Jason Burgos
A former top coordinator for John Harbaugh has revealed some fascinating insight into what his thinking will be as he heads into his first NFL Draft as the head coach of the New York Giants.
There is renewed excitement surrounding the NY Giants despite a 4-13 result in the 2025 season. The reason why is the addition of former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. While he was dismissed by his previous team earlier this year, he remains one of the most respected and successful coaches in the NFL today.
Part of why he has put together such a strong resume during his 18 seasons in the league is having a notable influence on how the roster he coaches is constructed. That will again be the case with Big Blue, and heading into the start of NFL free agency this week and next month’s draft, there has been a lot of talk about how the coach will rework the roster, with the help of general manager Joe Schoen.
While they haven’t thrown around huge contracts over the first week of free agency, the team has made some savvy moves that make them better for next season. They are far from done adding veteran talent, but April’s draft offers more great opportunities to improve the roster, including the No. 5 pick in next month’s event.
When it comes to their first pick, the team has been linked to several prospects, including Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Ohio State’s Caleb Downs. It seems like the team could go in a variety of directions with the pick at five and in their other selections, since they have quite a few needs.
NY Giants will build roster to better matchup with Eagles, Cowboys, and Commanders
However, on Thursday, former Harbaugh defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale revealed some interesting intel on how Harbaugh will approach his first draft for the NY Giants.
“This is the way our philosophy was in Baltimore, [but] the first question, whenever you bring up a player, is ‘How is he gonna help us beat Philly? How’s he gonna help us beat Dallas?'” he told New York Daily News Giants insider Pat Leonard.
“That’s the way that John and Ozzie [Newsome] did it for years. It’s crazy where the league’s going now, but that still works. Big guys are still better than small guys.”
So while Harbaugh and the NY Giants brain trust will look to get good players that fit their coaches, this reveals that matchup but better with the Cowboys, Commanders, and Eagles for the six games they play against them each year will be a priority as well.
