New York Giants star nose tackle Dexter Lawrence has certainly exceeded expectations since being selected 17th overall in the 2019 NFL draft. He broke out back in the 2023 season and has since been one of the best defensive linemen in the league.

Now, after three years of being a top defensive player in football, Lawrence was named the Giants’ true franchise player to build around by Bleacher Report.

While edge-rushers tend to generate much more attention, top-tier interior defenders can be just as valuable, if not more so. There’s a reason why teams keep investing heavily in defensive tackles, hoping to uncover the league’s next Aaron Donald.

While no one has quite taken the mantle since Donald retired last offseason, a few young defenders have entered the spotlight. Players like Jalen Carter and Kobie Turner are ascending stars who should be defensive centerpieces for years to come. New York Giants standout Dexter Lawrence II is a bit more established, though he’s still on the younger side at 27.

Lawrence has become the heart of the Giants defense and is coming off a nine-sack season and his third straight Pro Bowl campaign. Pro Football Focus graded him second overall among 219 interior defenders for the 2024 season.

While the Giants haven’t experienced a lot of success recently, they did find a true franchise player when they drafted Lawrence with the 17th overall pick in 2019.

Lawrence, who is the lone first-round pick remaining on the roster from the 2019 NFL draft, was selected with a pick acquired in the infamous Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

Other Giants who were likely considered for the player to build around were Andrew Thomas and Malik Nabers. Both are great players. However, Thomas has struggled to stay healthy the last two seasons, and Nabers has a small sample size after just completing his rookie season.

Lawrence is the complete package and has a chance to have his best season yet after the Giants added Abdul Carter in the draft, and free agent acquisition Brian Burns is set to play his second season alongside Lawrence.

With Lawrence being at the prime of his career, he is certainly the right pick as the Giants’ true franchise player and top player to build around.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Dexter Lawrence named Giants’ true franchise player