The New York Giants have the benefit of being able to go in a few different directions early in the 2026 NFL Draft, though it may be harder and harder to look at Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and not spend the No. 5 pick on him.
Downs may be the best player in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the only justification for him not being pickedin the top-five picks is positional value. The thought of picking a safety well into the top five might scare away some teams, especially when the financial implications of the pick some home to roost.
John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen will likely take a long look at downs, even as the need for a new right tackle and No. 2 wide receiver behind Malik Nabers stare this franchise in the face. No matter how good Giants fans think Downs is, he may actually be even better than that.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler claims that he has talked to multiple scouts who insist that Downs is the best safety prospect they have ever evaluated, with some going back over a decade. Downs may truly be a generational prospect as far as safeties go, and the Giants will have a chance to bring him home.
Giants draft target Caleb Downs deemed best safety prospect "ever" by scouts
Harbaugh himself benefited from teams being scared of a tremendous safety prospect. The last safety to get this level of hype was Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton, and he became an All-Pro and perhaps the best in the game at his position after falling to No. 14 overall way back in 2022.
Giants fans need to look at the Super Bowl, where they saw Seattle Seahawks rookie dynamo Nick Emmanwori help put Drake Maye in hell during their victory, as proof that putting a high-end impact safety in the right scheme can elevate a defense from good to great almost instantly.
As a player, it's very hard to poke holes in Downs' game. Between his splendid coverage ability, tremendous skill at tackling in the open field, and a football IQ that will help him start right away, the Giants should slide him into the starting lineup alongside Jevon Holland.
New York needs another pass catcher, and there is no such thing as having too many qualified offensive linemen for Jaxson Dart, but Downs is an utterly unique prospect who should have no trouble competing for All-Pro nods on his rookie contract.