The 2026 NFL Draft season is about to really heat up with the start of the Scouting Combine, and teams will start to create their big boards of the players they’re interested in drafting. The New York Giants, who have the No. 5 pick, may already know the player atop their board before the process even truly gets underway.
New head coach John Harbaugh recently appeared on The Mike Francesa Podcast, and Francesa talked about Harbaugh’s history of coaching special safeties like Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins, and Kyle Hamilton. Considering that history, the Giants head coach was asked about draft prospect Caleb Downs. Harbaugh immediately responded that he is a big fan of Downs, and that New York drafting the safety would be just fine with him.
John Harbaugh admits to being a big fan of Caleb Downs
Harbaugh added that the Giants will ultimately take the best player available at No. 5, arguing that drafting that high is about picking the best player, not letting need dictate the pick. Highlighting that this will be the highest pick he's ever had as a head coach, Harbaugh doubled down that adding Downs would be just fine with him, saying he’d take him in a second.
It’s no secret Harbaugh is a big fan of the safety position, and that he believes they are key pieces to good defenses. His words, from well before he was New York’s coach, have already been highlighted to show that he might be pulling for the Giants to draft Caleb Downs.
Harbaugh isn’t alone, though. In addition to plenty of Giants fans, Downs’ older brother, Indianapolis Colts receiver Josh Downs, would also like to see the safety in New York. In an interview with Overtime, the elder Downs was asked where he wants his younger brother to land, and he immediately listed the Cincinnati Bengals and the Giants.
The Colts receiver said he just likes New York City, and he believes the Giants have a talented young team that is about to turn things around. It’s also worth noting that the father of the Downs brothers, Gary Downs, was drafted by New York in the third round of the 1994 Draft. The former running back played two seasons with the Giants, recording 180 total yards in his 20 games with the team.
Now, his son could be coming to town to improve the Giants defense. Caleb Downs is arguably the best prospect in the 2026 class, and would be a phenomenal piece to add to New York’s young core. The Giants’ head coach would like for it to happen, and so would Downs’ family.