Over the past two seasons, New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence has been the NFL’s most dominant interior defensive lineman.
While Lawrence has been voted to the Pro Bowl each year, he was snubbed for First Team All-Pro honors (earning Second Team honors instead) and hasn’t received the sort of praise he justifiably deserves.
That begs the question, is Lawrence the Giants’ most underappreciated player? Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports certainly thinks so.
Lawrence is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and the Giants’ best player. A Second Team All-Pro for the second consecutive year, Lawrence had 4.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits last season.
Those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Lawrence got to the quarterback as an interior pass rusher, finishing with 65 pressures and a 15.3% pressure rate (both career highs). He was tied for fourth in the NFL among interior defensive linemen in pressures and pressure rate, as well as being tied for sixth in quarterback hits.
Even before Aaron Donald retired, the case could be made that Lawrence was the elite of the elite. He can stop the run, rush the passer, and routinely dominates despite facing double- and triple-teams.
In 2024, Lawrence will further benefit from the presence of linebacker Brian Burns, who, alongside Kayvon Thibodeaux, will eat up blockers of their own. That should free up Sexy Dexy to become even more of a game-wrecking interior force.
