The New York Giants and John Harbaugh made it official on Sunday, April 19, sharing that, indeed, they’ve traded disgruntled defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and in turn, the Giants now have both the No. 5 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which they already had, plus the No. 10 overall selection.
On Sunday, they shared the news on social media, along with the updated draft order. So, the New York Giants traded the three-time Pro Bowler to the Bengals, and now, they have another high pick in the NFL draft.
How will they use that selection? It could go a few different ways, but now that new mock drafts are out following the trade, NFL analysts and experts are giving their take on what will happen during the event, which runs from April 23 to 25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
New York Giants and Head Coach John Harbaugh Have a Range of Possibilities in the NFL Draft
So, what will the New York Giants do with their new found draft selection? They could play it safe or shake things up yet again.
In a Sunday, April 19 feature for USA Today, Cory Woodroof offers his take on the situation and who the Giants may take early in the draft. For the No. 5 pick, he has them solidly taking wide receiver Jordyn Tyson out of Arizona State. While this pick is a bit surprising and Woodroof even calls it a “shock,” it would make quarterback Jaxson Dart happy.
“The Giants go ahead and get Tyson, an ideal compliment to Malik Nabers, in the building before another team drafts him,” he states in the piece. “Tyson going ahead of Carnell Tate might shock some folks. If the Giants love him, it’s possible.”
As for the No. 10 pick, he has the team going with offensive tackle Spencer Fano out of Utah. “The Giants double down on offense and add Fano, who would give John Harbaugh and company some peace of mind at right tackle with Jaxson Dart’s concussion history,” he states in the story. “The team can focus on defense later in the draft.”
New York Giants Should Follow Up Dexter Lawrence Move With Another Significant One
Over at Bleacher Report, Gary Davenport has the Giants taking wide receiver Carnell Tate of Ohio State as their No. 5 overall and safety Caleb Downs and safety Ohio State for No. 10.
“Now equipped with both the fifth and 10th picks in the draft,” he says, “the Giants are well positioned to add a pair of impact players in John Harbaugh’s first year as head coach.”
Taking a safety at No. 10 would feel underwhelming, but it could happen. Overall, it was a big move to trade Lawrence, and the New York Giants better follow it up with an equally big move in the draft.
The lingering question is how the Giants will fill the hole left by trading Lawrence. While these first-round draft picks don’t answer that question, the good news is that there should be solid options for a budding defensive tackle in the second round of the draft.
John Harbaugh and Giants Predicted to ‘Shock’ Again as Draft Looms