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Jan 30, 2025; Orlando, FL, USA; NFC defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants during the Pro Bowl Skills Challenge at Nicholson Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NY Giants DL Dexter Lawrence Gets Surprising Rank from PFF

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Alex House | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 4:30 PM ET

The NY Giants have drenched their intensely loyal yet extremely exasperated fans with a downpour of disappointment and dysfunction for much of the last decade. However, one man has done his best to act as an umbrella during a significant portion of that stretch, mitigating the pain they endure.

A single player cannot shield a franchise from ineptitude, but defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II has more than fulfilled his first-round draft pick obligations in the first six seasons of his Giants tenure. He is not just a reliable contributor. This man is the best player on the team and the best at his position.

Well, not quite, not at least when it comes to Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema, who, in his interior defender rankings ahead of the 2025 NFL campaign, has Lawrence behind Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Chris Jones.

But is Sikkema’s decision to put Lawrence behind Jones the right one? Last season, before an elbow injury cut short his campaign, Lawrence totaled a career-high nine sacks with eight tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and 36 total pressures in 12 games. He earned an elite 89.9 overall grade and 83.8 run defense grade.

Jones, a very good player worthy of a place in the top three interior defensive linemen in the game today, tallied just five sacks and a slightly lower defensive grade (89.7) in 15 games.

There’s no shame in placing second, and certainly, Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowler, commands a remarkable amount of respect around the football-watching world.

If not for the aforementioned injury he suffered last year during a Thanksgiving game against Dallas that cost him the final five games of the season, perhaps the 27-year-old would be at the very top of the list.

Sikkema went with one metric in determining the ranking.

"Lawrence logged only 550 snaps in 2024 due to some missed time, but he recorded an 89.0-plus PFF overall grade (89.9) for the third season in a row," he said. "His 1.07 PFF WAR over the past three years sits behind only Chris Jones at the position."

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Giants' Dexter Lawrence is a force

There is no denying that Jones is the excellence of a three-time Super Bowl champion. Jones is likely headed for the Hall of Fame. However, Lawrence is the most complete interior defensive lineman in the sport.

Although Jones is the superior pass-rusher, the Giants’ powerhouse is still effective in that area while also posting a far better run defense grade (Jones' was just 64.3 during the 2024 campaign). Lawrence brings balance to the defensive line that no other interior defender presently matches.

The Giants' chronic struggles could make it harder for the national media to appreciate Lawrence's excellence, but those very shortcomings make it even easier for the New York market to acknowledge his greatness. Fans have experienced an excess of bad Big Blue football lately, so they don't take the good for granted.

There is reason to believe promising times lie ahead, but to this point, Lawrence and only a few others have been responsible for the sparse bright spots that fill the otherwise dark Meadowlands skies.

If he stays healthy next season, this 6-foot-4, 340-pound behemoth should earn widespread recognition as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the NFL. But even if he doesn't, the Giants surely know what they have.