Was NY Giants IDL Dexter Lawrence II Snubbed in New Ranking? 

A strong argument could be made that CBS Sports analyst Cody Benjamin’s list of the top players by jersey number delivered a fresh snub to New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II.  

Lawrence, who has worn No. 97 his entire NFL career, didn't make the cut, losing out to 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.

“Bosa has enjoyed the greatest peaks when healthy, however, putting on a pass-rushing clinic for several Super Bowl bids in San Francisco,” Benjamin wrote.

Bosa is not necessarily a bad choice. He has 62.5 career sacks in 82 regular-season games, including three straight seasons (2021-23) in which he posted 10+ sacks (including 2022 when he posted a league-leading 18.5 sacks).

Lawrence, however, has been more durable, playing in 10 more games than Bosa and, until the 2024 season, having not missed multiple games in any season due to injury. 

Lawrence (30.0) has slightly less than half the sacks Bosa has, but considering his production despite being frequently double-teamed inside, Lawrence, widely regarded as the best interior defensive lineman in the game, certainly deserved more consideration given his durability.

While Lawrence was left off the list, two Giants made it, including one surprise. 

Long snapper Casey Kreiter (No. 59) is the first. It’s hard to argue about Kreiter’s inclusion given that he’s coming off his best season after posting a career-high five tackles (three solo).

The Giants' special teams captain, Kreiters, has posted nine special teams tackles over the last two seasons, showing no signs of slowing down.

The other Giants player to make the list is center John Michel Schmitz (No. 61), of whom Benjamin wrote, “This isn't an endorsement of Schmitz as a top-shelf center -- he's still got a ways to go trying to anchor Brian Daboll's offensive line -- so much as an admission that most elite blockers aren't wearing No. 61.”

Ouch!

Three former Giants–Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (No. 26), Packers safety Xavier McKinney (No. 29), and Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams–all made the list.

Receiver Malik Nabers (No. 1) was also left off the list, losing out to Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase, of whom Benjamin wrote, “is arguably the NFL's most explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands.”

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