2026 NFL mock draft: What Dexter Lawrence trade might mean for Giants, first round

Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sun, April 19, 2026 at 11:38 AM UTC

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2026 NFL mock draft: What Dexter Lawrence trade might mean for Giants, first round

Can the 2026 NFL Draft possibly live up to all of the wild trades that have already preceded and shaped it?

Five days before it was set to start, the draft’s outlook was drastically altered again – the New York Giants agreeing to trade Pro Bowl DL Dexter Lawrence II to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 overall selection, meaning the G-Men now own a pair of picks in the top 10.

The Giants become the sixth team this year with multiple first-rounders, they and the Jets both set to get two players in the top half of Round 1. Meanwhile, the Bengals get a largely proven commodity in Lawrence – though he is coming off a down year and will need an contract – in a year when the draft seems to have relatively few top-tier prospects.

As for how the deal could re-shape the first round at large? Here is my final first-round projection before the real one finally arrives on April 23:

1 / 0Ranking top 25 prospects for 2026 NFL Draft -

Arvell Reese, LB/DE, Ohio StateOn a defense already dotted with stars, Reese rose from an occasional contributor to a bona fide star in his first full season as a starter. The 6-4, 241-pound linebacker exhibited uncommon fluidity for a player of his size, finding equal comfort dropping back in coverage as bullying his way into the backfield. His pass-rush plan is still rather rudimentary at the moment, but he has the toolkit of a double-digit sack artist. In a league where defenses are constantly taxed against the pass and run, Reese displays a unique aptitude for detonating whatever play an offense might throw at him.

1. Las Vegas Raiders – QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana

This is one pick that won’t be traded, Silver and Black GM John Spytek saying Tuesday that, "We've gotten a few calls, and those teams know where they stand right now.” He added, “There's only one team that can get the exact person that they want. And we have that option available to us this year, if we so choose."

Oh, they’ve chosen, if not yet officially. Mendoza, the Hoosiers’ championship-minted Heisman Trophy winner, will be the man charged with leading the Raiders back to Super Bowl glory more than four decades after they last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. And credit to Spytek for quickly trying to rebuild the infrastructure that will support Mendoza, including the addition of veteran QB Kirk Cousins – his presence ensuring Las Vegas won’t have to play their prize before it’s time.

2. New York Jets – OLB/DE David Bailey, Texas Tech

The team’s recently canceled 30 visit with the Red Raiders star essentially seemed to confirm Bailey will be the choice here – and it would make some sense that the NYJ would opt for a more proven player, and one with substantial upside and athleticism, over Ohio State’s Arvell Reese. At some point soon, the Jets themselves need to convert potential into production, and Bailey could be a bellwether on that front. A Stanford grad, Bailey came into his own with the Big 12 champion Red Raiders in 2025, tying for first in the FBS with 14½ sacks while leading the field with a 20.2% pressure rate and mixing in 19½ tackles for losses. Though scheme-diverse, Bailey might have to prove a bit against the run.

3. Arizona Cardinals – LB Arvell Reese, Ohio State

The Cards would probably love to deal out of this spot. The question is, who’d come up this high given Mendoza is the only perceived franchised quarterback available this year? Even a swap with the Giants, who select fifth overall, feels rich given their numerous needs and lack of draft ammo beyond the second round. So in what feels like a probable stick-and-pick scenario, the Cards should probably take arguably the player with the most upside in this draft in Reese. He split time playing off the ball and rushing the passer for the Buckeyes, hence the inevitable Micah Parsons comparisons. Reese, who turns 21 in August, has plenty of time to develop into a full-time pass rusher and maybe justify the comp one day. And getting to the quarterback is especially important in the NFC West, where the Cards, who surrendered the fourth-most points in the league in 2025, are looking way up at their competition right now.

4. Tennessee Titans – RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Sorry, but I’m going to take credit for the Love-to-Tennessee momentum that started five minutes after the scouting combine ended. Could new coach Robert Saleh lobby GM Mike Borgonzi for another defensive cornerstone like LB Sonny Styles? Of course. But – more importantly – what’s the best way to advance the development of QB Cam Ward, last year’s No. 1 overall pick? How about giving him a player perhaps adjacent to Saquon Barkley or Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs in terms of game-breaking ability and versatility? Love is an every-down back, one who’s averaged 6.9 yards per carry and caught 55 passes over the past two seasons. (Yes, he could probably survive as a pure receiver in the league.) The Titans could keep Love’s usage in check as a rookie with RB Tony Pollard under contract for one more season. But pairing Love and Ward could potentially create an offense primed to surge ticket sales when the Titans move into their new stadium in 2027.

5. New York Giants – S Caleb Downs, Ohio State

The Lawrence blockbuster gives the G-Men options. Trade up for Love perhaps? Take a receiver of their choice? Plenty on the table to choose from … yet probably little incentive for new coach John Harbaugh to rush into a potentially rash direction given the amount of work to do here. Is Downs the best defender in this draft? Arguably. Can he play exceptionally in the slot, box or center field − a skill set Kyle Hamilton provided Harbaugh in Baltimore? Yep – though don’t confuse Downs for the type of imposing physical specimen Hamilton is. Yet Downs' ability to anticipate and read the field and ability to play chess in real time could really render him a professional game changer at a position that normally isn't drafted this highly. With Jaxson Dart installed as the Giants’ new franchise quarterback, Downs would be a worthy defensive counterpart.

6. Cleveland Browns – OL Francis Mauigoa, Miami (Fla.)

It’s another tricky spot to anticipate. GM Andrew Berry has already signaled he’d like to trade down – and, yeah, it’s fun to connect the dots given the smoke that’s formed around a potential swap with the Cowboys. But such a deal makes a whole lot more sense for Cleveland than Dallas … and surely someone will speak truth to power (Jerry Jones) in Big D. Barring such a gambit, the most sensible move for the Browns here is probably to complete this year’s offensive line overhaul … by taking this year’s best offensive lineman. And while the mauling Mauigoa was purely a right tackle the past three seasons for the Hurricanes, he’s the kind of tone-setter any offense would want – and Berry has said Cleveland pays little attention to the right tackle vs. left tackle debate. But installing Mauigoa on the right side would be plug-and-play while recently acquired Tytus Howard could man left tackle, which he’s done before in the NFL. If that doesn’t work? Howard kicks inside a year from now, and Berry makes a run at another left tackle.

7. Washington Commanders LB Sonny Styles, Ohio State

Getting another wide receiver for QB Jayden Daniels here has to be tempting. But it’s one of the few deep positions in this draft, and there are still some veteran options that could be obtained to play opposite WR1 Terry McLaurin, who’s coming off his worst pro season. As for Styles? He’s widely compared to Fred Warner, whom GM Adam Peters helped bring to San Francisco. Yet, in addition to being a cerebral player, Styles is a luminary athlete who could assume the role in the middle of Washington’s defense given ILB Bobby Wagner has not re-signed – and neither recently signed Leo Chenal nor Frankie Luvu, who’s under contract for one more year, seem like ideal fits to fill his void.

8. New Orleans Saints – WR Carnell Tate, Ohio State

What a win it would be for them to get the pick of the wideout litter in a bid to support second-year QB Tyler Shough. A fellow Ohio Stater like the Saints’ Chris Olave, Tate is the latest ready-made wideout product emerging from the Buckeyes' pipeline. His 51 catches in 2025 averaged 17.2 yards, nearly three more than former teammate Jeremiah Smith. And while Tate might have been Robin to Smith’s Batman, he and Olave could complement one another nicely as WR1 and WR1A – Tate better suited to work on the boundary, while Olave can do a lot of damage from the slot.

9. Kansas City Chiefs – CB Mansoor Delane, LSU

On one hand, it would make a lot of sense to do anything at this spot in a bid to help QB Patrick Mahomes – both long term and in a bid to ease his recovery from a torn ACL and LCL. On the other, a secondary that was raided during free agency also needs reinforcements, and Delane appears to be a cut above the competition at corner. The 6-foot, 187-pound All-America has lockdown ability and might even be able to eat up some of some of the snaps departed Trent McDuffie used to provide in the slot – though Delane was rarely used there at Virginia Tech and LSU.

10. Giants (from Cincinnati Bengals) – WR Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

A lot of dots being connected between the Giants and Tyson given the Lawrence deal was struck just a day after GM Joe Schoen attended the wideout’s belated workout in Arizona. Tyson’s injury history is certainly problematic, but he’s also widely considered this draft’s best receiver otherwise. And New York certainly has a need at the position following WR2 Wan'Dale Robinson’s departure during free agency combined with WR1 Malik Nabers’ recovery from ACL and meniscus injuries – Harbaugh recently indicating his availability for Week 1 could be in doubt. Regardless, a Nabers-Tyson combo would be one heckuva way to set Dart up for long-term success.

1 / 0The 10 NFL teams with the most at stake in the 2026 draft -

New Orleans SaintsTyler Shough #6 of the New Orleans Saints and Chris Olave #12 celebrate a touchdown during the second half against the Carolina Panthers in the game at Bank of America Stadium on November 09, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

11. Miami Dolphins – WR Makai Lemon, USC

WR Jaylen Waddle's departure leaves a massive hole in the Fins’ passing game. Lemon would have been worthy of consideration here even prior to Waddle’s trade to Denver after catching 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 TDs during his final college season. A slot machine extraordinaire, Lemon would immediately provide new Miami QB Malik Willis with a high-volume target – and, given the widespread comparisons he draws to fellow former Trojan Amon-Ra St. Brown, might also be the kind of culture influencer a rebuilding organization badly needs.

12. Dallas Cowboys – DE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami (Fla.)

Jones covets Styles, per reports, but almost certainly can’t expect him to fall here. But barring an aggressive move up, the Cowboys almost surely have to do something else to redress the D, Dallas failing to play "a lick of defense" in 2025, per Jones. Bain's T-rex limbs didn’t stop him from being extremely productive – often against NFL-caliber offensive tackles – for the ‘Canes. He bulled his way to 9½ sacks and 15½ TFLs last season and was a menace during the College Football Playoff. He’s also a high-motor player who could play extensively opposite recently acquired Rashan Gary in Dallas’ new 3-4 front while potentially allowing Donovan Ezeiruaku’s snaps to more focused on passing downs – when Bain could rush from the interior.

13. Los Angeles Rams (from Atlanta Falcons) – WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

He’s the kind of win-now player – coming off the Hoosiers’ national championship run – the Rams seem likely to target in a clear win-now season that could be league MVP Matthew Stafford’s last. The shifty, sure-handed Cooper can do extensive damage from the slot, which would allow Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to do more of their damage outside.

14. Baltimore Ravens – G Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State

Any number of directions this team could go. But reloading the middle of the offensive line – especially with a guy who truly “plays like a Raven,” the ever-important mantra to this organization – makes so much sense as Baltimore tries to get QB Lamar Jackson back on an MVP trajectory. And the thought of RB Derrick Henry running behind Ioane? Truly terrifying.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – DE/OLB Akheem Mesidor, Miami (Fla.)

He will be 25 by draft night but could provide instant production – for a team that should be an instant contender despite falling off its NFC South throne last season – after leading the ACC with 12½ sacks in 2025, including 5½ in the CFP. YaYa Diaby was the only Buc with more than 4½ sacks last season, and recently signed Al-Quadin Muhammad is only under contract for one year.

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16. Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) – OL Spencer Fano, Utah

With the pick obtained in last year’s trade of CB Sauce Gardner, New York must continue to build an infrastructure and talent base with which to surround its next potential franchise quarterback – who probably won’t arrive before 2027. Fano might optimally fill the bill – especially in a scenario where a lot of the top wideouts are off the board, and the Jets can easily find second-tier options with their multiple Round 2 selections. Fano played both tackle spots for the Utes but almost exclusively on the right side the past two years. Yet his arm length (32⅛ inches) might necessitate a move inside – something he seemed open to at the combine, where he even worked out at center. Regardless, he’d be an immediate starter with the position flexibility of ex-Jet Alijah Vera-Tucker, who recently bolted for New England. Adding Fano would also give the Jets three first-round blockers on rookie contracts, a nice welcoming gift to the presumed QB the team drafts next year.

17. Detroit Lions – OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia

The 21-year-old may be the best pure left tackle prospect in this draft. But with only 16 college starts, he’d have to get up to speed quickly in order to fill in for departed Taylor Decker immediately. But, don’t forget, the Lions plucked starting RG Tate Ratledge out of Athens a year ago. Detroit could also move RT Penei Sewell to QB Jared Goff’s blind side and let Freeling adapt to the right side.

18. Minnesota Vikings – S Dillon Thieneman, Oregon

With Harrison Smith's future in doubt, Thieneman would make sense as both a short- and long-term solution. One of the combine's standouts, the Ducks All-American is a rangy player who can be weaponized all over the field – especially by an imaginative coordinator like Brian Flores.

19. Carolina Panthers – TE Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon

The first tight end in combine history to record a sub-4.4 40, Sadiq, who also had a 43½-inch vert, certainly made some money in Indianapolis. And maybe he gets paid in Charlotte, where the Panthers haven't gotten much from their tight ends in recent seasons and could use another weapon that would provide an easy target for QB Bryce Young. Sadiq is also a willing blocker in the run game.

20. Cowboys (from Green Bay Packers) – CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State

This is currently slotted as Dallas’ last pick until the Cowboys resurface at No. 92. A team in need of corner help would have to sift through some checkered options here – though Johnson, the Mountain West Conference’s co-Defensive Player of the Year, who’s stock has been surging in recent months, looks pretty clean and pretty promising as a long-term fix. DaRon Bland currently is the only corner with a long-term future on what will be a reimagined Dallas D in 2026 − Cobie Durant signing for just one year.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers – WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

He’d nicely thread the needle of being an immediately helpful asset to presumed QB1 Aaron Rodgers while also being a long-term building block for an organization that refuses to embrace a full-on reboot. Concepcion would slide right into the slot here between outside behemoth receivers DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and would provide plenty of juice both as a run-after-catch demon and a punt returner.

22. Los Angeles Chargers – S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Toledo

The Bolts have a few areas to address but certainly need to get younger and better on the back line – particularly when Derwin James is deployed as a nickel. A 6-foot-4, 200-pound DB with a penchant for big hits and finding the ball seems like a good fit for a team that also prizes physicality.

23. Philadelphia Eagles – WR Denzel Boston, Washington

Maybe EVP/GM Howie Roseman opts for a pass rusher or a successor to RT Lane Johnson, who will be 36 in May. Either position would be on brand in Philly. But the 2026 season is also shaping up as the latest prove-it year for QB Jalen Hurts, whose deteriorated relationship with WR A.J. Brown has signaled the latter’s departure later this spring, when Brown’s contract becomes easier to trade from a salary cap perspective. Boston (6-4, 212) is the kind of supersized red-zone target (20 TD catches since 2024) and boundary receiver who could provide an easy transition from Brown while giving Hurts quite a margin for error on 50-50 balls. Boston would also nicely complement the skill sets of DeVonta Smith and recently acquired Dontayvion Wicks.

24. Browns (from Jacksonville Jaguars) – CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

So this scenario has unfolded in such a way to suggest that maybe Cleveland needs to strongly consider taking a wideout at No. 6 and wait until here to see what’s available from an offensive line perspective. But, at this point, better to re-evaluate the receivers at No. 39 and go best available. And McCoy could be a steal at this spot – especially for a team that’s in more of a long-term planning phase and doesn’t need to rush him as his recovery from a torn ACL that cost him the 2025 season continues. The 4.37 40-yard dash he ran at the Vols’ pro day was a great sign he’s on track, if not all the way back – though McCoy was practicing by the end of his final year in Knoxville.

25. Chicago Bears – OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama

Proctor’s performance at the Tide’s pro day, when he was clearly in optimal shape, helped showcase the kind of player and athlete he can be – which is to say one who could very nicely safeguard QB Caleb Williams … and maybe catch a pass or two in the red zone given coach Ben Johnson’s propensity for gadget plays. And, at a time when Chicago is facing patchwork options at left tackle after Ozzy Trapilo ruptured his patellar tendon in the playoffs, why not solidify the spot for the long term with a player who has so much potential.

26. Buffalo Bills – DE Keldric Faulk, Auburn

An intriguing gem in need of some polish, Faulk can bolster an area of concern given the Bills’ wideout issue seems solved by the trade for DJ Moore. Faulk should be a three-down player who can kick inside on passing downs. He also has a reputation as being an excellent locker-room presence, always a huge bonus.

27. San Francisco 49ers – DE Malachi Lawrence, Central Florida

A team that’s typically at its best when rolling deep on the D-line – but had a league-low 20 sacks in 2025 – adds depth off the edge with a player who has 19½ sacks over the past three years and could be even more productive as a pro.

28. Cardinals [Proposed trade from Houston Texans] – QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

Could Arizona be the team that comes up for the highly scrutinized ‘Bama quarterback, though Simpson is still widely regarded as this draft’s clear-cut No. 2 passer? It could make sense given veteran Jacoby Brissett remains in place as an ideal bridge option, and the weapons are fairly plentiful when you've got the league's best receiving tight end (Trey McBride) and a solid group of backs and receivers − and that's potentially an understatement if Marvin Harrison Jr. blossoms. And for anyone infatuated with the sterling tape Simpson compiled – in the first part of last season anyway – he could be a steal, especially at a time when clubs are more comfortable pivoting from Round 1 QBs anyway. Though Simpson only started for one season, he did throw (473) and complete (305) more passes than anyone in the SEC last year, so he did pack a fair amount of experience into 2025.

Maybe the Cards need to jump the Jets at No. 33 and maybe not. But coming up here from No. 34 probably only costs GM Monti Ossenfort a fourth-rounder while also conferring the fifth-year option that comes with being a first-rounder.

29. Chiefs (from Rams) – OT Max Iheanachor, Arizona State

A spectacular, strong, promising prospect − if one who’s fairly new to football − he could be the guy to better safeguard Mahomes into the future after he was too often running for his life in 2025 … until he wasn’t.

30. Dolphins (from Denver Broncos) – OT Blake Miller, Clemson

With Lemon already on the way in this scenario, Miami’s next move – with the pick obtained for Waddle – could and should be bolstering the protection around Willis. Miller, an All-ACC right tackle might be too good to pass up – especially with Dolphins RT Austin Jackson, who’s never truly asserted himself at the NFL level, entering the final year of his contract.

31. New England Patriots – OT Caleb Lomu, Utah

The obvious issue for the AFC champs during the playoffs was protecting QB Drake Maye, who was sacked 21 times in four postseason games, including six times by Seattle in Super Bowl 60. RT Morgan Moses is under contract for two more years but just turned 35. A two-year starter at left tackle for the Utes, Lomu will need to get a little stronger in the NFL. But he might not need very long to displace Moses opposite LT Will Campbell.

32. Seattle Seahawks – RB Jadarian Price, Notre Dame

While they would have liked to retain Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, other priorities – like re-signing WR/KR Rashid Shaheed – took precedence. But Seattle doesn’t have the luxury of standing pat in the run game, either, given RB2 Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL in January. Price is a slasher who starred in a timeshare with Love at Notre Dame and could nicely fill Walker’s role – maybe one of Shaheed’s, too, if the Seahawks opt to make him a bigger part of the offense in 2026. And it does make sense to get a back in Round 1 and the option of a fifth year of contractual control if he pans out.

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