Before the Dexter Lawrence trade, an NFL GM said the Bengals were “screwed” if they kept the No. 10 pick
Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (97) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn ImagesMan, it sure is nice to have national media members praising the Cincinnati Bengals for something. There are a lot of them praising the Bengals for trading the No. 10 overall pick for Dexter Lawrence, as they should be.
ESPN's Field Yates is among them, noting how the Bengals were wise to upgrade the defensive tackle position with a current NFL player, as this year's draft class is lacking at that particular position.
NFL Network reporter Daniel Jeremiah took it a step further, saying that both he and an NFL GM thought the Bengals were screwed" if they kept the No. 10 overall pick.
I was on the phone with a GM less than an hour ago running through top 10 scenarios. The way we had it going, we both said, the bengals are screwed." Well, not anymore. This trade makes a ton of sense for them.
- Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 19, 2026
The steep prices paid by the Bengals for Dexter Lawrence underscores two important points about this draft class:
- Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 19, 2026
This is not a strong draft at the top. The lack of blue chippers is well-established.
This draft is extremely thin at defensive tackle.
Yates and Jeremiah are two of the best when it comes to the NFL Draft. When they say something draft-related, it should be taken seriously. There are some talented players at the top of the draft, but they all come with their question marks.
There's Rueben Bain's arm length, Jermod McCoy's torn ACL, Keldric Faulk's lack of production, and others. SI's Albert Breer even said recently that Alabama offensive tackle Kayden Proctor was a dark-horse candidate for the Bengals in Round 1.
No thank you.
The Bengals haven't drafted overly well in recent years, especially on defense. So what did they do Saturday night? They went outside the box, tried something different.
Rather than bet on drafting and developing, they said, The hell with the 10th pick, we're trading it for a proven defensive commodity." That's what the Bengals did.
Yes, the Bengals. They did this.
This is how you modernize. Mike Brown is going all in. The time is now. If you're looking at hotels in Los Angeles for the second week of February, good for you! I am too.
I can't even begin to tell you how ecstatic I am that the #Bengals made this trade.
- Alex Frank (@frankie_nnati) April 19, 2026
This is how you OFFICIALLY show you have modernized as an organization.
I am proud to be a #Bengals fan and Season Ticket Member tonight.
Uncle Squid, I hope you're happy tonight! We're going...
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