A new head coach’s arrival is typically a time for optimism, but for the Giants‘ John Harbaugh, the honeymoon period seems to be over before it even began. As the draft approaches, Harbaugh’s frustrations are clearly visible. He called the Giants a “bad team” that is stuck with limited draft picks. While friction is building between the franchise and the head coach, their star DT, Dexter Lawrence, has requested a trade, which only deepens the team’s challenges.
“Harbaugh was disappointed when he came to this team.” Paul Schwartz said in a video posted by Bobby Skinner on X.
“He said, for a bad team, why don’t we have more picks? You know what I mean? Why don’t we have more picks, right? We’re a bad team; we should have more picks. They only have seven; they have none in the third round. Now, that third-round pick was traded away for Jaxson Dart. And Harbaugh would not have taken the job if they didn’t have Jaxson Dart.”
Harbaugh was dissapointed when he came to this team “For a bad team, why don’t we have more picks?” https://t.co/514H1596UY pic.twitter.com/GCL1ygDfuY
— Bobby Skinner (@BobbySkinner_) April 6, 2026
John Harbaugh is clearly unhappy with the number of picks available as the New York Giants head into the draft. The team has made just three playoff appearances in the past 15 years. The football world has consistently viewed them as one of the league’s worst, which only adds to the pressure right now.
With only seven draft picks, the Giants really need to focus on their biggest needs. This includes defensive tackles, guards, and cornerbacks.
Going into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Giants only have seven total picks. They will pick fifth in the first round, 37th in the second round, 105th in the fourth, and 145th in the fifth. They also have three picks in round six. However, they don’t have a third-round pick as they traded it away for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
The Giants made a bold move in the 2025 NFL Draft, trading up to the No. 25 pick to grab quarterback Jaxson Dart. To get the deal done with the Houston Texans, they had to give up quite a bit. This included their No. 34 pick in the second round, No. 99 in the third, and even a 2026 third-rounder.
Schwartz also noted that Harbaugh might not have joined the team if Dart wasn’t there. This shows just how much the coach depends on the young quarterback.
In his first year with the Giants, Dart threw for more than 2,200 yards and had 15 touchdowns. He also finished the season with a 57.5 QBR.
While he remains on the roster, Harbaugh still has to deal with a tough situation with limited draft capital and the possibility of losing star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
Dexter Lawrence trade request concerns John Harbaugh
According to Adam Schefter, there’s some tension between Dexter Lawrence and the New York Giants right now. The star defensive tackle has requested a trade and is skipping the team’s offseason workouts starting April 7.
Mostly, it’s a contract problem. The team and Lawrence have been trying to agree on a new deal for the last two offseasons, but the negotiations failed. At the moment, he seems ready to leave without further discussions over the contract.
Even though Lawrence is under contract through 2027 and set to make $18.5 million in 2026, no one can overlook the lack of a long-term deal. The Giants also don’t have much cap space (just under $6.5 million) as per OverTheCap, which makes things harder to fix.
Right now, it’s not clear if the Giants will trade him or try to keep him. Lawrence, who was a first-round pick in 2019, has been a big part of the defense.
In his career, he has 341 tackles and 30.5 sacks, plus three Pro Bowls and two second-team All-Pro selections. In the 2025 season, however, his performance dipped. He contributed just 0.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits, and an 8.3% pass rush win rate as part of a 4–13 team. Nonetheless, he is a valuable asset for the team.
If the Giants decide to trade him, there will be a huge void on the team’s defense. Second on the depth chart, after the veteran, is Sam Roberts, who has played only 266 snaps on defense and has managed just one sack in four seasons. The player is still quite unproven at this level.
With Lawrence’s expected exit from the Giants, the team could be exploring other options in the draft as John Harbaugh works through his first offseason rebuild.
