With Dennard Wilson coming to town as John Harbaugh's new defensive coordinator, the New York Giants have a lot of work to do on the defensive side of the football. The secondary was a major sore spot in 2025, but the defense as a whole was a legit disaster, so reinforcements are needed all over.
Something worth noting is that Wilson spent nine seasons as a defensive backs coach in various locations before landing the first DC opportunity of his career. That leads me to believe that the Giants could decide to address the secondary with the 2026 first-round pick in a strong DB draft.
General manager Joe Schoen's track record as a drafter in recent years has improved considerably, but still isn't great. However, in the modern NFL, it only takes one player to change that. And that one player, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, will likely be available for the taking when the Giants are on the clock at No. 5.
And in a recent mock draft from Dane Brugler and Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic, they had Harbaugh and Schoen going down the avenue of appeasing their new DC and drafting Downs.
Dennard Wilson's history suggests Caleb Downs is in play to be the Giants' first-round pick
Don't let the positional value fool you: Caleb Downs is the best prospect in this draft class, regardless of position. The 21-year-old won the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's best DB and is considered the best safety prospect since Kyle Hamilton, someone Harbaugh drafted in Baltimore.
In the 43-year-old's lone season coaching defensive backs with Harbs in Baltimore, Hamilton was named a First Team All-Pro for the first time in his career. Since then, the 24-year-old added two more All-Pro nominations to his mantle, cementing himself as arguably the most dynamic safety in football.
As far as Downs goes, there isn't a defensive back prospect that even comes close to having his nose for the football or positional versatility. Frankly, he's a dangerous playmaker on every area of the field, even special teams, and his IQ makes me think he's as safe of a safety prospect I've ever seen.
There's also reason to believe the Giants could draft a cornerback like Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy, but I would take Downs over both of them. Even if it means pulling the plug on either Jevon Holland or Tyler Nubin, drafting the Buckeyes' star would help transform this DB room overnight.
The Super Bowl-winning head coach isn't one to care about positional values or 40 times: he drafts players who produce. So, assuming Downs is on the board when the G-Men are on the clock, he and Wilson may be foaming at the mouth to draft this kid.