Dexter Lawrence trade analysis: ‘Things I think’ after the Giants move on

First rounder: Never
Second rounder: Two times
Third rounder: Four times
Fourth rounder: Two times
Fifth rounder: Two times
Sixth rounder: One time
Seventh rounder: Never

I am stunned by that considering how much Harbaugh preaches the importance of the offensive and defensive lines.

Could McDonald end up being the first in a move such as the one I proposed? Jordan Ranaan of ESPN noted that “Multiple sources told me earlier this week that DT Kayden McDonald is perfect for the Baltimore-style defense that the Giants will run.”

I think I sure would love to end up looking smart on this one.

• I am surprised by the contract extension Lawrence signed with the famously-stingy Bengals. After all the talk about him drawing a “line in the sand” about what he would accept I figured it would be more than a one-year extension that would pay him $28 million in 2028. I expected some type of adjustment or bump in his contract for 2026 and 2027.
• The Bengals’ perspective on the Lawrence trade, expressed by SB Nation’s Cincy Jungle, is interesting. It is also more or less what I expected — trying to show Burrow that they are doing everything they can to field a winning team.

John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen

There is a lot of chatter around the idea that the Giants might fire Schoen after the draft, bringing in a GM of Harbaugh’s choosing and kicking off a restructuring of the front office.

Well, hold the phone on that idea for a minute. Or, a few minutes. Or, however long it takes you to go read the fantastic piece Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated did after an exclusive sit down with both men in East Rutherford.

Oh, You’re back. Good. Breer’s piece certainly does not leave the impression that Harbaugh is in a hurry to have Schoen’s key card to 1925 Giants Drive revoked.

By the way, I LOVE this quote from Harbaugh. I might frame it and put it on my wall:

“Life is best understood looking back. So you look back—this is what it was—and I don’t really have any big regrets. But it’s best lived going forward.”

Now, some further thoughts on Schoen:

• The general manager did not “chase off” Lawrence. Schoen gave Lawrence a generous four-year, $90 million contract in 2024 that made Lawrence the league’s third-highest paid defensive tackle. It’s not Schoen’s fault that Lawrence was overweight last season and did not play to his usual standards. If he had done so, and not reportedly expressed the desire that he would rather be elsewhere, perhaps the Giants would have torn up his contract and given him a new one.
• This will be the third time in five drafts that Schoen has had multiple first-round picks, the second time he has had two in the top 10. I can’t find a time in the modern era when a GM has had two top-10 picks twice. Schoen got Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal with picks 5 and 7 in 2022, and Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart with picks 3 and 25 last year. The Neal miss still haunts the Giants. Let’s hope they don’t suffer a similar fate this time around.