2026 NFL Mock Draft Predictions After Giants Trade Dexter Lawrence to Bengals for Top 10 Pick

As it turns out, we didn't even have to wait for April 23 for blockbuster trades involving picks in the 2026 NFL Draft to take place.

As ESPN's Ben Baby wrote, the New York Giants have shipped disgruntled defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th pick in this year's draft. Lawrence had requested a trade after he and the Giants couldn't agree to a reworked contract, but there will be no such problem in the Queen City.

The Bengals agreed to a new contract with star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II on Sunday after acquiring him in a trade with the New York Giants, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Per Schefter, Lawrence signed a one-year extension worth $28 million with the Bengals that keeps him under contract through the 2028 season.

It's a bold play to continue overhauling a bad defense after Cincinnati missed the playoffs for a third straight year in 2025—Lawrence's 123 pressures since 2022 ranks second among defensive tackles behind only Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs. For the Giants, a top-10 pick is the best-case return for a player who wanted out of town.

Now equipped with both the fifth and 10th picks in the draft, the Giants are well positioned to add a pair of impact players in John Harbaugh's first year as head coach. The question now is which players it will be.

Here's one stab at answering that question.

Post-Dexter Lawrence Trade Mock Draft

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

Ohio State WR Carnell Tate

1: Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

2: New York Jets – EDGE Arvell Reese, Ohio State

3: Arizona Cardinals – EDGE David Bailey, Texas Tech

4: Tennessee Titans – RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

5: New York Giants – WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

6: Cleveland Browns – OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

7: Washington Commanders – LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

8: New Orleans Saints – EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

9: Kansas City Chiefs – CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

10: New York Giants (from Cincinnati) – S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

11: Miami Dolphins – OT Spencer Fano, Utah

12: Dallas Cowboys – CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

13: Los Angeles Rams – WR Makai Lemon, USC

14: Baltimore Ravens – IOL Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

15: Tampa Bay Buccaneers – EDGE Akheem Mesidor, Miami

16: New York Jets (from Indianapolis) – IOL Francis Mauigoa, Miami

17: Detroit Lions – OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

18: Minnesota Vikings – S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

19: Carolina Panthers – TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

20: Dallas Cowboys (from Green Bay) – DL Keldrick Faulk, Auburn

21: Pittsburgh Steelers – WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

22: Los Angeles Chargers – EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson

23: Philadelphia Eagles – OT Caleb Lomu, Utah

24: Cleveland Browns (from Jacksonville) – WR Kevin Concepcion, Texas A&M

25: Chicago Bears – S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

26: Buffalo Bills – CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson

27: San Francisco 49ers -- WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

28: Houston Texans – OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State

29: Kansas City Chiefs (from Los Angeles Rams) – EDGE Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

30: Miami Dolphins (from Denver) – DL Peter Woods, Clemson

31: New England Patriots – EDGE Malachi Lawrence, UCF

32: Seattle Seahawks – CB Colton Hood, Tennessee

1.05: WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File

Trading Dexter Lawrence admittedly leaves the Giants with a major hole in the middle of the defense. But there should be a couple of viable options available at defensive tackle when the Giants pick early in Round 2.

So what this trade does is offer the Giants a lot of flexibility. There are multiple paths the Giants can take with their pair of top-10 picks—including adding an impact player on both sides of the ball.

The Giants hope to have a healthy Malik Nabers back for Week 1, and the team added tight end Isaiah Likely and veteran wideout Darnell Mooney in free agency. But per Stephen Lebitsch of SI, adding arguably the draft's top wide receiver prospect in Carnell Tate would offer New York quarterback Jaxson Dart yet another weapon in the passing game.

"The 6'3", 195-pound Tate has steadily improved his production with each passing season in Columbus," he said. "Much of that has come from his steady hands and pro-ready ball tracking skills that have made him one of the best contested catchers in FBS play last season. Tate finished the 2025 season as the third-highest graded pass catcher (90.2) while dropping zero balls and hauling in 12 of his 14 contested targets, which stood among the best percentages in the nation (85.7%). He had just three drops and 22/32 contested catches in his college stint. If Nabers doesn't come back by the season opener, Tate would be a perfect replacement with the size and impressive route-running (3.52 yards per route run last season) that can stretch all three levels of the field and put opposing corners into a stupor with how well he moves in his breaks."

Combining Tate and Nabers would give the Giants one of the better young wideout duos in the league—and significantly increase the chances of a step forward from Dart in 2026.

1.10: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

AP Photo/Melissa Tamez

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is one of the more polarizing players in this year's draft class.

It's not a matter of talent. The 6'0" 206-pounder is an elite talent—in fact, he's the highest-ranked prospect overall on the Bleacher Report NFL Scouting Department Big Board. But Downs doesn't play a premium position—the last time a safety was drafted in the top-10 was 2017, when Jamal Adams went sixth overall.

Even before the Giants traded Dexter Lawrence, there had been speculation the Giants could target Downs. Per Steve Serby of the New York Post, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller sees Downs as an ideal fit in the Big Apple.

"You need a culture-setter No. 1," Miller said, "he's been a winner everywhere he's been, freshman All-American, All-American as a sophomore, All-American as a junior. I think the leadership, the football IQ, the toughness, and then the impact that he has on a defense because of the way that he can erase players on offense. Every offensive coach I've talked to in college said, "You have to know where No. 2 is." He's an eraser, and so I think with Harbaugh you go from a guy who had Ed Reed and he had Kyle Hamilton. If you can add a leader like Downs who is also a really good playmaker, you have to do that."

Now, the Giants can potentially have their cake and eat it to—adding a dangerous offensive weapon in Tate at No. 5 before circling back for arguably the draft's best pure football player in Downs at No. 10.

That's one heck of a duo—and a coup for Big Blue.

Impact for the Bengals and the Rest of Round 1

AP Photo/John Locher

There's no denying that the Cincinnati Bengals needed help defensively—Cincy was last in the AFC in total defense last year and allowed the third-most points per game. Now, after trading for Lawrence and signing edge-rusher Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen in free agency, the Bengals have a completely revamped defensive line.

Still, much like giving Mafe $20 million a season, this feels like an overpay.

Yes, Lawrence was one of the best one-technique tackles in the game from 2022 to 2024, making the Pro Bowl three straight years. But after logging nine sacks in 2024, Lawrence's numbers fell off a cliff last year—a career-low 31 stops and just half a sack.

Lawrence admittedly fought through an elbow injury last year, but given what the Bengals gave up to acquire the 28-year-old and his hefty salary, Cincinnati needs Lawrence to recapture his top form quickly to make this trade a smart move.

You can't fault the Bengals for being aggressive in trying to take advantage of quarterback Joe Burrow's prime and fix a defense that was putrid in 2025. But there's a thin line between aggressive and foolish.

It will also be interesting to see what impact the Lawrence trade has on the rest of Round 1—specifically on what the Cleveland Browns do at No. 6 overall. Two of the most-mocked scenarios in Cleveland of late have been either selecting Carnell Tate or a trade back.

Were things to play out on April 23 like in this mock and Tate comes off the board at No. 5, that trade back could become more likely—and that deal would send even more shockwaves through Round 1.