New York Giants fans are elated with the return the team got for Dexter Lawrence, and they should be. There was talk they wouldn't even be able to get a first-round pick out of Sexy Dexy, yet they were able to capitalize on the Cincinnati Bengals' desperation and land the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The Giants currently have two top 10 picks in this upcoming draft, which has only increased the anticipation for the opening round on Thursday night. But the Lawrence trade has also paved the way for some unprecedented history, since first-round picks this high are rarely traded for other players.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted that, historically speaking, trade returns like New York got for the 29-year-old are incredibly rare. He revealed that since 2000, only two other veterans were traded for first-round picks that were already guaranteed to be in the top 10, so this is some elite work from Joe Schoen or John Harbaugh. Regardless, credit is due to whoever you want to credit for this trade.
"How rare? We've seen a grand total of two veterans traded for first-round picks that were already guaranteed to be in the top 10 since 2000," Barnwell wrote. "One was Randy Moss, who was dealt as part of a deal for the seventh pick in 2005. The other was Russell Wilson, who was shipped to the Broncos for a package that included the ninth selection in 2022. Moss was a 28-year-old wide receiver with a Hall of Fame résumé. Wilson was a quarterback who had reached five consecutive Pro Bowls. Lawrence is a very good player, but he isn't a quarterback, and he's not on a Hall of Fame track."
The Dexter Lawrence trade saw the Giants place him in Hall of Fame company
As Barnwell noted, the other two instances were when the Denver Broncos acquired Giants' legend Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss when he was traded from the Vikings to the Raiders in 2005, but Lawrence is not like those other players.
Moss is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest wideouts in NFL history, while Wilson, regardless of how awful he was as a Giant, is undoubtedly a future Hall of Famer. Those two getting traded for top 10 picks makes sense, but a nose tackle coming off of a down year? That's where you lose me. And this deal is now official.
For reference, the first-rounder the Dallas Cowboys got for Micah Parsons slotted in at No. 20, while the New York Jets got pick 16 in return for Sauce Gardner. Yet the Clemson product net a top 10 pick in return even though there were questions if the Giants would even get a first-rounder for him.
I understand the Bengals have a small contending window and are looking to capitalize on the prime of Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase, but the Giants stand to benefit way more from this deal. Picking up someone like Sonny Styles then a Caleb Downs or Mansoor Delane 10 would be a fantastic draft.
Dexter Lawrence is a Giants' fan favorite and was the best player on the team these last couple of seasons, but suggesting he has a gold jacket in his future like the other two players who were in his shoes is just plain wrong. So knowing the G-Men got what they did for a star approaching 30 who wanted (and got) a new extension could be their best decision of Harbaugh's first offseason.
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