The New York Giants, as well as the rest of the National Football League, have a little bit of a pause before the start of the regular season. In this limbo period, news outlets all over the football world are spitting out content on just about anything and everything to get you ready for the 2025 season.
One of those great pieces of content came from the world leader in sports, ESPN, and their prediction of the top 100 players for this upcoming season. There were a number of Giants on this list, and one that stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest.
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence... the de facto anchor of Big Blue's defensive unit, was listed at a low-balled 31st. Was it a bit of a snub, or did they get it just right?
Dexter Lawrence might've been overlooke in ESPN player rankings
When one of the best centers of all-time, Jason Kelce, calls you "A nightmare" to play against, that means something. Lawrence upgraded his top-100 standing from the beginning of the 2024 season from the 54th to the 31st spot.
Over the past three seasons, Lawrence has made the Pro Bowl each year and improved his production on the field. Before going out with a dislocated elbow on Thanksgiving last season against the NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys, he was a wrecking ball down the middle for 12 games. Setting a career-high 9.0 sacks, he also added 44 total tackles. That included eight tackles for loss.
So, is it a stretch to put him as the 31st-best player in the NFL for the 2025 campaign? Ahead of him on the interior defensive line are Philadelphia Eagles Jalen Carter at 18th and Chris Jones of Kansas City at 10th.
Seeing how well Lawrence can come back from injury, it might have been best to keep him where he is. As the season gets started, the performance on the field will dictate whether or not it was an accurate prediction.
Looking at the defensive line as a whole, that word, "nightmare", is a very accurate way to describe it. They are mean, tenacious, and will single-handedly keep the G-Men in close games. Lawrence is a big part, but also a single part of a unit that will rock the NFL on a weekly basis. Abdul Carter might set a rookie record for sacks, Kayvon Thibadeux is poised to finally break through, and Brian Burns looks to build off of last season's success.