One potential Dexter Lawrence replacement from each day of the 2026 NFL Draft

One potential Dexter Lawrence replacement from each day of the 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The spring was going too well for New York Giants fans.

The optimism of the Jaxson Dart era, the allure of head coach John Harbaugh, the new toys to play with. It was a nice few months in East Rutherford. Monday's news threatened to change that.

Adam Schefter reported that New York nose tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade, taking his contract dispute public and stunting an offseason's worth of progress. It isn't immediately clear whether the Giants will deal their superstar, and if said deal will commence before the 2026 NFL Draft. But if Lawrence is no longer in New York's long-term plans, it'll be imperative to rebuild the interior of the defensive line in April.

Defensive tackles Giants fans need to know about Day 1: Kayden McDonald, Ohio State As much as I would like to see Clemson star Peter Woods lining up between Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, neither his stock nor the Giants' needs align for the fifth pick. Rather, Woods seems likely to be a top-20 pick, and a Lawrence trade could recoup a late Day 1 selection. As such, New York could opt to replace Lawrence with the draft capital from said deal, presumably toward the end of Round 1.