After Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles took the NFL combine by storm this past weekend, New York Giants fans were foaming at the mouth for Joe Schoen to draft him with their fifth pick. But it's no guarantee that the Giants actually select him, or if he's even going to be available for them in April.
This means that Big Blue has to start preparing for the possibility that Styles may not be wearing blue and white to start his NFL career. It's a strong linebacker class, so they'll have plenty of options if the Tennessee Titans or Arizona Cardinals draft the 21-year-old. Fortunately, fallback plans are already in the works with Missouri star linebacker Josiah Trotter.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Devin Jackson, the Giants are one of 18 teams to conduct a formal interview with Trotter at the combine, meaning they aren't hedging their bets on sunshine. And given how things are starting to go south with Caleb Downs, having a backup plan is good, especially if Styles morphs into another Isaiah Simmons.
The Giants could pivot away from Sonny Styles after meeting wish Josiah Trotter at the combine
Styles was a First-Team All-American in 2025 and was probably the most impressive player at the combine, but Trotter is an underrated LB prospect. He was good at West Virginia, but really took off after transferring to Missouri, as he amassed an impressive 13 tackles for loss for the Tigers in 2025.
The 20-year-old led all linebackers with 27 reps on the bench press in Indianapolis, but didn't partake in any of the speed or agility training at the combine. In all likelihood, Trotter will be selected on Day 2 of the draft, which Big Blue could see as superior value to Styles, especially if they land Jeremiyah Love in the first round.
The only problem is that someone like Georgia's CJ Allen or Texas' Anthony Hill Jr. will almost certainly be available for the G-Men at pick 37, while their lack of a third-round pick will complicate their pursuit of Trotter. But since Bobby Okereke is a likely cap casualty, the meeting makes sense.
Trotter is the younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles' linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and the son of ex-Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter. His bloodline may suggest that being drafted by the Eagles is in the cards for Trotter, but hopefully not if Schoen and John Harbaugh have anything to say about it.
Hopefully, Styles is still available at five and this is all a moot point once he becomes a Giant, but in the NFL, you need to be prepared for all situations, so the Giants are right to be looking at LB insurance.