April 3, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET

One of the main goals of incoming New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh is to win back the trenches. Establish the run on offense and shut down to run on defense.

The latter was a major issue in 2025. The Giants were dead last in the NFL in yards per attempt allowed (5.3) and surrendered over 145 yards per game. Only Cincinnati (147.1) was worse.

This offseason, the Giants made some major changes to their run defense. They cut inside linebacker Bobby Okereke and replaced him with free agent Tremaine Edmunds. Okereke was the Giants’ leading tackler last year and their captain on defense.

Okereke was on an island last year. Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ All-World nose tackle, was playing with one arm most of the season. His elbow injury from 2024 had resurfaced, and the Giants were compromised up front.

Add in the fact that Okereke’s partners at inside linebacker (Micah McFadden and Darius Muasau) were missing most of the season, and one can see how this Giants defense got carved up. Let’s also not forget there was a new safety (Jevon Holland) in the mix, and coordinator Shane Bowen’s scheme also contributed to lapses.

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For those who think Edmunds is an upgrade at inside linebacker, certain stats show that he isn’t. Consider the following from James Dudko of Heavy.com.

A couple of concerning underlying trends in Edmunds’ game were spelled out by ESPN’s Seth Walder and Ben Solak. They detailed how Edmunds struggled to assert himself against running backs in 2025, when the 27-year-old’s “tackle rate against the run was only in the 32nd percentile among off-ball linebackers last season, while his run stop win rate was in the 34th percentile. He did have four interceptions last season, but he also allowed 1.1 yards per coverage snap (higher than average).”

The middling numbers hardly qualify Edmunds to solve the biggest problem plaguing the Giants defensively in recent seasons. Namely, a softness against the run.

The Giants were exploring a trade for Kansas City’s Drue Tranquill before free agency, but he opted to stay with the Chiefs. They eventually landed on Edmunds and then re-signed McFadden.

This is sizing up nicely for the Giants to select an inside linebacker in the 2026 NFL draft. Many have mocked Ohio State’s Sonny Styles to Big Blue at No. 5. Others see them taking a linebacker with one of their five Day 3 picks.

If the Giants whiff on Styles or pass on him, several players are in the same mold as Tranquill coming out of this draft.

Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech would be a nice fit, but he may be taken in the first 50 picks. The Giants would have to use their second-round selection (No. 37 overall) to get him. The same goes for Texas’ Anthony Hill Jr.

Some names to keep an eye on: Oregon’s Bruce Boettcher, Jake Golday of Cincinnati, Taurean York of Texas A&M, Pittsburgh’s Kyle Louis, and Missouri’s Josiah Trotter.