What a 49ers trade package for Dexter Lawrence could look like

Even with the trade request, the Giants would undoubtedly strongly prefer to keep their cornerstone defensive lineman.

"How important is he? Really important. He's super, super important," Giants head coach John Harbaugh said in February. "He's a cornerstone football player, not really a cornerstone. He's more like the middle stone. He's right in the middle. He's a very big stone, and he's a very active athletic stone. So we want him in there, being a big stone."

Still, given the latest developments, it's worth examining potential landing spots if the situation escalates.

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton recently outlined five possible fits for Lawrence and proposed trade packages for each. For the 49ers, the suggested deal includes a 2026 second-round pick, one of their 2026 fourth-round selections, and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in exchange for the standout defensive tackle.

San Francisco currently holds six picks in the 2026 NFL Draft—one in each of the first two rounds and four in the fourth—after sending its third-rounder to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. The team also used two selections on defensive tackles—Alfred Collins and CJ West—last year.

The question is whether the 49ers would be willing to part with additional assets to bolster the interior of their defensive line further.

"With a healthy Nick Bosa and 2025 first-rounder Mykel Williams on the edge, Lawrence and Odighizuwa would round out what could be an above-average defensive line," Moton wrote.

"San Francisco could also find an opportunity to dump Brandon Aiyuk in a trade instead of outright releasing him."

Aiyuk's time with the 49ers is seemingly over. After signing a lucrative contract extension in 2024—a move that proved to be a miscalculation—the team may now look to recoup value via trade rather than risk losing him for nothing.

Including Aiyuk in a potential deal could appeal to the Giants, who may be seeking additional weapons for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart, and could make use of the added draft capital.

Of course, such a move would leave the 49ers with very few remaining draft picks. With so many other roster needs, that scenario would not be ideal.

As for Lawrence, the veteran defensive tackle is entering his eighth NFL season, all with the Giants, who selected him No. 17 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

While Lawrence recorded just 0.5 sacks across 754 defensive snaps in 2025, he posted a career-high nine sacks in 2024, underscoring his disruptive potential. Even in a down year statistically, he earned an 84.5 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus—his third time reaching at least that mark in the past four seasons.

Though his run-defense grade dipped to 57.0 in 2025, Lawrence had posted grades of at least 81.2 in each of the previous three seasons, including a career-best 89.5 in 2023.