewhere else, leaving the Giants with Marcus Mbow and James Hudson as their options at right tackle. The former is promising but perhaps not ready to be gifted the right tackle position before training camp, while the latter was a disaster for the Giants in 2025.
Mauigoa exclusively played right tackle at the University of Miami, a total of 2,801 snaps across three seasons. Mauigoa allowed just 15 pressures and two sacks in 2025, excelling in his run and pass-blocking grades (PFF). In total, he’s only allowed 57 pressures and eight sacks, five of which were as a freshman, though his college career. Mauigoa, or perhaps Utah’s Spencer Fano, could be offensive line options for Schoen and Harbaugh.
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