Dexter Lawrence trade notes: Why a big move could have huge benefits for the Giants and Bengals

The New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals kicked off NFL Draft week with a Saturday night blockbuster that was as big as it was rare. The Giants traded three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Bengals for the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft. It was the first time a team traded a top-10 pick for a player who hadn’t been a quarterback in 21 years, when the Raiders gave up the seventh overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft to Randy Moss. This is also the first time the Bengals have traded a top-10 pick for a player from the common draft era (since 1966), according to ESPN. So, was it a good deal and how did each team fare? Here are the early grades for both teams: New York Giants Lawrence, at 6-foot-4, 340 pounds, has been a tremendous player for the Giants for most of his seven seasons. He even had tremendous value last year, which was generally considered his worst in the league. He was often the focus of opposing offensive lines, and the attention he received freed up a lot of room for edge rusher Brian Burns. But Lawrence never looked healthy or motivated last year, and his pass-rushing numbers fell off a cliff — just half a sack after having nine in 12 games the year before. He will be 29 this season, was incredibly unhappy after years of losing New York and also wanted a big raise. The fact that the Giants got a top-10 pick for a player in this situation, en route to his third NFL contract, is remarkable, especially since they didn’t have to give up anything else. And the fact that they got it from the Bengals — a team that historically treats draft picks like they’re gold bars in Fort Knox — makes the deal even more astonishing. Maybe the Giants can’t find a player like Lawrence, but good defensive tackles aren’t a rare commodity. And in the right scheme, with the right players around them, that can be enough. But the note here isn’t about what the Giants lost, especially since if Lawrence returns to his old form and happiness, he’s a top-three defensive tackle. It’s about the return. A top-10 pick for a team starting over with a new coach and trying to rebuild a program isn’t just gold. It’s platinum. Yes, what the Giants do with the pick matters. But on paper, they now get two of the top 10 players in this draft. Grade: A – Cincinnati Bengals Perhaps the most surprising part of this deal was the fact that the Bengals were involved. Big moves like this just aren’t what they’re made for. No organization has been cheaper, more static or more stubborn over the years. But there’s a feeling in Cincinnati that the Bengals’ Super Bowl window is starting to close, and they didn’t want another year to pass. So give them credit for doing it all, adding a huge piece to a defensive line that lost Trey Hendrickson in free agency. They have one of the best offenses in the NFL as long as quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja’Marr Chase are healthy. But they struggled because of a terrible defense that was the worst in the league last year. Lawrence won’t change that on his own, but putting him inside the line with BJ Hill, in a rotation with veteran Jonathan Allen and next to new edge rusher Boye Mafe has the potential to make him a force up front. While this line may make the Bengals defense mediocre, it could make them a playoff team at worst and a Super Bowl contender at best. The reason they aren’t getting more rave reviews for this bold move is the high value (financially and talent-wise) of a top-10 pick. And giving up on that is a risk for a player who’s about to turn 29, who wanted more money (the Bengals had to add a year and $28 million to his existing contract) and who is coming off a half-sack season that was one of the worst of his career. If this was the start of a decline, the Bengals made a huge miscalculation. But they believe a happy and motivated Lawrence will get back into shape and return to his old dominant form. It also helps, as one source told me, that they are confident they couldn’t get an impact defensive player ready to go with the 10th overall pick in the draft. So they chose to use this pick in hopes of getting that instant impact. It’s a gamble, but the payoff could be huge. Grade: B-