Giants Mock Draft Lands John Harbaugh’s Most Valued Position

The New York Giants released veteran linebacker Bobby Okereke Tuesday night, freeing up some cap space but creating a massive hole at off-ball linebacker.

To some NFL teams, inside linebacker isn’t traditionally treated as a premium position, but don’t try telling that to John Harbaugh.

“The inside linebacker isn’t always considered a value position, but you can’t stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle, right? You can’t do it. So, that becomes pretty important,” Harbaugh told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Expect the Giants to attack that gap in their defense in the coming months, whether it’s through the draft or free agency.

In Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft from The Athletic, he has the Giants doing just that with the No. 5 overall pick.

---

Giants Select LB Sonny Styles in New Mock Draft

Brugler has the New York Giants selecting Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles with their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

“For much of the season and pre-draft process, I felt like I had to convince doubters of why Styles deserved to be a top-10 pick. After his workout in Indianapolis, the skeptics have disappeared,” wrote Brugler.

“But it wasn’t just what Styles did on the field, which prompted a standing ovation when he walked into one team’s interview room. His interviews with NFL teams were ‘phenomenal,’ according to a team source.”

In a draft class where there aren’t many elite players at premium positions, Styles has set himself apart from the pack as a special talent.

Inside linebacker is going to be important for Harbaugh’s defense, as evidenced by his time with the Baltimore Ravens.

He was lucky enough to inherit Hall of Famer Ray Lewis at the start of his Baltimore tenure, and he continued the tradition of investing heavily in the quarterback of his defense.

The Ravens invested first-round draft capital into C.J. Mosely and Patrick Queen in the 2014 and 2020 NFL Drafts, and traded two draft picks to the Chicago Bears for Roquan Smith in 2022.

New York is going to address their linebacker problem this offseason, and Styles may be their best option, that is, if he’s still on the board at No. 5.

---

Giants Seem to Be Infatuated With Sonny Styles Already

It seems like every team, including the New York Giants, had Styles blow them away at the NFL Scouting Combine.

NorthJersey.com Giants insider Art Stapleton reported that the safety turned linebacker really impressed team brass not only in workouts, but in meetings as well.

“Will Sonny Styles join the lineage of great inside linebackers for John Harbaugh? Sources tell NorthJersey.com and The Record that the Ohio State star met with the Giants on Tuesday night and impressed,” wrote Stapleton.

The Giants’ interest in Styles feels palpable, and it’s starting to feel like if he’s on the board by the time New York is picking, he’s a no-brainer selection.

Of course, there is the chance the Buckeye linebacker impressed so much at the combine that he goes even higher.

With Fernando Mendoza penciled in at No. 1 overall, there are no other obvious selections for the teams that follow.

The New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans could all use a star linebacker, and the Giants better hope that none of the aforementioned teams fall head over heels for Styles throughout the pre-draft process.