Why Dexter Lawrence is an overlooked star for the NY Giants

Daniel Jones understandably garnered most of the attention among fans during the 2019 NFL draft. With the team’s second of three first-round picks that year, the NY Giants selected Dexter Lawrence out of Clemson. Entering his second season for Big Blue, the gigantic defensive lineman might already be Big Blue’s best defensive player.

Heading into the 2019 NFL draft, few NY Giants fans felt defensive tackle was a big need. However, when the chance came to take a blue-chip prospect from a top college program, Dave Gettleman didn’t blink at pick #17.

Clemson University has built itself into a college football powerhouse since Dabo Sweeney took over as head coach in 2008. Countless first-round picks have come out of the program, especially on the defensive side of the ball. That being said, there has never been a more heralded recruit in the history of the program than Dexter Lawrence.

Lawrence was ranked nationally as the second-best high school player in 2016. He was wanted by every top college program in the country after being named the North Carolina state Player of the Year at Wake Forest High School. He started as a true freshman for the Clemson Tigers and had a historically great season in his first year of college football.

Due to injuries at Clemson, he was never able to duplicate the production of his 2016 season. Despite playing at an All-American level during his last two years of college football, he lacked the same quickness and explosion. When Dave Gettleman selected Lawrence in the middle of round one over players like Montez Sweat, he was betting on getting the Dexter Lawrence that was a greater pass-rushing threat in 2016.

Despite inconsistency as a rookie, Dexter Lawrence finished the season as the NFL’s 9th best rookie according to Pro Football Focus. He showed flashes of dominance. Among the six interior defensive linemen taken in the first round of the 2019 draft, Lawrence was the best.

Is Lawrence the best interior defensive lineman on his own team? The defensive line is certainly the strength of the Big Blue defense. Leonard Williams is the highest-paid defensive lineman and led all NFL interior lineman in QB hits last season.  Dalvin Tomlinson was actually the G-Men’s highest-graded defensive player in 2019.

In my opinion, Lawrence will be the NY Giants’ most valuable defensive player in 2020. In this article, I will outline a few reasons why I believe Lawrence is the defense’s most valuable player and a star in the making.

Dexter Lawrence is 6’4″ and 342 pounds. No one was surprised when the goliath from Clemson put up 36 reps at the 2019 combine. The former five-star recruit is someone that disengages from man-to-man blocks whenever he wants.

For the NY Giants in 2019, the defensive tackle recorded a 76.3 run defense grade and consistently ate up double teams to let the linebackers roam free. Blocking Lawrence with one blocker simply wasn’t an option for teams. When teams tried cut-blocking at his legs, he had enough agility to quickly recover and get past his blocker.

Dexter Lawrence should not be viewed as the typical run-stuffing defensive tackle. His size, strength, quickness, and nose for the football allow him to blow up plays in the backfield in ways that are uncanny. He can also use his tremendously long arms to keep blockers off of him, quickly diagnose plays, and explode into the backfield.

His 84-inch wingspan measures in the 97th percentile for a defensive lineman. This makes his 36 bench press reps even more impressive. Shorter arms can make it easier to bench press, and Lawrence has anything but.

His rare combination of size, strength, agility, and length will come in handy for the NY Giants early on in the season. The first five opponents that Lawrence will face in 2020 are the Steelers, Bears, 49ers, Rams, and Cowboys. The run defense will be tested early and much of the burden will be placed on the player with the widest shoulders.

At one point late in the season, Lawrence was ranked fourth against the run among all NFL defensive tackles. The key to stopping excellent running teams like the Steelers, 49ers, and Cowboys will be winning the battle up front. When teams are forced to double team Lawrence, it will open things up for Blake Martinez to make plays in the middle of the defense.

Even though Dexter Lawrence is tremendous against the run, it is not the main reason he was picked by Dave Gettleman in the middle of the first round. There are many defensive tackles throughout the league that are excellent run-stuffers.

Dexter’s ability to disrupt opposing passing attacks is what makes him truly valuable.

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.

When the NY Giants selected Dexter Lawrence at #17 overall in 2019, they were not just drafting a great player. Dexter is a great person off the field as well and his leadership qualities have already impacted the NY Giants. He was chosen to be Daniel Jones‘ roommate during their first training camp.

It is not common to pair a quarterback and defensive tackle together as roommates. Lawrence is not your typical defensive lineman though, and he helped Jones get through his first NFL experience as a sort of mentor. He explained how he was able to help the sixth overall pick get adjusted, especially after his selection was widely criticized nationally.

“That’s why I wanted to be his roommate, to keep his mind straight and not think about stuff like that. I want to be that kind of guy to motivate him a bit more and show him since I don’t get into that stuff. I do what I have to do and be where I have to be.”

Lawrence was always a humble star at Clemson and did things the right way on and off the field. That’s why it was so surprising when he tested positive for a banned substance during his last season at Clemson. The coaches and teammates of Lawrence were totally shocked and supported Lawrence 100%.

“I’m not the type of guy to do a selfish act like that. I have too much pride. I love this team and my family too much to put a substance like that in my body. I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know how it got there. I was raised differently. If I did do it, I’d own up to it. All I can say is I honestly don’t know what happened, where it came from.”

I believe Lawrence would not jeopardize his season by knowingly taking a banned substance (ostarine.) His teammates viewed him as the leader of the defensive line. He was an excellent student in high school and college as well.

Dexter is always motivated to prove the doubters wrong. Some draft experts slammed Dave Gettleman after the draft for taking another inside defensive lineman. Lawrence is not your typical defensive lineman though.

The North Carolina native grew up rooting for the Giants and looks up to the great defensive lines of the past. He grew up watching Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora get after the quarterback and win Super Bowls.

Lawrence wants to replicate their success and become another Giants legend like his heroes before him. In a sit-down interview with Victor Cruz after the season, Lawrence explained how his rookie season was inconsistent and he knows what he needs to do to get better.

That should be exciting to hear for fans of Big Blue. Lawrence rookie season was still graded as one of the best ever for a Giants rookie, and he is just beginning to tap into his full potential.