Giants defensive star receives high praise from scout, coach

New York Giants star Dexter Lawrence II received some high praise while being ranked the NFL's third-best defensive tackle by "league executives, coaches and scouts" heading into the 2024 season.

"He's just an awesome football player," an AFC scout said about Lawrence while speaking with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN for a piece published Tuesday. "A unique combo of power, balance and lower-body flexibility, and you combine that with his football acumen and you have a premier player."

The Giants landed Lawrence via the 17th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he has emerged as arguably the club's top overall player now that running back Saquon Barkley is a member of the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Lawrence accumulated 12 sacks, 67 solo tackles, 49 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles across 32 games (all starts) over the past two seasons. According to ESPN Analytics, Lawrence finished this past campaign ranked third in the league among defensive tackles with a 19% pass rush win rate.

"Elite feet to go with his size and athleticism," an NFL coordinator added about what Lawrence offers the Giants. "It's like he's violently dancing out there. He will miss a few plays here and there, near sacks. But he mostly delivers."

The Giants signed Lawrence to a massive four-year contract extension last offseason, and the team more recently acquired pass-rusher Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers in March. As individuals such as Eric Edholm of the NFL's website have pointed out, Burns' presence theoretically should help Lawrence and edge-rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux enjoy stellar campaigns this fall.

"If the Giants are going to surprise people this season, the defensive line likely will have to be a big reason why," Edholm mentioned.

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Giants at +115 betting odds to notch over 6.5 wins for the upcoming season. If Lawrence and the rest of New York's defensive line aren't at least as good as advertised, the Giants could endure the type of disappointing season that may result in team co-owner John Mara blowing things up in January.