Who won the Giants-Bengals trade of Dexter Lawrence? Here are the grades
It's stunning what the Bengals gave up for Lawrence. As for the Giants, they are sitting in prime position for the draft, holding these picks in the top 40: Nos. 5, 10 and 37.
Latest NFL mock draft | Big Boards: Consensus Top 75 • Nate Tice • Charles McDonald Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach expected fireworks in the form of big deals during the NFL Draft . "There’ll probably be a lot of trades," Veach told reporters earlier this past week of the NFL's crown jewel offseason event, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. We got at least one big one before the weekend finished in the form of the New York Giants dealing star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No.
10 overall pick in this draft . Earlier this month, Lawrence reportedly told the Giants he wanted out of town. The Giants countered that demand with talks of a contract extension, but that hit a wall and now Sexy Dexy is off to the AFC North, with that extension likely waiting for him in Cincinnati.
So who won this deal? Here are the grades: Bengals gambling on a rebound … at a steep price It's stunning what the Bengals gave up for Lawrence considering that in their team history, they've never surrendered a top-10 draft pick for a player, according to ESPN . Sure, they got a two-time Pro Bowler on a defense starving for talent, particularly after the loss of Trey Hendrickson to free agency.
However, Lawrence had a down 2025 season and is approaching the wrong side of 30, turning 29 midway through the 2026 season. Is Lawrence's "down" season overblown? Here's what Yahoo Sports senior writer Jori Epstein wrote on the statistical downturn : "Lawrence followed up a career-best nine sacks in 2024 with a career-low half a sack in 17 games during the 2025 season.