Evaluating Cincinnati's blockbuster move for All-Pro Dexter Lawrence

Cleveland's rival, the Cincinnati Bengals, made a blockbuster move on Saturday night to acquire former All-Pro Dexter Lawrence.

Draft week got off with a bang as the Cincinatti Bengals made a blockbuster move to acquire the former All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the New York Giants.

Lawrence's situation in New York deteriorated quickly over the past couple of weeks. Last year for the Giants was one of Lawrence's worst as a pro, and it was clear that his timeline in New York didn't match up with the outlook for the team. Last week, he requested a trade, and on Saturday, he got his wish.

In exchange for Lawrence, the Giatns received the Bengals' first-round draft pick, pick number 10. Yes, you read that correctly, pick number 10.

Rumors circulated on Saturday, as the trade talks picked up, that the Browns were a potential suitor for Lawrence. Around midday on Saturday, it was believed that the Browns had the best offer submitted with the 39th pick. The Giants believed that the return they needed for Lawrence was a first-rounder, but Cleveland wasn't budging, so the Giants negotiated with their division rival instead.

Last year was the worst of Lawrence's career. He appeared in all 17 games, registering career lows in tackles with 31, sacks with 0.5, and pressures with 11. He registered the second-lowest career hurries with just four on the season.

Lawrence is two years removed from his back-to-back All-Pro seasons in 2022 and 2023.

The bet that the Bengals are taking is that Lawrence is better than any player that was going to be available at pick number 10 in the draft. This would be the year to make a deal like this, as the Bengals are trying to retool their defense to help .