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Evaluating New York Giants’ Options With No. 10 Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
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- Evaluating New York Giants’ Options With No. 10 Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
The New York Giants made a blockbuster trade on Saturday night, sending three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10thoverall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Lawrence had been growing frustrated over the past few seasons with his contract situation, as he had been the 12th-highest-paid defensive tackle in the league. It was also reported that he was frustrated that, for the past two seasons, he saw former teammates Saquon Barkley , Leonard Williams , and Julian Love win Super Bowls with other teams, while the Giants went 7-27.
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This is why the 28-year-old defensive lineman requested a trade earlier this month. On Tuesday, general manager Joe Schoen stated during his press conference that he had positive conversations with Lawrence’s representatives and was hopeful that things would work out. But a few hours later, news broke that the two sides were at an impasse , and that Lawrence wanted out of New York .
Lawrence was coming off statistically the worst season of his seven-year career as he had career lows in tackles (31) and sacks (0.5). The expectation was that New York could get a late first-round or a second-round pick for him. But when the Bengals offered the 10th overall pick in the draft, New York pulled the trigger on the deal.
Related: New York Giants GM Joe Schoen Raves About Top NFL Draft Prospect
Who will the Giants draft with the 10thoverall pick?
Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Losing Lawrence will hurt the defense, but now the team is sitting pretty with the fifth and tenth overall picks in this week’s draft. The word around the league is that this draft class has only 15-20 players who have a true first-round grade. So with two top-10 picks, Big Blue should undoubtedly be one of the winners of the draft.
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It’s well known that there are three players who are very high on the Giants board, and they are Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles , and his teammate, safety Caleb Downs .
There’s a good chance that all three could be on the board when New York is on the clock with the fifth pick, and there’s a possibility that Downs might still be on the board at 10. This would give the team a possibility of taking either Love or Styles with their first pick, and then take Downs five picks later.
If Downs is no longer on the board, the team could take a corner such as Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy to replace Cor’Dale Flott, who signed with the Tennessee Titans . Or they could look at Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson.
The team did add free agent receivers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III this offseason, but they were signed to one-year deals, whereas the 6’2 203-pound Tyson could be a mainstay for years to come. Durability has been an issue for the Arizona State receiver as he’s missed time dealing with hamstring, knee, and collarbone injuries. But when healthy, he’s an explosive playmaker and would be a great compliment to Malik Nabers.
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We’ll find out in a few days which player the team will get in return for trading Lawrence, but you have to feel confident the team will hit on their first two draft picks on Thursday night.
Related: 5 NY Giants Options With 37th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft, Including Chris Johnson
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