Who Should the Giants Pick With Their Fifth Round Pick?

The 2026 NFL Draft is less than a few weeks away. The Giants have picked up several big names in free agency. However, they still have their top picks for the coming weeks that they still need to evaluate and decide on. There are fans who want to see two top names come to MetLife Stadium this coming season. The question is, who will the Giants want to take as their fifth-round pick, Sonny Styles or Carnell Tate? Both of these players have had amazing college careers, but the Giants may only have the option to choose one or the other in their fifth-round pick.

Everyone knows that the top pick of this year's NFL Draft will be Fernando Mendoza, who is coming out of Indiana. Mendoza was a momentous quarterback during his college career. If the Giants had stayed at number one in the NFL draft pick, they would have taken him and replaced Jaxson Dart if he  could not pull off the wins that he did last season. The Giants took the number five pick, but there are still a few teams ahead of them. This spot gives them the chance to think about who they would want more.​

Styles is a highly touted defensive prospect from Pickerington, Ohio. He starred at Pickerington Central High School and earned five-star recruit status due to his rare size, athleticism, and versatility. He originally belonged to the 2023 recruiting class but was reclassified to the 2022 class, enrolling early at Ohio State at just 17 years old. As a true freshman, he saw limited but impactful playing time. Styles demonstrated his ability as a hybrid safety and linebacker with strong tackling and field awareness. In his sophomore season, Styles took on a larger role in Ohio State’s defense and continued to develop into a key contributor. Known for his physicality and unique build, he is widely viewed as a future NFL prospect with significant upside. All areas that Big Blue is looking to fill in its defensive line.

Styles has developed into a productive defender who caught the Giants' eyes in the first place. He appeared in over 50 games and recorded around 240 total tackles across his college career. He has also added more than 20 tackles for loss and about nine sacks. He showcased his ability to impact plays in the backfield. His breakout season came in 2024 when he posted 100 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks after transitioning into a full-time linebacker role. In his most recent season, he followed that up with over 80 tackles. Styles also had contributions in coverage, including an interception and a forced fumble. Overall, his stats highlight his versatility, physicality, and steady growth into a high-level defensive playmaker.

Tate is a highly talented wide receiver who starred at IMG Academy in Florida and was ranked as a five-star recruit in the 2023 class. He also committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes, joining one of the nation’s top wide receiver pipelines. As a freshman, Tate showed flashes of his elite route running, strong hands, and ability to create separation, even in a crowded receiver room. In his second season, he began carving out a bigger role in the offense, proving he can be a reliable target in key moments. With his skill set and natural playmaking ability, Tate is viewed as a future NFL-caliber receiver with high upside. The Giants’ wide receiver corps and room is the second area where the Giants need to fill up their slots, despite already having decent receivers, such as Malik Nabers, on the team.

On the other side, Tate has put together a strong career with the Ohio State Buckeyes. This receiver totaled 121 receptions for 1,872 yards and 14 touchdowns over three seasons. As a freshman in 2023, he recorded 18 catches for 264 yards and one touchdown while adjusting to the college level.  He broke out in 2024 with 52 receptions for 733 yards and four touchdowns, growing into a key part of the offense.  His best season came in 2025, when he posted 51 catches for 875 yards and 9 touchdowns, averaging over 17 yards per catch.  Overall, his stats show steady growth each year and reflect his emergence as a big-play, NFL-caliber wide receiver.

The Giants have a difficult decision to make. They want both the offense line and defensive line to be better than they have been in the past several years. However, it seems that they can only have one or the other. If this is the case, the Giants may pick to go with Styles, who will boost New York’s Defensive line by a milestone. However, if they pick up Tate, the Giants will also be much better because they have someone who is quick and can get the ball to match up with Nabers. The NFL Draft will reveal the areas where the Giants need to work better this season.