The New York Giants hit a home run with their free agency signings this offseason. After hiring John Harbaugh as head coach, they went out and added key players like Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, and Patrick Ricard, to name a few. But the talent influx could still go up another level, with the idea of drafting Caleb Downs gaining traction.
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In case you didn’t remember, the Giants hold the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft, a great spot in a top-heavy class. They could hope running back prospect Jeremiyah Love falls to them, or give Jaxson Dart a new receiving weapon in Carnell Tate. Either move would do wonders for the offense.
However, rather than drafting for fit, draft analyst Joel Klatt believes the Giants should simply take the best player available at No. 5. That player could very well be Downs, who Klatt says may be the best prospect in the draft.
“I want the Giants to take him,” Klatt said during his appearance on Up & Adams. “I think he fits what John Harbaugh would do defensively, because of Kyle [Hamilton], you know, the Baltimore safeties, the history of that, and the way that they play defense and the way they want to play defense. It’s very ‘Downs-ey’ I would call it.”
Not to mention, Harbaugh has a track record of identifying elite talent at the safety position, which leads us to believe Downs could very well head to the Big Apple. Downs was a five-star recruit going into college and was ranked number eight in his class at the time.
He decided to go to Alabama as a freshman, where he led the SEC in solo tackles with 70. He then transferred to Ohio State, where he’s spent the past two seasons, earning two All-American nods and becoming the 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs to the Giants at 5…
Hear Joel Klatt out:@joelklatt | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/iOb8kMcitA
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 17, 2026
There’s no question that Downs will bring a lot of talent and potential to any roster. Klatt even thinks that he will eventually develop into an All-Pro defender. But the draft expert also acknowledges that taking a safety fifth in the NFL Draft is unheard of. Still, he would like to see the Giants go against the grain.
“I’m like ripping apart the whole draft process, but I think people overthink it. At the end of the day, when you’re on the clock as an NFL organization, the ones that are doing it right select the best football players. They put them on their roster, and they become the best football players in the NFL,” Klatt stated.
The analyst is spot on. Teams often get themselves into trouble when they draft for need instead of taking the best player available. That’s how some of the biggest busts in league history happen, especially when a team reaches for a quarterback they believe will be better than he turns out to be. This isn’t a QB-heavy draft either, with only two currently projected to go in the first round.
Regardless, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Giants and John Harbaugh still lean toward a player like Downs. However, while Downs is an excellent prospect, the Giants could also go in a different direction. If Arvell Reese slips, he could be an option. Sonny Styles and Rueben Bain Jr. are also intriguing athletes.
