Dexter Lawrence had been a solid force on the New York Giants' defensive line over the first three years of his career. From 2019-2021, he had 145 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits and nine sacks.
Lawrence was viewed as a slightly above-average defensive lineman during that span until Andre Patterson was hired ahead of the 2022 season.
Patterson, the Giants' current defensive line coach, suggested Lawrence play more of his snaps at nose tackle (0-tech). Since making this change, Lawrence has blossomed into one of, if not the best, defensive tackles in the league, earning recognition on Pro Football Focus’s list of the highest-graded defensive linemen by alignment.
"There is no better nose tackle in football right now than Lawrence, regardless of whether he lines up directly over or shades the center. His 94.7 PFF grade on 178 snaps directly over the center was far ahead of Vea's 81.6 second-place mark."
Since the retirement of Aaron Donald, someone has to take the crown as the league's best nose tackle. Lawrence is definitely in contention, as is Chris Jones from the Chiefs and Quinnen Williams from the Jets.
Lawrence's dominance on the interior cannot be ignored, as he was also named as the best defensive lineman lined up as a 1-technique.
"Lawrence also paced the field when shading the center, with his 88.4 PFF grade still significantly higher than Slaton's mark in second place (82.5). At either 0- or 1-technique, Lawrence racked up 41 quarterback pressures in 2023, 30 more than any other player."
Since switching over to a primary nose tackle in 2022, Lawrence's play has been incredible. Over the last two seasons, he's had 121 tackles, 12 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 49 quarterback hits, and 51 pressures. Lawrence's dominance on the interior, at times, has been the Giants' only consistent source of pressure.
He's seeing consistent double teams but can still power through offensive linemen and affect the quarterback.
But Lawrence hasn’t just been dominant from the 0-technique spot, which lines up over the center. He also earned the highest grade from PFF among 1-tech defensive linemen and received an honorable mention among those who play the 2-tech, 2i-tech, or 3-tech, positions that involved lining up on either side or directly over a guard or shading a guard.
The Giants' defense will look different this year with new coordinator Shane Bowen in the mix. Bowen's system doesn't rely on manufactured pressure, with low blitz rates and allowing his front four to attack the quarterback.
Outside linebacker Brian Burns was the Giants' major addition along the defensive line this offseason. Burns is expected to be a major contributor and help Lawrence get to the quarterback more consistently.
Burns' running mate, Kayvon Thibodeaux, exploded for 11.5 sacks last year and is looking to take the next step as a pass rusher. The big three in Burns, Lawrence, and Thibodeaux should help the Giants' defense improve as an overall unit in 2024.
Along with Bobby Okereke behind them at linebacker and Deonte Banks moving into the No.1 cornerback role, this could be one of the league's top defenses, with Lawrence at the center of it all.
