Forget first-round draft picks: Why contenders should trade for these proven stars instead

With Dexter Lawrence requesting a trade from the Giants, Super Bowl hopefuls should consider making big moves

Garrett Podell

Apr 7, 2026

8:21 am ET

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11 min read

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There are just 16 days between now and the 2026 NFL Draft, but there isn't quite the same buzz about this year's class given the lack of high-end talent at premium positions.

After 2025 Heisman Trophy winner and Indiana Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza goes first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, there probably isn't another first-round quarterback in this class. CBS Sports' prospect rankings list Alabama's Ty Simpson as the draft's QB2 and as the No. 33 overall prospect -- a non-first-round pick.

Defensive tackle is another position group that's pretty thin, with no one jumping up and down for Clemson's Peter Woods, Texas Tech's Lee Hunter and Ohio State's Kayden McDonald.

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However, NFL teams around the league who could be a star defensive tackle away from true playoff contention are in luck, as two-time second team All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence requested a trade from the Giants on Monday. The three-time Pro Bowler's four-year, $90 million extension is out of guaranteed money with two years remaining on the pact, and the 28-year-old is seeking a new deal.

With the 2027 NFL Draft expected to be stronger at the top, teams around the league picking in the middle to bottom half of the 2026 first round might as well consider making Lawrence and fellow high-caliber players -- who are also at a potential crossroads with their respective teams -- their first-round picks this offseason.

Here's a look at Lawrence and four others worthy of being acquired for first-round selections, plus the teams that should be picking up the phone.

Dexter Lawrence

NYG • DT • #97

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- Age: 28 (turns 29 on Nov. 12)

- Pro Bowls: 3

- First-team All-Pros: 0

- Second-team All-Pros: 2

Teams that should be interested: Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans

Lawrence is one of just six defensive tackles with 20-plus sacks and 190 quarterback pressures since 2022 along with Chris Jones, Zach Allen, Quinnen Williams, Jeffery Simmons and Leonard Williams. He's a true game changer who could take a team's defense from good to great if put on a playoff-caliber roster. The Giants won a road playoff game with Daniel Jones at quarterback in 2022 thanks to what Lawrence was able to do in helping pressure then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Team that needs to trade for him the most

The Houston Texans are fresh off of their best defensive season in franchise history: their 17.4 points per game allowed in 2025 ranked as their fewest in a season since the team's inception in 2002 as well as the second-fewest in the league. Plus, Houston possessed the NFL's No. 1 total defense, allowing just 277.2 total yards per game. That was on the strength of the best edge rusher duo in football -- 2025 first team All-Pro Will Anderson Jr. and 2025 second team All-Pro Danielle Hunter -- and what is now the best secondary in football following the Seattle Seahawks' post-Super Bowl attrition -- 2025 first team All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., Pro Bowl cornerback Kamari Lassiter, Pro Bowl safety Calen Bullock and ballhawk Jalen Pitre (four interception in 2025).

Quarterback C.J. Stroud becoming the first player in NFL playoff history with five-plus interceptions (five) and five-plus fumbles (five) in a single postseason like he did in 2025 was Houston's undoing. However, Seattle just laid out the blueprint to winning a Super Bowl with an inconsistent quarterback: be the best defense and complement that with a solid run game. The Texans already went out and traded for Detroit Lions' bruiser David Montgomery. Check that box. Houston can check the other box by sending their 28th overall pick to New York for Lawrence to pair him with Anderson and Hunter to complete a unit that could very well be the 2026 season's undisputed best defense.

That would be an ideal way to max out Stroud's rookie contract and go for it in a wide open AFC with three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes still recovering from a torn ACL.

George Pickens

DAL • WR • #3

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- Age: 25

- Pro Bowls: 1

- First-team All-Pros: 0

- Second-team All-Pros: 1

Teams that should be interested: New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens

Concerns about wide receiver George Pickens' attitude were greatly overstated a year ago. He arrived to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a third-round pick, and he broke Dallas' record for the most receiving yards by a player in their first year with the team with 1,429 yards in 2025, the third-most in the entire