Giants Eyed to Fill Dexter Lawrence's Vacancy With Oklahoma's David Stone at Number 11

The projection, reported by Heavy., ties a specific prospect to a specific slot and offers one of the earliest concrete landing-spot calls in the 2027 cycle.

Draft Markets Already Have a Price on That Outcome

The editorial team at Live Sports Odds tracks where projections like Melo's intersect with betting markets. A mock draft naming Stone to New York at No. 11 is not purely an academic exercise, the team notes, because NFL draft odds already assign priced probabilities to exactly that kind of outcome, where a prospect lands and which team selects him. The No. 11 pick carries a specific implied probability based on where oddsmakers see Stone coming off the board, making Melo's call a market-testable one rather than just an analyst's opinion.

“A mock draft's projected landing spot is the very outcome oddsmakers translate into a number. The No. 11-to-Giants projection sits in the same territory those markets quantify.”

That framing matters when the pick carries a structural assumption as specific as this one does.

The Lawrence Trade Left a Gap the Giants Have Not Addressed

New York made a series of aggressive moves heading into the 2026 season, beginning with the hiring of John Harbaugh as head coach. The Giants then traded two-time NFL All-Pro Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for Cincinnati's 2026 first-round pick. Bold on its face, the move stripped the defensive interior of its anchor.

What followed made the hole more visible. The Giants did not use their newly acquired first-round selection on a defensive tackle to replace Lawrence. The position remains unaddressed at a premium level, which is precisely what Melo points to when building his case for the 2027 projection. The No. 11 slot itself reflects another embedded assumption, that New York finishes last in the NFC East in 2026, a finish that would hand them that selection heading into draft weekend.

As Melo writes, the Giants' failure to spend a premium pick on Lawrence's replacement means addressing defensive tackle is trending toward a high priority in 2027.

Stone's Path From Del City to Oklahoma's Starting Lineup

David Stone arrived at Oklahoma as one of the most decorated interior defensive linemen in his recruiting class. He began his high school career at Del City High School in Oklahoma, earning All-State recognition before transferring to IMG Academy for his final two prep seasons. By the time he enrolled at Oklahoma, he was rated a top-20 national recruit in the Class of 2024.

At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, Stone carries the frame evaluators want in a three-technique or nose-aligned tackle at the next level. Andrew Ivins, the Director of Scouting at 247Sports, was unambiguous in his pre-enrollment assessment of what Stone could become.

“A disruptive force in the middle with a promising build that likes to initiate action and make life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. … Should be viewed as one of the top defensive linemen in the 2024 cycle and a potential impact player on Saturdays that can morph into an early-round NFL Draft pick with plenty of seasoning. Could thrive in a defensive scheme that wants to twist its tackles given how he builds momentum and finishes.”

Ivins's language is worth noting for its specificity. The emphasis on momentum and finish describes a player who generates force through a process, building through contact rather than simply overpowering opponents at the snap. That mechanical quality is harder to teach than raw strength.

Stone's Numbers Measured Against Lawrence's Collegiate Benchmark

Through 26 career games at Oklahoma, Stone carries only two career starts, which makes his production line more striking than it might first appear. In the 2025 season alone, he recorded 42 tackles, 1.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits across 13 games. His full two-season totals sit at 48 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 10 tackles for loss.

Compare that to what Dexter Lawrence produced in the same developmental window. Lawrence posted 55 tackles and 5.0 sacks as a freshman at Clemson in 2016, setting a program record in the process, and earned two All-ACC selections through his first two collegiate seasons. The Giants drafted Lawrence at No. 17 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft after that body of work.

Stone's numbers trail that standard, particularly in sack production. Melo frames the gap as a gap not yet closed rather than a ceiling already reached, describing Stone as a prospect "in store for a massive season" given his capacity as both a pass rusher and run stopper. The projection's logic rests on that breakout arriving in 2026.

The parallel is instructive without being perfect. Lawrence entered the 2019 draft on the strength of two dominant seasons and departed Clemson as one of the most decorated linemen in that school's modern history. Stone is still building toward a comparable résumé. New York drafted Lawrence at 17 with that production already on record. Selecting Stone at 11 would be a bet that 2026 closes the distance, and that the Giants believe a year of dominance at Oklahoma is enough to trust the projection Melo has already priced in at the top of his board.