The biggest news around the Giants of late is Dexter Lawrence’s request for a trade, but in his annual pre-Draft press conference, GM Joe Schoen told the media that the request ‘really hasn’t affected’ the Giants’ draft prep.
“We’ve had good conversations with his representatives throughout the last five or six days. Coach [John Harbaugh], [Senior VP of Football Strategy] Dawn [Aponte], myself, we’ve all been in communication trying to find some resolution,” Schoen said during Tuesday’s media meeting. “I’ll echo what coach said last week, we’d like for Dexter to be here, and at some point we’ll come to a resolution here. Whatever that may be, we’ll see, but conversations have been really good.”
Per Schoen, the conversations have been ‘productive,’ but that’s all he would say other than it not changing how the Giants are looking at next week’s Draft.
Lawrence, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowler in seven seasons since the Giants took him in the first round in 2019, but after a career-low half-sack and 31 tackles last year, he vented frustration and asked to be moved.
He is under contract for another two seasons, so if anything, perhaps a trade on or around the first round of the Draft could be that resolution that sends Lawrence elsewhere and nets Big Blue some more draft capital.
“Yeah, I’m always going to pick up the phone,” Schoen said about the possibility of a deal “If a team calls, that is my job as a general manager. You take into account, it’s a case-by-case basis and what the compensation may be, and that’s my job to take into consideration what that looks like, how that affects the roster, and then try to make the best decision after that.”
The Giants have the No. 5 pick in the first round next Thursday, where several front seven studs will be available, as could RB Jeremiyah Love, whom many pundits consider the best player in the class overall – and whom Schoen praised in his presser.
“He’s an offensive weapon, he’s not just a running back,” Schoen said. “He can play on third down, you can split him out, he can catch the ball, so certainly an offensive weapon.”
