Where does New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence rank among his peers? If you were to ask Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, he’d say just outside of the top 10.
Lawrence checked in at No. 11 overall on Farrar’s list of the NFL’s top 12 interior defensive linemen.
2021 was Lawrence’s best NFL season to date, as he totaled three sacks, nine quarterback hits, 31 quarterback hurries, and 32 stops on just 427 pass-rushing snaps. Lawrence is also a plus run defender, as you’d expect from a guy standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 342 pounds.
The Giants have a new defensive coordinator in former Ravens expert Don “Wink” Martindale, and though Patrick Graham was certainly an asset to the organization in that role, it’ll be highly interesting to see how Lawrence eats in Martindale’s line concepts, which are among the NFL’s blitz-heaviest.
Farrar specifically cited a few plays that landed Lawrence inside of the top 12, including a batted ball against the Cincinnati Bengals that saw him split a double-team.
Remember Peak Shaun Rogers? Dexter Lawrence could be that. He's not just a two-down fat guy–he can split double teams and disrupt at 340-whatever pounds. pic.twitter.com/6kzTQo9TBH
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 22, 2019
Lawrence’s relentless effort was also pegged as a reason for him landing inside the top 12.
Dexter Lawrence, baby. You love to see this kind of effort pressure from a 6-foot-2, 242-pound edge defender.
You LOVE to see it from a 6-foot-4, 342-pound nose tackle. pic.twitter.com/aivmqaqsZd
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 7, 2022
As Farrar alludes, Lawrence has certainly gone a long way in shedding pre-draft notions that he was merely a two-down defensive lineman. And while some will hate to admit it, that’s a feather in the cap of Dave Gettleman, who had seen more in Lawrence all along.
