Giants' Updated NFL Draft Picks, Salary Cap After Reported Dexter Lawrence Trade With Bengals

The New York Giants have traded defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jordan Raanan, who provided more information.

The Giants now hold the No. 5 and No. 10 overall picks in the draft, which begins Thursday. They also have the No. 37, No. 105, No. 145, No. 186, No. 192 and No. 193 picks. All told, they have two first-rounders, one second-rounder, one fourth-rounder, one fifth-rounder and three sixth-rounders for eight total picks.

Lawrence had two years remaining on a four-year, $90 million extension, per Over the Cap. He would have counted for $26.96 million against the cap in 2026 and $28.96 million in 2027.

Big Blue had $6.47 million in cap space in 2026 and an estimated $66.9 million in space in 2027, per Over the Cap.

Spotrac provided a look at the cap space the move will create for New York.

Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowler, proved to be a great Giants' draft pick at No. 16 overall in 2019. He has been one of the NFL's best defensive linemen at his peak, although he had a down year in 2025.

However, it was clear Lawrence wanted to move on, per Ian O'Connor of The Athletic.

The Bengals clearly know what Lawrence is capable of and decided to make a move to help a defense that needed a core piece to build around, especially after defensive end Trey Hendrickson left in free agency for the Baltimore Ravens.

As for the Giants, the question is what they do at No. 5 and No. 10. The guess is they take one defensive stud with one pick and perhaps a wide receiver with the other choice.

Options include Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles or OSU safety Caleb Downs at No. 5 and perhaps OSU wide receiver Carnell Tate or Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson at No. 10.

New York could also opt to go offensive line and beef up a front that could use more help (Spencer Fano of Utah, Francis Mauigoa of Miami and Olaivavega Ioane of Penn State are all in the top 15 of the Bleacher Report big board).

One can also surmise the Giants could be looking to go defensive line early, perhaps in the second round to replace Lawrence. However, they also have the free agency route to pursue, and the Giants did host D.J. Reader earlier this month, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Ultimately, the Giants have become a very interesting team to watch over the next few weeks as Big Blue looks to quickly turn around a 4-13 team under first-year head coach John Harbaugh.