After the Giants moved for Dexter Lawrence, two NFC teams reportedly attempted to trade up to No. 9 behind the scenes, aiming to leapfrog Cleveland’s board plans.
The Giants’ latest draft-day move came with extra drama: two NFC teams attempted to trade up to the No. 9 spot while Cleveland and the rest of the board churned.
Misryoum has the key timeline: New York entered the first round with the No.. 10 overall pick after acquiring it from the Bengals as part of the Dexter Lawrence trade.. From there. the Giants selected tackle Francis Mauioga—an outcome that mattered not just for the player. but for the strategy that unfolded around him.
The backdrop was a familiar chess match in the middle of the draft.. Cleveland, per the reporting referenced by Misryoum, had already traded down—moving from No.. 6 to No.. 9—to create room for the Kansas City Chiefs to move up and select cornerback Mansoor Delane.. But while the Browns’ board plan was set, the No.. 9 slot wasn’t “safe” in the way teams prefer it to be.
Two unnamed NFC teams made their move in front of the No.. 9 selection, trying to jump the line.. The implication was clear: whoever these teams had targeted at the top of the next range. they didn’t want to risk the Giants or another NFC rival landing the player first.. In other words, the attempts weren’t about the value of No.. 9 in the abstract—they were about denying a specific outcome.
Cleveland ultimately didn’t receive an offer compelling enough to abandon its chance to draft tackle Spencer Fano at No.. 9.. That’s the part that often gets lost when draft talk becomes purely about “who moved” and “what pick was worth.” From Misryoum’s perspective. the Browns’ willingness to hold steady suggests they either believed the board would still provide the player they wanted or that the cost of moving up—or giving up future flexibility—wasn’t justified.
This is also where the bigger pattern of NFL decision-making comes into focus.. Draft slots rarely feel secure the moment they’re acquired; teams know their competitors are watching timers just as closely as they are.. It’s a problem every front office learns the hard way: you can win a trade for a pick. but you can still lose the player if another team decides the target is “the one” and offers enough to make it happen.
Misryoum sees the same dynamic in other high-profile leap attempts, including the Eagles jumping from No.. 23 to No.. 20—one spot ahead of the Steelers—to land receiver Makai Lemon.. That example matters here because it demonstrates how one position shift can ripple across entire plans.. When teams feel confident they know the player they want. they don’t just wait for their turn; they try to remove uncertainty from the process.
So what does it mean for the Giants, beyond the fact that they weren’t leapfrogged at No.. 10?. The reported attempts by other NFC teams underline that New York’s board decisions were visible enough to trigger reactions.. Even if no trade was completed. the mere existence of those overtures tells you teams were actively trying to “outbid” the unknowns—especially when the target player sits in the narrow zone between the pick you’re watching and the pick you’re afraid someone else will secure.
Looking ahead, Misryoum expects this kind of draft-day pressure to keep shaping how teams evaluate their strategies.. If a front office wants a particular position—like offensive tackle in the Giants’ case with Mauioga—it has to consider not only whether the player is still there at the moment of selection. but also how quickly competitors will respond once they sense an opening.. The board may be a sequence of numbers. but the real contest is always about timing. control. and who blinks first.