Rival GM believed ‘Bengals are screwed’ in 1st round before Dexter Lawrence trade

The Cincinnati Bengals addressed one pre-NFL Draft need in a stunning way Saturday. Cincy pulls in Dexter Lawrence thanks to its trade deal with the New York Giants. One rival general manager clearly felt the Bengals needed to make this deal.

This despite sending the No. 10 pick out in this deal. But that’s not the most telling part.

Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network revealed he spoke with a league general manager about the Bengals’ draft standing.

“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,” Jeremiah posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter.

ESPN NFL insider Field Yates stated more reasoning why Lawrence-to-Cincinnati came to be.

“The steep prices paid by the Bengals for Dexter Lawrence underscores two important points about this draft class: This is not a strong draft at the top,” Yates posted on his X account. “This draft is extremely thin at defensive tackle.”

The latter sentence is most telling. Most draft classes are top heavy with interior defensive linemen talent. Cincinnati has lagged on reeling in a game-changing IDL for years.

The IDL class for ’26 walks in thin on talent, though. Ohio State star Kayden McDonald rises as the big star for the position. But he’s picked to fall at No. 28 by Pro Football Focus.

Lawrence hands Cincy a three-time Pro Bowler with 30.5 career sacks in tow. The 6-foot-4, 340-pounder is fresh off producing career lows in 2025. But the Bengals reel in the top IDL available right before draft night.

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