John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin were rivals for many, many years in the AFC North, but Harbaugh seemed to borrow a Tomlin catchphrase when Dexter Lawrence wanted a trade from the New York Giants.

Tomlin famously said that he wanted volunteers, not hostages on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Harbaugh apparently doesn’t want hostages either.

Lawrence might have submitted his trade request as a contract negotiation, but the Giants took him up on it.

The Giants traded Lawerence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the 10th pick of the draft. It’s the first time since 2005, when Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders, that a non-quarterback was traded for a top-10 pick.

Losing Lawrence certainly doesn’t help a defense that was soft up the middle last season, especially against the run. But, combined with the fifth pick the Giants already owned, it’s an opportunity to add two important pieces as the Giants try to reimagine their roster under Harbaugh. Hopefully it goes better than the last time the Giants had two top-10 picks.

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Giants have options at No. 5 and 10

In 2022, the Giants drafted fifth and seventh overall. They took edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal. Thibodeaux has been decent, with 23.5 career sacks, and Neal has been a huge disappointment. He struggled his first three seasons, didn’t appear in a game last season and re-signed with the Giants this offseason for a one-year, veteran minimum deal. Whiffing on both of those picks is a reason the Giants have lost 38 games the past three seasons.

Having a double dip in the top 10 of this year’s draft can’t go much worse. The Giants aren’t in the market for an edge rusher, which helps focus their approach. Four of the top 10 picks are likely to be edge rushers or quarterbacks, and the Giants don’t need either.

The Giants do need help just about everywhere else though. There was buzz about oft-injured but talented Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson after the Giants attended his workout late this week. He would fit well alongside Malik Nabers in the offense, helping out second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart. Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon are two other receivers expected to go early in the first round.

Jeremiyah Love could be a stronger option with the fifth pick, if he lasts that long. The Giants could use one pick on a skill-position player and another on defense, and Love is exciting. The Notre Dame running back is widely considered the best player in the draft. He’d also be a big help to Dart.

There are offensive linemen, particularly on the interior, that the Giants could consider too. As well as defensive help at positions other than edge rusher.

Giants could look for defensive help

It’s possible that when the Giants go on the clock at No. 5 they have a choice of the top off-ball linebacker (Sonny Styles), cornerback (Mansoor Delane) and safety (Caleb Downs) in the class. There’s also a chance the Giants pick one of those players and the other falls to them at No. 10, giving them a shot to double up on defense. Cornerback stands out as a big need for the Giants entering the draft.

How the Giants approach the draft, with Harbaugh reportedly having taken most of the control over personnel, will say a lot about the franchise going forward. The Giants already have a decent amount of talent, especially for a team that finished as one of the five worst in the NFL last season. The identity of the Giants will be largely shaped with a pair of top 10 picks next Thursday.

The Lawrence trade was bold. The Giants were last in the NFL in yards per rushing attempt allowed, and that was with Lawrence. Even though run defense isn’t Lawrence’s strength, it will be hard to replace him against the run and especially the pass. But the Giants were ready to keep turning the page, and trading a player who wasn’t bought in for the start of the Harbaugh era was a part of that.

Now the Giants have to take advantage of those two top-10 picks, unlike the last time they found themselves in this spot.