There was a lot of excitement surrounding New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin when he entered the NFL. His size and impressive collegiate résumé made him an intriguing addition, though we've yet to see that potential truly realized.
Nubin has handled an every-down role in each of his first two seasons with the Giants. He's shown why New York spent its second-round pick on him in 2024, albeit inconsistently. However, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest Round 1 2026 mock draft suggests the club has seen enough and is ready to move on.
Kiper envisions a Giants defensive backfield with Ohio State star Caleb Downs, which appears to come at Nubin's expense.
Giants select Ohio State star Caleb Downs, put Tyler Nubin on notice in 2026 NFL mock draft
"The Giants have some options at safety ... but Downs is on another level," as Kiper highlighted. A New York squad that needs an influx of talent, specifically in the secondary, may not be able to ignore a blue-chip prospect. So, this a plausible outcome — one that puts Nubin on the back burner.
With that in mind, Kiper believes New York "should have no hesitation" making Downs the highest-drafted player at his position in over a decade. An extraordinary investment of this magnitude effectively makes Nubin expendable. Nevertheless, the Giants can't afford to let the sunk cost fallacy impact their plans.
"[Downs is] a complete football player," Kiper wrote. "Putting him alongside Jevon Holland on the back end would help not only in creating turnovers (the Giants had 15 last season, 25th in the league) but also shoring up a very bad run defense."
It's hard to argue with the assessment of Downs and what he brings to the table. The 21-year-old has the elite pedigree and all-around skill set of an immediate contributor with franchise cornerstone upside. His efforts this past season earned him a second consecutive Consensus All-American bid and 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Meanwhile, Nubin recorded 78 tackles (seven for loss), two pass deflections and a fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown in 2025. His 57.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade ranked 78th among 98 qualified safeties, though he fared much better as a pass rusher (67.2). The Minnesota standout must show the Giants more in coverage, regardless of whether they bring in Downs or not.