Tag: Dexter Lawrence

Giants’ under-25 talent ranked No. 2 in NFL

ESPN has ranked the New York Giants’ under-25 talent second in the NFL behind only the Baltimore Ravens.

The New York Giants have completely rebuilt their team over the past several years, which is evident by wide receiver Sterling Shepard (27) entering 2020 as the longest-tenured player on the team.

As a result of the rebuild, the Giants are also among the youngest teams in the league. And their under-25 talent, led by superstar running back Saquon Barkley, stacks up against any of the 31 other teams.

In fact, ESPN believes the Giants’ under-25 talent is second to only the Baltimore Ravens.

The Giants are not the Ravens. While the latter climbed to the top of the list on the strength of exceptional talent evaluation and development, the former reached their place in the rankings with volume. GM Dave Gettleman inherited a three-win Giants team with the No. 2 pick in 2018, made a slew of trades and acquisitions in opposition to analytics, and earned two more top-six picks on the heels of five- and four-win seasons. And yet, Gettleman could have the last laugh. He might not have maximized his return on investment in Saquon Barkley and Dexter Lawrence at their draft positions in the first round. But Barkley again broke a tackle on more than one-fifth of his touches in 2019 and looks like a generational running back at still just 23 years old. And with 18 hurries in his rookie season, Lawrence showed surprising versatility for a player who looks the part of an old-school run-stopper.

But it’s not just Barkley and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence who stand out. The Giants also have a franchise quarterback in Daniel Jones, a potential franchise left tackle in Andrew Thomas, breakout wide receiver Darius Slayton and an absolute rock in guard Will Hernandez.

They also have tight end Evan Engram and defensive lineman B.J. Hill, who only just recently hit the age of 25.

Left guard Will Hernandez has a standout 1.3% blown block rate in his two professional seasons. First- and third-round tackles Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart will hopefully slow the pass rush that had few problems beating big-money free agent Nate Solder (4.0% blown block rate) in 2019; Solder has opted out for 2020. And at receiver, fifth-round sophomore Darius Slayton might not replace Beckham, but his 9.6% DVOA rookie season showcased badly needed efficiency and field-stretching to complement a core of skill talent that otherwise does its best work near the line of scrimmage.

In the secondary, there’s the young combination of Jabrill Peppers and Xavier McKinney, which has elite potential. And that depth is padded by do-it-all man, Julian Love.

The team has several young assets on that side of the ball, especially at safety where Julian Love’s outstanding substitute play in late 2019 leaves the team with an extra option at the position with Jabrill Peppers poised to return healthy and second-round steal Xavier McKinney poised to start immediately in his rookie season.

It’s been a rough ride for the Giants since 2011, but things are beginning to look up. The team is stacked with young, quality talent, and that’s a testament to the much-maligned Dave Gettleman. He may catch a seemingly endless amount of flack for his sometimes strange decisions, but there’s no denying he now has the Giants well-positioned.

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence named a Year 2 breakout candidate

Gil Brandt has named New York Giants DL Dexter Lawrence one of his Year 2 breakout candidates.

The New York Giants are excited to see how big of a jump defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence takes in this second season.

In his rookie season last year, Lawrence started all 16 games for the Giants and made a significant impact.

This year, Lawrence could be poised to become a force in the middle of the Giants’ defense and take his place among the top defensive linemen in football.

Gil Brandt, the architect of the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1960s and 70s now an analyst for NFL.com, cites Lawerence as one of his top breakout defensive linemen of 2020.

Brandt lists Lawrence ninth out of nine players behind Tennessee’s Jeffrey Simmons, Chase Winovich of New England, the Raiders’ Clelin Ferrell, Ed Oliver of Buffalo, Washington’s Montez Sweat, Christian Wilkins of Miami, Carolina’s Brian Burns and Jaylon Ferguson of Baltimore.

“Just like Wilkins, Lawrence’s former Clemson teammate, Lawrence wasn’t necessarily spectacular — but he was still underappreciated in 2019, logging 38 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 16 starts,” writes Brandt. “I’m interested to see how new Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham deploys Lawrence in his system.”

It’s not a significant honor to be listed last behind several players that were drafted way after you, so we’ll take Brandt’s list with a grain of salt.

Lawrence was clearly more impactful as a rookie than many of the others listed here and with Leonard Williams and Dalvin Tomlinson flanking him and Blake Martinez over his shoulder now, you can expect Lawrence to step up his game in 2020 and perhaps become a game-changing force on the Giants’ defensive front.

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See it: Dexter Lawrence has massive Giants tattoo

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence has some new ink in 2020 — a large “NY” tattoo on his right arm.

When the New York Giants selected defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, they knew they were getting a committed player.

As it turns out however, commitment also seems to define Lawrence as a person.

As a rookie, Lawrence wore half a tattoo sleeve on his right arm, which had been added to since his time at Clemson. But here in 2020, that half sleeve looks a lot more like a full sleeve.

In addition to his intense training, Lawrence got some skillful ink work done this offseason, including a massive Giants tattoo on his biceps, just above the inner portion of his elbow.

Check it out:

Tattoos usually represent a person’s individual journey, so Lawrence’s time in New York will be memorialized whether he remains with the team or not. However, you can bet both he and the Giants hope their union will remain in place for the long-term.

Lawrence has three years (and a fifth-year option) remaining on his rookie deal, but should he continue to improve, the Giants are likely to work out a contract extension sometime in 2021 or 2022.

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Giants roster outlook: Upgrades, downgrades or lateral moves on defense

Giants Wire examines the New York Giants defense and the changes made this offseason, offering a verdict on each unit.

The New York Giants went into the offseason knowing they had to make some changes on their 25th ranked defense.

General manager Dave Gettleman used his free agent money and seven of his 10 draft picks in an attempt to revamp and revive a group that simply allowed way too many easy scores to opponents in 2019.

Here is a quick rundown on each unit as training camp begins

Al Bello/Getty Images

Defensive line

Gained: Austin Johnson

Lost: Olsen Pierre

The Giants’ big move was made last October when they traded two draft choices to the Jets for Leonard Williams, an impending free agent. They could not come to an agreement this offseason, so they applied the franchise tag to retain Williams at a price of $16.1 million. He’ll be a starter along with Dalvin Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence. B.J. Hill, R.J McIntosh and Chris Slayton are returning as well. Johnson will provide some veteran depth.

Verdict: Slight upgrade

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2020 Giants training camp preview: Defensive line

The New York Giants don’t have many sound units entering the 2020 season, but their defensive line appears to be one.

The New York Giants embark on their 2020 training camp this week with a boatload of challenges in front of them. They have a brand new coaching staff and a bevy of new players that all need to get acclimated fast.

With no preseason games to play and opportunities in practice limited because of the COVID-19 restrictions, the Giants are behind the eight ball this summer.

One unit that is fairly solid is the defensive line. The Giants will bring eight linemen to camp and likely keep six. It still has not been determined what the base defense will be, but it’s likely to be a 3-4 based on the personnel on the roster.

Here’s quick rundown of the group which will be coached this year by Sean Spencer (aka “Coach Chaos”), who is coming over from Penn State.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Leonard Williams

It seems like Williams has been in the NFL forever. The fact is, he just turned 26. Yes, he’s underachieved at times and is way overpaid, but after he came over from the Jets in that ill-advised trade last October, the Giants’ line played fairly well.

If Williams is going to play end however, he’s got to get the quarterback more than once per season. No matter what he does, anything short of a Pro Bowl-caliber performance this year will likely end his tenure with the Giants as he’ll be headed for free agency.

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PFF ranks Giants’ defensive line among league’s worst

PFF recently ranked the New York Giants’ defensive line among the league’s worst, citing their lack of a pass rush as the reason.

The New York Giants have a ton of young talent along their defensive line, highlighted by future superstar Dexter Lawrence, dominant run-stuffer Dalvin Tomlinson, do-it-all man B.J. Hill and the controversial but impactful Leonard Williams.

What they don’t have is one stand-out elite pass rusher who can take over games in the way Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul have for the team in the past.

Just how detrimental is that to the unit as a whole? If you were to ask those at Pro Football Focus, they’d tell you is damning.

PFF recently ranked all 32 NFL defensive lines and did not treat the Giants with kid gloves. In fact, they ranked Big Blue’s line among the NFL’s very worst.

26. NEW YORK GIANTS

The policy in New York under general manager Dave Gettleman has been getting bigger, tougher and meaner against the run on the defensive line.

Dexter Lawrence was their first-round pick a year ago, and Leonard Williams was acquired to add serious weight inside. Add Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill to the mix, and this team is awash with powerful run-stoppers. All four players earned a PFF run-defense grade above 70.0 last season, but none was a difference-maker as a pass-rusher.

That’s the positive. Now for the negative.

The Giants are short on interior players who can truly pressure the passer and instead will rely on just squeezing the pocket. And that strategy that could work if they had plus play on the edge — the problem is that they don’t have that proven commodity yet.

. . .

The Giants have a group of solid options but don’t have much in the way of proven players who can get after the quarterback in a league that has never been more pass-happy.

The Giants are expected to have linebacker Markus Golden back in 2020, which would help the pass rush from the second level, but that did little to sway PFF’s evaluations.

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5 Giants who were given disrespectful ‘Madden 21’ ratings

EA Sports released their “Madden 21” ratings late last week, and these five New York Giants were disrespected.

EA Sports released their full “Madden 21” ratings on Friday and that immediately led to fierce debate over who rated out too high, who rated out too low and who was downright disrespected.

For the New York Giants, many of the ratings feel on point, but there were a few that left us scratching our heads.

Here’s a look at five Giants who we feel graded out too low or were just downright disrespected.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

TE Kaden Smith (65)

It’s not like anyone expected Kaden Smith to burst onto the scene with an 80s rating or anything, but 65? That just seems unrealistically low for a player who demonstrated rare athleticism and talent in 2019.

The folks at EA Sports will tell you that grades are given based on how a player performed last season going into the current season (which we’ll have more on later), but comparing Smith’s 65 to Evan Engram’s 88 disproves that notion.

Remember, Smith ended his rookie campaign with a six-catch, two-touchdown game against the Washington Redskins in Week 16 and an eight-catch, 98-yard game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. He also took 100% of all offensive snaps over the final three games of the season.

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Which Giants are 2020 Pro Bowl candidates?

How many Pro Bowl candidates do the New York Giants have in 2020?

The past few seasons for the New York Giants have not been kind in many ways. 12 wins and 36 losses will yield little respect from the NFL community. That usually means very few players on the roster will get serious consideration for postseason awards and accolades.

In 2017, the Giants had just one player named to the Pro Bowl – safety Landon Collins – and he missed the game due to a fractured forearm he suffered late in the season.

In 2018, Collins was named again but could not participate due to a shoulder injury. The Giants were represented by rookie running back Saquon Barkley, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the league in total yards from scrimmage and placekicker Aldrick Rosas. Outside linebacker Olivier Vernon and special teams captain Michael Thomas were named as replacement players.

Last year, the Giants did not send anyone to the game. No players were selected to the roster or as replacements. Collins left vis free agency prior to the season. Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain that put a damper on his stats and Vernon was traded to Cleveland in March.

With all the roster turnover, the Giants have to place someone in the Pro Bowl. Barkley, who is healthy again, should return to form, if not exceed his rookie season. That will surely get him a berth on the roster.

But who else could get recognition on the Giants’ roster?

Besides Barkley on offense, there’s tight end Evan Engram, who has to break out one of these years. Maybe this is the year. Will Hernandez could have a bounce back season at left guard. If quarterback Daniel Jones can make a Dak Prescott-like jump, he could sneak into the picture.

There are several defensive players that might jump out. Newly signed free agents cornerback James Bradberry and linebacker Blake Martinez could have banner seasons. Then there’s defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence, two highly regarded players. Is this the season Jabrill Peppers breaks out? And what about rookie safety Xavier McKinney? How good will he be?

On special teams, Rosas had a down season in 2019, but a return to his Pro Bowl form of two seasons ago can get him back on the roster. The Giants have a lot of potential on special teams, especially in the coverage and return areas where there will a slew of players looking to make their mark.

My prediction for the Pro Bowl are Barkley, Lawrence and Engram but I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a few more as their fortunes will see a sharp reversal upward this season.

2 Giants named to NFL All-Under 25 Team

New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley and DT Dexter Lawrence have been named to the NFL All-Under 25 Team.

The New York Giants have a plethora of young talent, but it largely goes unnoticed due to the team’s recent struggles, which has included a relentless cycle of executive and coaching staff turnover.

Predominantly, running back Saquon Barkley is viewed as the best of the young bunch and that’s really not up for debate. But what about some of his fellow teammates?

Well, until recently, none of them have been given their due.

That changed on Wednesday when Marc Sessler of NFL Network revealed his 2020 All-Under-25 Team. For the first time in what feels like a while, a player other than Barkley was given some kudos.

Of course, that only came after Barkley received his tip of the cap.

A reminder to agitated Twitter types that Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook all turn 25 this summer. Besides, Barkley has a case against anyone as a dual-threat, clad-in-blue freak whom enemies targeted from the minute he hit the field for the wanting Giants. To a lesser degree than McCaffrey, Barkley roams as a towering danger in the passing game with a juicy 143/1,159/6 line over two seasons. Coming off an injury-shaded sophomore effort, Barkley should shine for years to come as an electric, slippery wonder in New York’s backfield.

After Barkley, and with several other talented defensive tackles hitting that 25 mark, 22-year-old Dexter Lawrence got the nod.

With Vita Vea just past the 25 mark, Lawrence gets the nod over Jeffery Simmons, Taven Bryan and Da’Shawn Hand. The first-rounder was a raging headache against the run in Year 1 and brought a ray of hope to an otherwise-lost-at-sea Giants defense. It appears 340-pound behemoths still have a place in today’s NFL.

Following what was viewed as a very successful draft in April, expect more young Giants to join Barkley and Lawrence on this team and subsequent teams in the years to come.

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Touchdown Wire ranks Giants defense near bottom of NFL

Touchdown Wire has the New York Giants defense ranked near the back of the pack as the 2020 season looms.

It’s no surprise when we see the New York Giants defense ranked low in league power polls. So, in reading the latest poll from our sister site Touchdown Wire placing the Giants 26th in the league, it was par for the course.

The Giants knew their defense stunk last year and that is why general manager Dave Gettleman made the trade for defensive lineman Leonard Williams, such at it was, and then signed several key free agents after the season (Blake Martinez, James Bradberry, Kyler Fackrell, Austin Johnson) and used seven of his ten picks in this year’s draft to bolster and replenish the defense.

They still haven’t added a top-tier pass rusher however, and that is why many experts are not sold on the changes.

In 2019, Big Blue’s pass defense started out bad, and got worse over time — the Giants finished 32nd in Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted metrics in the second half of the season, and their secondary gave up 22 touchdowns while picking off just three passes. Rookie cornerback Deandre Baker was the primary issue, as he allowed eight touchdowns with no interceptions, and a 130.9 passer rating allowed. Baker’s current legal issues could have him on the outs with the team over time. The good news comes in the form of James Bradberry, the former Panthers cornerback who signed a three-year, $45 million contract to be the fulcrum of that secondary, and has the talent to do it, and second-round defender Xavier McKinney from Alabama. The Giants’ run defense was a strength, though there’s still a clear need for pass rush assistance.

DeAndre Bakers’ troubles only added to the Giants’ poor pass defense. With no real pass rush, they needed to have a lock-down secondary, but instead they were terrible.

Additions to the back seven or eight in the form of linebackers and defensive backs such as rookies Darnay Holmes and Chris Williamson should help them be a more athletic and competitive group this year.

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