New York Giants Football: Ranking Dave Gettleman’s top 10 moves
By Matt Clark
8. Drafting Dexter Lawrence
When Dave Gettleman selected Dexter Lawrence with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft, it was met with a hailstorm of criticism. Most pegged Lawrence as a one trick pony, who would only be good in run defense. In addition, critics pointed to the fact that the New York Giants already had Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill on their roster, who projected as similar players as Lawrence, making the pick seem redundant.
The performance by Lawrence in his rookie season, has served as validation for Gettleman’s decision to spend such a high pick on him. He has 26 tackles, two and a half sacks, a forced fumble, three quarterback hurries, five quarterback hits and 10 quarterback pressures on the season. In doing so, he is currently rated as the Giants top performing player by Pro Football Focus, earning a grade of 82.8.
Given that Lawrence was arguably the best defensive player on a stout Clemson national championship defense, it is not surprising the level of success that he has had his rookie year. Currently, he has a PFF grade of 88.0 against the run, good for sixth best in the league. Lawrence has demonstrated that he has the skill set to be dominant in both the pass rush and run stop for years to come, making the controversial selection by Gettleman look extremely wise.