NY Giants star Dexter Lawrence somehow falls out of Top 5 in new DT rankings

After posting a career-best season for the NY Giants in 2022, Dexter Lawrence earned his massive payday from general manager Joe Schoen - he fully deserved it. After putting the pen to paper on his four-year, $90 million contract, Lawrence is ready for an encore in 2023.

He's without question one of the best defensive tackles in the league and he's got a Second Team All-Pro honor to his name entering the new campaign as well. However, not everyone is as high on Lawrence as plenty of Big Blue supporters are.

ESPN polled executives, coaches and scouts to rank the top defensive tackles in the game. Somehow, Lawrence didn't crack the Top 5, with him being listed at No. 6.

Giants stud Dexter Lawrence is easily one of the best DTs in the NFL

"Flat-out dominant run defender. He can create for himself or others. Can overwhelm. If your center isn't a top-level guy, he will dominate him. Sack production isn't elite but he was better last year.
"

- Unknown NFC executive via ESPN

Lawrence was a serious problem for opposing offensive linemen last season and that will once again be the case in '23. Last year, Lawrence indeed was a beast, posting 68 total tackles and 7.5 sacks, both career highs for him.

Sexy Dexy is the best player for the NY defense and he's the leader for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale's unit. The expectations are going to be through the roof for him moving forward, especially after he signed his mega-deal.

This offseason, one of the main priorities for Schoen was to extend the talented DT. He was able to get things done with Lawrence, who will be a standout for the G-Men for years to come. At this point next year, there should be no doubt at all that he's a Top 5 DT in the game. From our chair, he belongs in the Top 3-4 conversation.

READ MORE: 4 contract decisions that will pay off for the NY Giants