Each Friday during this NFL Draft cycle our mock draft tracker has shown Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate as the player most-often mocked to the New York Giants at No. 5. That changes this week.
In the wake of an astounding workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles now occupies that spot.
To accurately account for how the Combine changed perceptions of the 2026 NFL Draft, only mock drafts posted this week — after the conclusion of the Combine — are included in this week’s tracker.
Styles was the choice in 12 of the 27 mock drafts listed below, 44.4%. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was second, chose in five mocks (18.5%). Tate and Miami right tackle Francis Muaigoa were each chosen three times.
Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema told the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast this week that he does not believe Styles slips past the Giants in the upcoming draft.
“I think that we went into Combine week thinking that the Giants at five is probably where Sonny Styles range started,” Sikkema said. “I know think that five for the Giants is where his floor is. I think he will be in considerations for two (Jets), three (Cardinals), four (Titans), and five.”
Giants coach John Harbaugh has always valued the middle linebacker. During his 18 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh coached Hall of Famer Ray Lewis, and had first-round pick C.J. Mosley, Patrick Queen, and Roquan Smith in the middle of his defense.
“The inside linebacker isn’t always considered a value position but you can’t stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle,” Harbaugh said at the Combine. “You can’t do it. That becomes pretty important.”
Date |
Mock |
Pick |
|---|---|---|
| 3/5 | FOX (Schwartz) | Francis Muaigoa, OT, Miami |
| 3/5 | Sharp Football Analysis (Donahue) | Spencer Fano, OT, Utah |
| 3/5 | A to Z Sports (Roberts) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/5 | Lions.com (Twentyman) | Francis Muaigoa, OT, Miami |
| 3/4 | FOX (Cowherd) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | USA Today (Davis) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | Sun Sentinel (Furones) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | San Diego Union Tribune (Brown) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | CBS (Fornelli) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | Athlon Sports (Easterling) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | Draft Countdown (Lamb) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | Draftwire (Popejoy) | Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State |
| 3/4 | The Athletic (Brugler) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/3 | NFL (Davis) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/3 | FOX (Staff) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 3/3 | ESPN (Reid) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/3 | The Athletic (Sando) | Francis Muaigoa, OT, Miami |
| 3/3 | SNY (Hughes) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/2 | NFL (Zierlein) | Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee |
| 3/2 | CBS (Wilson) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 3/2 | SB Nation (Schofield) | Makai Lemon, WR, USC |
| 3/2 | Dallas Morning News (Hoyt) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
| 3/2 | SI (Melo) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/2 | USA Today (Davis) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/2 | Philadelphia Inquirer (Jackson) | Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State |
| 3/1 | Pro Football Focus (Sikkema) | Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State |
| 3/1 | Sporting News (Iyer) | Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State |
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