Pro Football Focus continued their countdown of the 50 best players ahead of the 2024 season on Thursday and a second New York Giants player has been added to the list.
Previously, left tackle Andrew Thomas was ranked No. 29 overall. PFF argued that if Thomas bounces back this coming season and remains healthy, he’s one of the NFL’s most dominant pass-protecting tackles.
Thursday’s addition was far less controversial with nose tackle Dexter Lawrence being ranked No. 11 overall.
Dexter Lawrence is rewriting what was thought to be possible at the nose tackle position. Over the past two seasons, his resume includes 81 quarterback pressures when lining up either head-up over the center or shaded to either side of the center. The next-closest player has 16. Lawrence disrupts the game from a true nose-tackle alignment better than any player PFF has seen over the past 18 seasons. He is a truly unique athlete who is only getting better.
Lawrence is one of the most unique athletes the NFL has seen in decades. His size and strength would suggest he’s a run-stopping defensive tackle who eats up blockers, but as PFF notes, he’s proven to be far more valuable than that. He’s a dominant interior pass rusher with almost no historical comparison.
The even crazier part? Lawrence has not yet even reached his ceiling.
