Where there's smoke, there's fire. At least, that's how the saying goes.
Joe Schoen and John Harbaugh can try to throw everyone off the scent of what the New York Giants plan to do on draft night, but the breadcrumbs are there. There’s a pretty clear group at No. 5. At No. 10 -- the pick they got back from the Cincinnati Bengals for the Dexter Lawrence blockbuster trade -- is another story. That’s a “let’s see how the board falls” pick.
With less than a week to go before New York is on the clock, let’s take a look at the smoke meter around three prospects and their connections to the G-Men.
Smoke meter rankings in 1-10 form:
- 1 – Spark
- 2 – Flicker
- 3 – Small flame
- 4 – Steady burn
- 5 – Heating up
- 6 – Gaining heat
- 7 – Hot
- 8 – Very hot
- 9 – Blazing
- 10 – Full blaze
Giants' smoke meter heats up around three draft targets
Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State: Blazing
The Sonny Styles to New York buzz has been around for some time, with pre-draft movements pointing at legitimate interest that the 6-foot-5, 243-pound off-ball linebacker is very much in the mix with the No. 5 pick. There have been no reports of a 30 visit, but the team did meet with him at the NFL Scouting Combine, with the former Buckeye telling reporters, "That meeting was awesome. Coach Harbaugh was great.”
At first glance, another middle linebacker isn’t necessarily a position the G-Men need to prioritize, but Styles’ otherworldly athleticism, size, and potential could give Harbaugh his next star green-dot linebacker, like he’s had in Baltimore with Ray Lewis, C.J. Mosley, Patrick Queen, and Roquan Smith.
Styles is definitely in play at five, earning him a “Blazing” rating. He’s consistently mocked to Big Blue and is the betting favorite on several platforms.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame: Hot
The only prospect out of the three that actually had a 30 visit with Big Blue was Jeremiyah Love. It makes sense, seeing as though the 20-year-old might just be the best player of the entire 2026 Class.
Not only did the G-Men bring in the 2025 All-American and third-place Heisman Trophy Award finisher for a 30-visit, but they also met with him at the combine, with Love going so far as to say, “I like them [the Giants] a lot. Hopefully they call my name draft night." He also poked fun at the Cowboys, which is always awesome. Harbaugh has been adamant about establishing a strong running game, and there's no better choice than Love.
Love’s coming in “Hot” for a few reasons:
- Harbaugh and Schoen have publicly spoken highly of him.
- He’s met with the team several times.
- The former Fighting Irishman is consistently mocked to the Giants.
It’s only fitting that the best RB prospect since Saquon Barkley is getting interest from the team that also drafted Barkley. Still, even with all the smoke surrounding Love and the Giants, I’m just not entirely sold that this isn’t a ploy to drive up the interest in Love to manipulate the draft board. New York’s RB room is already full, and it feels like addressing legitimate needs is the better move at five.
Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami: Steady burn
There haven’t been reports of the Giants meeting with Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa privately for a pre-draft 30 visit, but Schoen did get on a plane and fly to Miami’s Pro Day, where he watched the 6-foot-6, 330-pound lineman take part in the festivities. There hasn’t been a lot of pre-draft work that would suggest the 46-year-old GM is dead set on Sisi, but he’s routinely mocked to the Giants, and for that reason, he’s a steady burn.
Mauigoa would be an electric addition to Big Blue’s line as a rare “freak athlete” with elite short-area burst and a mauler’s mentality. He’s actually a former volleyball player -- which is objectively wild at that size -- with high-end lateral movement. He’s been referred to as a road paver and silent storm who’d transform the right side with his ability to climb to the second level and flatten linebackers into oblivion.
His football IQ and experience make him a plug-and-play tone-setter capable of protecting Jaxson Dart and opening lanes in the ground game from day one.
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