Even before Aaron Donald officially retired, debate had begun to rage: Who is the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman? Many felt New York Giants nose tackle Dexter Lawrence had taken over, and rightfully so.
Lawrence has been consistently dominant, posting historic pass rush numbers that dwarf those of his peers, and this has been recognized by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.
While we await Lawrence’s placement on the NFL’s Top 100 of 2025 list, his elite skill and production have been cemented by those around the league who are paid to assemble rosters and lead 53 men. They view him as the single best interior defensive lineman in football, up from No. 3 a season ago.
Lawrence’s game reached a new stratosphere in 2024, when he expanded his arsenal and added a nine-sack season to an already stellar résumé.
Dominating the run was always on the agenda for Lawrence. He has the balance, power, flexibility, footwork and acumen to post big sack numbers. In the past, the knock on Lawrence was that he missed too many near-sacks.
No longer.
Lawrence racked up quarterback takedowns while facing a 74.5% double-team rate, higher than any other interior lineman. The Giants saw him improve his ability to transition off blocks, be great on the move and finish takedowns.
“I thought he should have been [Defensive Player of the Year] with the season he had,” an NFL personnel director said. “He’s a true zero-technique nose who can occupy doubles and neutralize the run game. I think he took his pass rush to a different level, and I think he would have had double-digit sacks if (Brian) Burns and (Kayvon) Thibodeaux stayed healthy. A true three-down game wrecker who needs attention every single snap.”
The Giants will need to scheme Lawrence to keep four hands off him. Adding Abdul Carter to an already good defensive line will help.
Lawrence’s greatness is on display every single time he touches the field. But perhaps more importantly, his presence is felt most when he’s off the field, as we’ve seen over the past two years.
The words “generational talent” get thrown around a lot, but Sexy Dexy is truly a “generational talent,” and he’s fast becoming one of the best nose tackles of all time.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Executives, coaches view Giants’ Dexter Lawrence as NFL’s best