For the “trade down’’ advocates who want the Giants to move out of the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft, there could be a daunting speed bump in the way.
There is a chance far more teams will want to trade down than trade up and it takes two to make a deal.
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This draft is unique in that many of the top players do not play positions that NFL teams value the highest, as far as market value. Quarterbacks, wide receivers, edge rushers and cornerbacks earn the most money, by and large, and that is not where the strength of this draft lies, as far as the top tier.
There is only one surefire first round quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, and that could limit how many teams want to trade up higher into the round. The acknowledged best players are a running back (Jeremiyah Love), inside linebacker (Sonny Styles), a safety (Caleb Downs) and possibly a guard (Vega Ioane). Those positions do not normally come off the board in the top 10. This year, they might.
“You would like to get into those positions where outside the building you would pay a lot of money to get that surplus value but it just may not be the case this year, which is fine,’’ Giants general manager Joe Schoen said Tuesday. “We’re gonna evaluate every position, every player and do what’s best for us.’’
Giants GM Joe Schoen speaking to the media during a press conference at the team’s practice facility. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Here is where it gets tricky. If the Giants take a wide receiver at No. 5 — Carnell Tate from Ohio State is certainly inviting — that receiver, based on his rookie contract, might be the 40th highest-paid receiver in the league. If the Giants take Love, he might be the 10th highest-paid running back in the league.
The task is determining if taking a player at a non-premium position is the right way to go for the Giants. Or if trading down, if possible, will create more value and give the Giants what they truly want — an extra pick in the second or third round.
The Giants have seven picks. They do not own a third-round pick (sent to the Texans in the 2025 draft day trade that landed Jaxson Dart) and do not have any picks in the seventh round. They do have three picks in the sixth round.
“I would always like more picks but it will be situational,’’ Schoen said. “We’re not gonna walk away from an impact player, a good player that we’re convicted on, that we like to pick up an extra pick or a couple of extra picks. If you move back three spots and there’s five guys you like and you get an extra pick, absolutely. If it’s a guy you’re convicted on and there’s a big drop-off, let’s say its a corner and there’s a big drop-off maybe two rounds to the next corner, you may not roll the dice in those situations and you just take the player so you don’t miss out.’’
If the Giants go with Styles, he would immediately upgrade their defense. The same with Downs. Love is considered to be a special running back prospect but taking him at No. 5 is a different deal entirely. New head coach John Harbaugh has stated he wants his offense to be run-centric and Love would be the centerpiece of that attack.
Schoen agreed with the premise that Love should not be valued as a typical running back.
Jeremiyah Love celebrates after scoring a touchdown during Notre Dame’s blowout win over Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025 in Pittsburgh. Getty Images “Certainly an offensive weapon, he’s not just a running back,’’ Schoen said. “He can play on third down, you can split him out, he can catch the ball, so certainly an offensive weapon.’’
That fell short of an endorsement, though, given how Schoen assessed his roster at that position.
“We like our running back room now,’’ he said. “Skat [Cam Skattebo] had a really good rookie year, Tyrone Tracy’s been a 1,000 yard all-purpose guy the last two years.’’
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Schoen also mentioned Devin Singletary, Dante Miller and Eric Gray, but his case was made with Skattebo and Tracy.
“We’ll see what happens on draft night but like the room the way it’s constructed right now,’’ Schoen said.
Schoen inherited Saquon Barkley from the previous regime, failed to get him signed to a long-term extension, put the franchise tag on him and then watched Barkley sign with the rival Eagles.
Schoen did not prioritize the running back position, to be sure, and he justified that by stating he needed to upgrade the offensive line and get a quarterback on a rookie deal to fix the offense. He described where the Giants are now as “in a different place.’’
“We were fifth in the league in rushing a year ago so I think mission accomplished,’’ he said.
Where will they be in 2026 and will Love be running the ball for the Giants? Stay tuned.
