Dexter Lawrence of the Giants “like a Michael Jordan of nose tackles”

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Five games into the Giants' Dexter Lawrence II experiment at nose tackle, his name became known across the country. During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, then-Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers mentioned Lawrence's name unprompted.

Rodgers had just seen firsthand the damage the 350-pound Lawrence could do on the interior of an offensive line. He stood out in the New York Giants' win over Rodgers and the Packers in London during the 2022 season.

“They have some cleats inside. (Lawrence) is a first-class player and probably needs to get more recognition for his abilities,” Rodgers said. “Talking to our three interior defensive linemen (offensive linemen), they think he’s one of the best players in the league for sure.”

Three years later, Lawrence is considered one of the best defensive players in the game. He has two All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections on his resume and is facing double teams at the highest rate in the league (73.9%). At times, Lawrence even drew teams of three.

That's the respect Lawrence has earned heading into the Giants' (2-5) Monday night clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+). Entering Week 8, he led the league with a career-best nine sacks. It's even more incredible considering he plays nose tackle, a position generally associated with stopping the run.

“The best defensive player we’ve played so far,” one NFL general manager told ESPN.

No defensive lineman or defensive tackle. Best defense Player.

To do all of this from the nose tackle position is almost unprecedented. Nose tackles should not reach the quarterback with this regularity. They are supposed to be immovable mountains that clog the middle of the defense. Occasionally they get some pressure and impact the quarterback.

Except Lawrence redefines the form. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he leads all players with 12 presses at center this season. That's nothing compared to what he's done the last two seasons.

“I don’t think anyone would ever guess that a nose tackle would lead the league in sacks,” said former Packers and current Giants guard Jon Runyan, one of the interior defensive linemen who told Rodgers how good Lawrence is in 2022 was.

Lawrence had 45 pressures when lined up over center (0 or 1 technique) in his first season as a full-time nose tackle in 2022. He had 39 such pressures last season. Only Seattle's Jarran Reed has a season with more than 30 pressures from the nose tackle position since NFL Next Gen Stats began tracking in 2016.

“He’s like a Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan with nose tackles,” said former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale.

It's clear that Lawrence is in a class of his own and threatens to become the best pass-rushing nose tackle the game has ever seen. Now it's just a matter of how far he can take it – with double-digit amounts being anything but certain.

MARTINDALE REMEMBERS WATCHING Film when he was hired as the team's defensive coordinator in 2022 and thought Lawrence needed to be the centerpiece of their defense. The best way to accomplish this was to move him to nose tackle.

At that time, Lawrence was a good player. Clemson's 2019 first-round pick was moved around to play different positions on the line. He had a variety of roles, playing defensive tackle or end tackle rather than nose tackle.

The Giants, with Brian Daboll as head coach and Martindale as defensive coordinator, decided a position change was best. Lawrence would primarily play as a nose tackle over center.

It turned out to be perfect for Lawrence, who had a total of nine sacks in his first three seasons. He has had 21 sacks in the two and a half seasons since.

“You have so much confidence that no one can block you,” Lawrence said. “You go out there and try to prove it every week.”

The way Lawrence sees it, he would have been great at any position. Given his talent and the work he put into honing his craft, it was only a matter of time. He's big and strong, rarely on the ground and plays with what coaches like to call “rebound.”

What's even more impressive given his size is his athleticism and arm length. According to MockDraftable, he was measured at the combine at 6-foot-4, 343 pounds with an 84-inch wingspan, which was in the 94th percentile for his position.

“There aren't many 343-pound, 35-inch-tall (players) who have the ability to hit the pocket like he does,” said a personnel manager who has watched Lawrence play this season.

Arm length was one of the differentiators several coaches and executives noted when it came to Lawrence's dominance. He also worked tirelessly on his hand placement, strength and counter moves to counter opposing linemen who tried to block him. He learned how to rush, how to set up offensive linemen and a feel for a quarterback's movements.

The results have shown. Not only does Lawrence lead the league in sacks, but he also has a more than respectable 31% run-block win rate. He is a complete all-round player that no one wants to compete against alone.

“He can’t be blocked,” outside linebacker Brian Burns said. “It can’t be blocked one-on-one.”

That's the thing with Lawrence. He has proven his ability to displace 300+ pound men and drive them several yards deep into the backfield in a matter of seconds. Lawrence used his long, powerful arms to move Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens 9 yards deep into the backfield in 2.5 seconds before dragging quarterback Jalen Hurts to the ground for his ninth sack of the season in Week 7.

Dexter Lawrence. DPOTY. He has 9 sacks as a nose tackle this season. Runs the NFL. Unreal talent. pic.twitter.com/hZSUtM7U8u

— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) October 20, 2024

It was just the latest example of the threat Lawrence poses – which helps everyone else around him. The Giants' defensive line, with Burns signed in the offseason and even without Kayvon Thibodeaux (currently on injured reserve due to a broken left wrist), is the team's strength. New York leads the league with 31 sacks.

Teams have tried to counter Lawrence's dominance by using guards to support the center. He's seen running backs start hitting chips and creating triple-team situations.

“The reason it's probably so hard to have that (sack production) is the ability of these offenses to get it in four hands so easily,” Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “It’s difficult to put on a production like this just because it’s so crowded.”

Lawrence gets used to it.

“It’s just my world that I’m in now and I embrace it,” Lawrence said. “I accept it.”

The nasal device This position is generally associated with boxy, massive bodies that cannot be moved. Think Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams with the 2000 Ravens, considered by some to be the best defense of all time. Together they made an immobile mass of 700 pounds and served as nasal devices for this group. Their job was to occupy the blockers and allow star midfielder Ray Lewis to run free and make tackles.

Lawrence is a completely different type of player. Somehow, the player nicknamed “Sexy Dexy” brings glamor to the position. He goes to the quarterback and does his shimmy to celebrate. He even has a national TV commercial that runs regularly during games.

He may redefine the nose tackle position, but that won't be easy to replicate.

“There aren’t many Dexter Lawrences in this world, so I don’t know,” Burns said. “I mean, he could inspire some other Cats to work on their pass rush all the way up to the nose tackle position, but how he does it? I think he's pretty unique. I don't really see many of those. I can't even name anyone similar.

The Rams' Kobie Turner had success as a rookie rushing out of the nose tackle spot, but since the retirement of the legendary Aaron Donald, he has been used more as a 3-technique defensive tackle this season. Javon Hargrave had a nearly 14% pressure rate (similar to Lawrence in 2022) while racking up 11.5 sacks and playing a few over the middle this season with the Eagles. The Jets' Quinnen Williams also had 6.5 sacks in 2022 while playing over center.

Some of the best recent nose tackles mentioned by coaches and executives included former Bills and Bears star Ted Washington, former Steeler Casey Hampton and current Tampa Bay Buc Vita Vea. They had a pass-rush aspect to their game, but were never able to post double-digit sacks in a season.

That's the beauty of Lawrence. He proves he can do it all, from starting his career as a run-stuffer to becoming one of the most dominant pass rushers in the league.

The only problem is that it hasn't directly translated into many wins. Lawrence appears to be heading into his fifth losing season in six years with the Giants. He said several times last year that he was tired of the defeats. The 2-5 start has prevented him from even enjoying being the league leader in sacks.

“We lose all the time,” Lawrence said of appreciating the performance in seven weeks.

There's more that Lawrence and the Giants believe is possible.

“Well, he can still improve his pass-rush game,” Giants defensive line coach Andre Patterson said. “He can improve that. He's good at it. He can get better at it.”

Lawrence is refining some of his pass rush moves. He is learning to deal with and manage double and triple teams.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten to where I can be,” Lawrence said recently.

It's scary for opposing offensive players to think about.