Sonny Styles #0 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on during 2026 Ohio State Pro Day. Getty Images The Giants have the No. 5 pick in the NFL Draft and a ton of needs to fill if they hope to make the most of their first season under new head coach John Harbaugh.
The latest mock drafts making their way around the internet have different players slotted in the fifth spot, but prediction and betting markets seem to be zeroing in on one player in particular.
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles is the favorite to be taken fifth overall at the prediction market Kalshi, with traders giving him a 30 percent chance to land with the Giants when the Big Blue is on the clock.
Oddsmakers at bet365 concur and have Styles listed as the favorite with +180 odds.
Styles starred at Ohio State for four seasons, including the Buckeyes’ national championship campaign in 2024, when he amassed 100 tackles and six sacks as a junior.
He followed that up in his senior season with 82 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
Sonny Styles of the Ohio State Buckeyes participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. Getty Images Styles was trading as high as 58 percent in late February, and while that number has come down some, he still maintains a lead over his teammate Caleb Downs, who has a 16 percent chance to be drafted in the fifth spot, according to Kalshi. The 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and two-time All-American safety has +360 odds to end up with the Giants at that fifth spot.
Other players getting attention for the fifth pick from prediction markets are fellow Buckeye wide receiver Carnell Tate (16 percent), Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (14 percent), and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa out of Miami (14 percent).
Mauigoa would fit one of the Giants’ offseason needs for a lineman. They signed journeyman Lucas Patrick and former Raven Daniel Faalele, but they can never have too much help on the offensive line, especially with Jaxson Dart’s playing style.
Tate would also fit a need for the Giants at receiver. Star receiver Malik Nabers won’t be on the field until training camp. After rumors of a reunion between Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants surfaced, coach Harbaugh didn’t take the option off the table, which speaks to their desperate need to bolster the position.
We’re still three weeks away from finding out who the Giants will actually take in the draft, but based on the odds, it’s shaping up to be a Buckeye regardless of position.
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
