Dexter Lawrence

Last updated

Dexter Lawrence II
Dexter Lawrence 2019.jpg
Lawrence with the New York Giants in 2019
No. 97 – New York Giants
Position: Nose tackle
Personal information
Born: (1997-11-12) November 12, 1997 (age 27)
Wake Forest, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:340 lb (154 kg)
Career information
High school: Wake Forest
(Wake Forest, North Carolina)
College: Clemson (2016–2018)
NFL draft: 2019  / round: 1 / pick: 17
Career history
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles:310
Sacks:30.0
Forced fumbles:5
Pass deflections:11
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dexter Lawrence II (born November 12, 1997), nicknamed "Sexy Dexy", [1] [2] [3] is an American professional football nose tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers.

Contents

Early life

Lawrence played his entire high school career at Wake Forest High School. [4] In his junior year, Wake Forest had a 15–1 record, losing only the 4A State Championship game against a Mallard Creek team that included Nafees Lyon and Thaddeus Moss. [5] During his high school career, Lawrence was credited with 28.0 sacks, 204 tackles, 6 forced fumbles and 1 interception. [6]

The nation's 2nd ranked recruit, Lawrence was the highest ranked prospect to ever come out of the state of North Carolina. [7] He considered multiple schools, including Clemson Tigers, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Alabama Crimson Tide and NC State Wolfpack. In the end, he signed with Clemson. [8]

College recruiting information
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeight40Commit date
Dexter Lawrence
DT
Wake Forest, North Carolina Wake Forest High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)340 lb (150 kg)5.00Dec 14, 2015 
Star ratings: Scout: 5 stars.svg     Rivals: 5 stars.svg     247Sports: 5 stars.svg    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 2 (DT); 2 (East); 1 (NC)   Rivals: 2 (DT); 2 (Natl); 1 (NC)   247Sports: 2 (Natl); 2 (DT); 1 (NC)   ESPN: 3 (DT); 4 (East); 1 (NC)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Clemson Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  • "2016 Clemson Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.

College career

Lawrence in 2018 Dexter Lawrence.jpg
Lawrence in 2018

In 2016, Lawrence played in 12 games for the Tigers at defensive tackle. Throughout the regular season, he recorded 55 tackles and five sacks. The five sacks he recorded in his freshman year is a Clemson record. [9] Lawrence beat the previous record of four set by William Perry, Ricky Sapp, and Shaq Lawson. Lawrence was subsequently named the 2016 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. [10] Lawrence was part of the Clemson team that defeated Alabama in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship by a score of 35–31. In the game, he recorded four total tackles. [11] Dexter was ruled ineligible for the 2019 College Football Playoff after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine. [12] [13] After the season, Lawrence decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft. [14]

College statistics

Clemson Tigers
SeasonClassGPTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
SoloAstCmbTfLSckIntYdsAvgTDPDFRYdsTDFF
2016 FR 142240628.56.5000.0012000
2017 SO 111320332.52.0000.0000001
2018 JR 131521367.01.5100.0031000
Career 38508113118.010.0100.0043001

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 4+12 in
(1.94 m)
342 lb
(155 kg)
34+34 in
(0.88 m)
10+12 in
(0.27 m)
5.05 s1.76 s36 reps17
All values from 2019 NFL Combine [15] [16]
Lawrence in a game against the Washington Redskins BJ Hill.jpg
Lawrence in a game against the Washington Redskins

Lawrence injured his left leg during his attempt at the 40-yard dash during the 2019 NFL Combine. [17] Lawrence was selected by the New York Giants in the first round with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. [18] The Giants originally acquired the selection as part of a trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns. [19]

In Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Lawrence recorded his first career sack on Jameis Winston in the 32-31 win. [20] In Week 5 against the Minnesota Vikings, Lawrence recorded a sack and a forced fumble on Kirk Cousins in the 28-10 loss. [21] As a rookie, he started in all 16 games. He finished with 2.5 sacks, 38 total tackles (24 solo), one pass defended, and one forced fumble as the Giants went 4–12. [22] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. [23]

In the 2020 season, Lawrence appeared in 16 games and started 15. He finished with four sacks, 53 total tackles (30 solo), and two passes defended as the Giants went 6–10. [24] [25]

During Week 2 of the 2021 season against the Washington Football Team, Lawrence jumped offsides on the final play of the 4th quarter, a Dustin Hopkins missed field goal, which nullified the Washington kick attempt. The Giants would lose 29–30 on Hopkins' successful re-kick, dropping to 0–2 for the fifth consecutive season. [26] In the 2021 season, he appeared in 16 games and started 11. He finished with 2.5 sacks, 54 total tackles (27 solo), two passes defended, and one forced fumble. [27]

On April 28, 2022, the Giants picked up the fifth-year option on Lawrence’s rookie contract. [28]

The 2022 season marked a career year for Lawrence. In Week 4, he tallied 2 sacks against the Chicago Bears, the first multi-sack game of his career, then earned praise from Aaron Rodgers following their comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers a week later. [29] In a Week 15 tilt against the Washington Commanders, he forced an incomplete pass from Taylor Heinicke that turned out to be a key forced fumble which the Giants recovered. [30] The Giants made the playoffs in 2022 for the first time in his career. He finished the 2022 season with 7.5 sacks, 68 tackles, 28 quarterback hits and 2 forced fumbles. [31] As well as being selected to his first Pro Bowl and first All-Pro team. [32] [33] He was ranked 28th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023. [34]

On May 4, 2023, Lawrence signed a four-year, $90 million extension with the Giants. [35]

In Week 8 of the 2023 New York Giants season, Lawrence recorded a sack, a tackle-for-loss, 5 quarterback hits, and 15 quarterback pressures against the New York Jets, which tied the record for the most pressures in a single game by an interior defender. [36] He finished the 2023 season with 4.5 sacks, 53 total tackles (32 solo), and two passes defended. [37] He earned Pro Bowl honors and second team All-Pro honors for the 2023 season. [38] [39] He was ranked 24th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024. [40]

In Week 5 of the 2024 season against the Seattle Seahawks, Lawrence recorded a single-game career high 3 sacks on Geno Smith. [41]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLQBHitsPDIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFRYdsTD
2019 NYG 16163824142.5391000001000
2020 NYG 16155330234.06102000000000
2021 NYG 16105427272.55112000001000
2022 NYG 16166835337.57283000002000
2023 NYG 16165332214.57212000000000
2024 NYG 12124423219.08161000001000
Career 928531017113930.0369511000005000

Postseason

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSCmbSoloAstSckTFLQBHitsPDIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFRYdsTD
2022 NYG 2212660.0140000000000
Career 2212660.0140000000000

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References

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