With Aaron Donald retiring after last season, the debate about the NFL’s top defensive tackle is largely between Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants.
Giants players favor Lawrence, a 26-year-old who was a first-round pick from Clemson in 2019. Though he’s not vocal, he leads by example through his performance on the field. He is constantly striving for improvement.
“I think that comes from within and watching yourself and seeing things that you can improve on,” Lawrence said after a long practice on a very hot day.
“Never a perfect player out there, so I’m hard on myself. Every day I come out here and I mess up on a little thing, and I write it down, and I correct it the next day, just so I’m making a new mistake every day type of thing. That’s kind of my thought process.”
Lawrence explains that even small errors, like a technique mistake when the ball is snapped, can affect his ability to make a play.
“You’ve got to keep earning that respect, and I think that’s what legends do,” he said. “At this point, I want to keep earning those respects, and keep having people feel my dominance and see the type of player I am.”
Last season, Lawrence had 32 solo tackles, 21 assists, 4 1/2 sacks, and two passes batted down. Six of his tackles were for losses or no gain.
In comparison, Jones, who is 30, had 20 tackles, 10 assists, 10 1/2 sacks, and four passes batted down, with seven tackles for loss or no gain. He’s also a two-time All-Pro and a three-time Super Bowl champion.
Tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches, who plays alongside Lawrence, says the video confirms Lawrence’s impact.
“Dex wins 90% of his rushes,” Nuñez-Roches said. “He’s dominating the block on the run almost over 95% of the time. So what he’s doing may not show up in the stat sheet, but I’ll be danged if we don’t feel it as a defense.”
