The NFL season has come and gone, and Super Bowl 60 is behind us, which, by the way, congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks and, of course, former New York Giants Drew Lock, Leonard Williams, and Julian Love, who had a game-sealing interception off of Drake Maye in the big game.
The road to the 2026 NFL season begins now, which means it’s officially the offseason, meaning free agency and the draft are just around the corner. It’s time for John Harbaugh and the New York Giants to start building a roster that is ready to compete so that they can be the team everyone is talking about this time next year.
Big Blue's main focus this offseason should be improving its secondary and wide receiver room. While we are on the topic of talented safeties to wear Giants blue like now Super Bowl Champion Love, the G-Men may be able to find their next best safety in the NFL Draft, who could help bring a Lombardi back to New York.
NFL experts believe the Giants will draft Caleb Downs at pick No. 5
Charlotte Carroll and Dane Brugler of The Athletic recently published their Giants’ seven-round mock draft. They have Big Blue selecting Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, who Brugler calls “not a typical safety,” adding that “he sees the field like a chessboard and plays with the instincts and competitive toughness that impact the game in substantial ways.”
He’s widely considered a generational player, and the numbers speak for themselves. Last season at Ohio State, Downs had 45 solo tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles, both of which came in the Buckeyes' loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal round.
Brugler writes that you could make the argument for Downs being the best safety prospect since Eric Berry, who was a top-10 pick by the Chiefs 16 years ago. He also states that now that the G-Men have hired Dennard Wilson as their defensive coordinator, who was previously a defensive backs coach for nine seasons before becoming a DC. Pairing Wilson and his resume with a prospect like Downs could be dangerous in New York’s defensive backfield.
Downs would certainly be an upgrade from the Giants’ current safeties, which consist of Jevon Holland and Tyler Nubin. The G-Men drafted Nubin out of Minnesota with the 47th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and at the time, he was arguably the best safety in the class; however, he has not developed the way New York had anticipated.
Nubin showed flashes in his rookie season but was often exposed in year two, leaving Big Blue fans frustrated with his play this year. Well, now the Giants will have the opportunity to redo the Nubin pick all over again. It’s a no-brainer that Downs is the pick at No. 5, as he could make an immediate impact and provide a spark for the G-Men in their secondary.