Why Dexter Lawrence is an overlooked star for the NY Giants

With just 4.5 sacks last season, the player on the roster with the most sacks for the NY Giants in 2019 is Lorenzo Carter. The biggest pass-rushing addition in free agency for the G-Men was Kyler Fackrell and he only had one sack for Green Bay in 2019. Even if Patrick Graham has a “pass-rush by committee” approach, players will be counted on to beat their man one-on-one in pass-rush situations.

Dexter Lawrence is someone with the ability to get after the quarterback, and the defense will need him to do so more than ever in 2020. The G-Men would welcome the 2016 version of Dexter Lawrence that accumulated 6.5 sacks for Clemson and was a terror for quarterbacks all year long. The freshman phenom demonstrated unnatural quickness for a man his size.

Hampered by injuries during his last two college seasons, Lawrence never replicated his dominate 2016. For the NY Giants, Dexter showed flashes of his pass-rushing capabilities. His fifteen 2019 pressures ranked third on the team behind Markus Golden and Lorenzo Carter.

Players like Aaron Donald, Fletcher Cox, and Chris Jones have proven that an interior defensive lineman can dominate a game by getting after the passer. Lawrence has a long way to go before he can be considered among that elite group of interior players. The potential is certainly there, however, and he is out to prove that he is a pass rusher and not just an inside run-stuffer.

The NY Giants view Lawrence as a three-down player that does not need to come off the field on third downs. His ability to push the pocket and his underrated athleticism could help the G-Men pass rush, which is widely considered the team’s biggest weakness.