There’s a shake-up at the top of the NFL Draft order, and it involves one of the league’s best defensive tackles.
The New York Giants have dealt disgruntled star Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals, who have sacrificed the No. 10 overall pick in the process. That means John Harbaugh’s first season as Giants head coach will involve two picks in the top 10.
Unless they trade back into the first, this will only be the second time in franchise history the Bengals have not held a first-round pick. I’m not even sure they’ve ever traded a first-round pick for a player, so this is a splash move for a franchise not known for monumental offseason moves.
Lawrence wanted a contract extension from the Giants, the two sides were reportedly far apart on money, and the two-time All-Pro requested a trade. The Giants obliged, sending Lawrence to a Bengals squad that lost Trey Hendricks on in free agency but signed Jonathan Allen, former Seahawk edge rusher Boye Mafe, and now they’ve got one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league.
The Seattle Seahawks were probably never really in the Lawrence sweepstakes, if only because it’s hard for the Super Bowl champions to one-up a deal involving a top 10 pick, but the good news is he’s no longer on the Seahawks’ regular season schedule.
