New York Giants Might Stay Put at No. 5 for One Very Specific Reason

Should the New York Giants trade down from the fifth overall spot in the draft to get more assets, especially if their reported target of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is not on the board?

Not necessarily, according to NFL Draft On SI’s Justin Melo, who, on an upcoming appearance with the Locked On Giants podcast, cites the sparsity of true first-round grades on the prospects as a big reason why teams might not be as willing to move up and down the board in the first round.

The 2027 Draft Factor

"On one hand, you could argue that, because it's not a very good draft, teams will have fewer first-round grades than usual," Melo said.

“Where I have a tough time getting on board with that–and I might be proven wrong– if for this to be such a weak draft in the eyes of evaluators, are we about to part with a bunch of 2027 draft capital? Because historically speaking, when you're moving up, you've got to part with picks in a future draft. And next year's draft is being described as a potential all-timer.

“So are we really about to trade a bunch of 2027 draft picks so we could move up in a draft that has been described as historically weak?”

Melo added that he could see a team moving if there is a must-have player, but reiterated that general managers are likely to want to hang onto as much of their 2027 draft capital as possible.

But for the Giants, he feels they’re in a good spot where they can go in any number of directions.

"With the Giants, you can expect either Sonny Styles or Caleb Downs to be available at that spot, based on projections. I’d be surprised if they went another direction," Melo said.

A Day 2 Trade Makes More Sense for Giants

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Melo notes the Giants, with a large gap between picks No. 37 and No. 105, could trade down in the second round to regain a third-round pick sent to Houston last year for quarterback Jaxson Dart.

Melo pointed to last year’s draft, when the Tennessee Titans were in a similar position to the Giants this year, and how they made it work, picking up a third-round pick through a trade down in the second round.

“I think it's likely that the Giants will be able to do something like that,” Melo said. If they're willing to go to say, you know, 48-49, a sizable 14-15 overall pick drop off, then historically speaking, you're going to be able to get the extra pick in the 70-75 range. And I think that would be really beneficial for them.”

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