Tag: Dexter Lawrence

Giants’ Dexter Lawrence: People undervalue Leonard Williams

New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence believes the football world drastically undervalues Leonard Williams.

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was already well into his rookie campaign when the team acquired Leonard Williams from the New York Jets, thrusting an experienced veteran into the fray.

What Williams ultimately brought to the table was far more than Lawrence initially anticipated. And after spending a half a season with the former first-round pick, Lawrence is now convinced that the football masses completely undervalue Williams.

“He brings experience and a great work ethic to our group because he makes you want to outwork him in practice every day, where he goes harder than anyone,” Lawrence told Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated. “A lot of people don’t understand the value he brings to a defense, but I know firsthand what kind of impact he makes.”

Lawrence also likes the idea of potentially adding his former teammate, Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, to the defense, where he would play behind both Lawrence and Williams.

“I would love it if he winds up here,” Lawrence said. “Just to have another familiar face and winning attitude in the building who knows what he’s doing and knows how to win is an important factor that can go a very long way.

“His skill set is rare to come by. Having him around would be great in a lot of different ways. His ability to rush the passer and drop back in coverage would give our defense a boost in both areas where he excels. . . There’s no doubt in my mind that he and (Ohio State edge rusher) Chase Young are the two best defensive players in this draft.”

As far as his own offseason routine and second-year goals, Lawrence is focused on becoming more of a pass rusher and more of a leader.

“Learning the little techniques on how to get to the quarterback was a big goal of mine this off-season. I want to become a more consistent pass rusher and disrupt the pocket on a regular basis,” said Lawrence.

“I want to keep my confidence and get things rolling by being the best leader I can be. My mindset is to lead by example with charisma and bring a family attitude to the team. I want to let my teammates know I’m playing for them, and they will hopefully do the same by playing for me.”

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence helped Tee Higgins prepare for NFL Combine

Clemson WR Tee Higgins said his former teammate, New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence, helped advise him on the 2020 NFL Combine.

The New York Giants are interested in bringing in one more home run-hitting offensive threat in this draft to join their already impressive arsenal of wide receivers Sterling Shepard, Darius Slayton, Golden Tate, tight end Evan Engram and running back Saquon Barkley.

One player they are interested in is Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins, a 6-foot-4 monster who could add an ungovernable dimension to their passing attack.

Higgins is about to raise his draft stock a bit by displaying his enormous physical ability at the NFL Combine. Eyes will be opened and, combined with his tape, will jettison him up a lot of teams’ draft boards. Some scouts are comparing him to Julio Jones and A.J. Green. The Giants could use a player like that, no?

Higgins, who caught a pass in every college game he started for the Tigers, met the media on Tuesday in Indianapolis and cited former Clemson teammate Dexter Lawrence — now a New York Giant — as a player he confides in.

More ammunition for the “trade back” strategy with the No. 4 overall pick. There’s a ton of talent in this draft, so why not get a few extra high picks and capitalize? Oh, that’s right. Dave Gettleman is the general manager. He doesn’t do such things.

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Giants get an A- grade for 2019 draft class

The New York Giants were recently given a letter grade of A- for their 2019 NFL Draft class courtesy of NFL.com.

The 2020 NFL Draft is just around the corner, so what better time to look back on the 2019 NFL Draft to see how teams and players did one year in?

That’s exactly what Nick Shook of NFL.com did this week when he graded the draft class of all four NFC East teams with the New York Giants earning the top letter grade of A-.

The Giants made the most of their haul from the Odell Beckham trade, which landed them, in part, the 17th overall pick, by selecting Dexter Lawrence, who had a solid rookie season. New York also might have found its franchise QB in Daniel Jones, answering a huge question for the team’s foundation. DeAndre Baker had a tough start but finished strong and stands to make a significant improvement in Year 2. Oshane Ximines was effective in his first season despite making just two starts, recording 4.5 sacks. Julian Love is an exciting young player for the back end of New York’s defense. Darius Slayton was an excellent find in the fifth round. Corey Ballentine struggled with a position change to the slot, but he could improve with more time.

Free agency/combine focus: Is New York going to attempt to retain Leonard Williams, who was acquired via trade with the Jets in October and is headed for free agency? Darius Slayton, who led the team with 740 receiving yards and eight touchdown catches, was a nice find, but with second-leading receiver Golden Tate (676 yards, six TD catches) at 31 years old, more capital needs to be invested at the position in a deep draft class. The Giants also need to decide whether they’re willing to pay to keep linebacker Markus Golden (10.0 sacks) and right tackle Mike Remmers, with the former serving as a pleasant revival and the latter helping bolster what was once New York’s most glaring weakness. The Giants are still going to need to address linebacker one way or another and decide whether to seek additional edge help or invest in Williams.

Shook also gave the Giants a nod for eventually finding a way to get tight end Kaden Smith onto their roster — a very deserving tip of the cap.

Comparatively, the Washington Redskins also earned a letter grade of A-, while the Philadelphia Eagles were given a “B” and the Dallas Cowboys given a “C-.”

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Giants select Gardner Minshew in CBS Sports’ 2019 re-draft

The New York Giants select QB Gardner Minshew instead of Daniel Jones in the CBS Sports 2019 NFL re-draft.

If they re-ran the 2019 NFL Draft, who would the New York Giants take knowing what they know now?

CBS Sports recently pondered exactly that, recreating the first round of last year’s draft without the draft day trades.

They believe the Giants would still have taken a quarterback at No. 6 overall and a defensive lineman at No. 17. Just not the ones you think.

The first two selections in the draft (Kyler Murray to Arizona, Nick Boas to San Francisco) were unchanged. At No. 3, the New York Jets selected wide receiver A.J. Brown instead of Quinnen Williams. Oakland took Josh Allen at No. 4 instead of Clelin Ferrell. At No. 5, Tampa Bay selected offensive lineman instead of linebacker Devin White.

At No. 6, they have the Giants selecting quarterback Garnder Minshew over Daniel Jones, but more curiously over Devin White, who isn’t even selected in this redraft.

Minshew was better than Daniel Jones as a rookie. There’s really no way around that. Neither were in fantastic situations, either. Jones was far from absolutely brutal and made a handful of impressive throws downfield but too often put the ball in harm’s way in the air and by way of the fumble.

Minshew was selected in the 6th round of the draft out of Washington State and he and his mustache burst onto the scene in Jacksonville when Nick Foles was injured. He returned to the bench once Foles was reactivated from IR.

Minshew was a better bargain than Jones, though. Is he a better player? Time will tell. He started 12 games, completing 285 of 470 passes (60.6%) for 3,271 yards with 21 TD and just 6 INT. Minshew also rushed 67 times for 344 yards.

Jones threw for 3,027 on 284 for 459 passing (61.9%) with 24 TD and 12 INT. Jones rushed 45 times for 279 yards and 2 TD.

Both quarterbacks fumbled. Minshew fumbled 13 times, losing seven. Jones fumbled 18 times losing 11.

At No. 17, the Giants did not have the luxury of taking Dexter Lawrence again in this redraft as he was snatched up by Carolina at No. 16.

Instead, they grabbed Mississippi State’s Jeffrey Simmons, who is just as good, if not better.

With Lawrence poached right in front of them, the Giants fortify the interior of their defensive line with Simmons, who was a game-wrecker for the Titans once he was fully healthy as a rookie.

The Giants also had the 30th pick in the first round, a result of a draft day trade with Seattle that resulted in cornerback DeAndre Baker. That trade is not accounted for in this redraft.

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See it: Dexter Lawrence surprises cancer survivor with Super Bowl tickets

New York Giants DT Dexter Lawrence surprised a cancer survivor and former Parkland student with Super Bowl tickets.

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence is known for his immense size, but many are finding out that he has a big heart to match.

This week, Lawrence made 18-year-old cancer survivor Joshua Rhodes’ day when he surprised him with a pair of Super Bowl tickets.

Rhodes is not only a cancer survivor, he also lost his coach and fellow classmates in the 2018 Parkland school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He had to quit football to undergo treatment for a brain tumor.

The gift is more than special to Rhodes. Not only has he never been to a Super Bowl, he’s never been to a football game period.

From WFAN:

“I’m overwhelmed,” Rhodes said through tears. “I’ve always wanted to go to a football game.”

Rhodes, who plans to join the Coast Guard one day, was aboard one of their ships docked in Miami Beach to conduct an interview about his journey and what he’s been through over the last three years. What he did not expect to see was Giants rookie defensive tackle and 2019 first-round draft pick Dexter Lawrence suddenly appear.

Lawrence and the Giants teamed up with the NFL to surprise the young Giants fan with the tickets in what was an emotional moment for the cancer survivor.

It is not the first time Rhodes has received a gift from the Giants. Last year, the Make-A-Wish Foundation remodeled Rhodes’ 2006 H3 Hummer delivered by defensive lineman Jonathan Jenkins.

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Giants’ 2019 draft class ranked fourth overall by PFF

The New York Giants’ 2019 draft class has been ranked fourth overall despite a full year of relentless media criticism.

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The critics were not kind to the New York Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman during and after the 2019 NFL Draft. The general consensus was that they blew it again by over-drafting, specifically when the selected Duke quarterback No. 6 overall, bypassing several much-needed defensive studs still on the board.

But the game is played out on the field and when the Giants’ rookies hit the gridiron, they panned out fairly well. In fact, Pro Football Focus recently ranked their 2019 draft class fourth out of 32 teams.

4. NEW YORK GIANTS

Why they’re ranked here: We graded Daniel Jones as our 24th-ranked quarterback overall, but he had more success than many expected, throwing 24 touchdown passes. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ second first-round pick, had the highest PFF grade of any rookie interior defensive lineman, and the team saw promising starts to the careers of late-round picks Darius Slayton and Julian Love.

How their top pick fared: Jones (No. 6 overall) showed flashes of high-level play, but carelessness with the football is something to work on moving forward. His 31 turnover-worthy plays — the plays our grading deem as riskiest, even if they didn’t always result in a turnover — were fourth-most in the NFL.

Best value pick: Wide receiver Slayton (No. 171 overall) was part of the year of the rookie wide receiver, significantly outperforming his fifth-round pedigree. His 18 receptions of 15-plus yards were fifth among rookie wideouts.

The class had its ups and downs. Cornerback DeAndre Baker, taken 30th overall, was downright awful for most of the season only to turn things around late in the year to somewhat salvage things. Inside linebacker Ryan Connelly was lost early on to a knee injury after showing poise and promise.

Third rounder Oshane Ximines was underused, as was forth-round pick Julian Love. Both have bright futures in this league. they just need to get coached up by the right people, who the Giants believe they finally may have.

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence named to 2019 PFWA All-Rookie Team

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence has been named to the 2019 PFWA All-Rookie Team.

The Pro Football Writers of America have been releasing their 2019 award winners in recent days, and while the New York Giants were blanked on the All-NFL and All-NFC teams, they did land one representative on the 2019 PFWA All-Rookie Team.

While quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Darius Slayton failed to earn honors, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence did make the cut alongside Josh Allen (Jacksonville Jaguars), Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers) and Ed Oliver (Buffalo Bills).

Lawrence, who also made the 2019 PFF All-Rookie Team, finished the season with 38 tackles, two stuffs, one forced fumble and 2.5 sacks. He also proved general manager Dave Gettleman correct in that he was more than a two-down run stuffer, consistently improving in all areas throughout the season.

The sky appears to be the limit for the soft-spoken Lawrence, who is an absolutely athletic freak of nature on the field.

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4 Giants among PFF’s top 50 rookies in 2019

Four New York Giants were named among Pro Football Focus’ Top 50 Rookies of 2019.

The New York Giants had a grand total of zero All-Pro’s and zero Pro Bowlers in 2019, but they did have four rookies land on Pro Football Focus’ list of the Top 50 Rookies of 2019.

Checking in with the highest Giants rookie grade was defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (76.1), who had a stellar debut campaign.

9. DI DEXTER LAWRENCE, NEW YORK GIANTS

Lawrence slowed down the stretch, but his hot start lands him at No. 9 in PFF’s rookie rankings, as he still ranks 20th in PFF overall grade among all at his position. His pass-rushing could still use some work — he managed just 30 total pressures on 412 pass-rushing snaps and finished the year tied for 43rd among interior defenders in pass-rush win rate (9.6%) — but the return on investment has still been higher than anticipated for the 17th overall pick.

Next up may come as a bit of a surprise based on order, but not necessarily the appearance itself. That’s because for anyone watching, safety Julian Love (70.5) played some legitimate quality football once his defensive snap count increased.

13. S JULIAN LOVE, NEW YORK GIANTS

After playing mostly out wide at Notre Dame, the Giants had Love move into the box and in the slot, and over the last six weeks, Love earned the ninth-best PFF grade in the box and allowed just 19 yards on his 80 coverage snaps at that alignment.

Wide receiver Darius Slayton (70.3) checked in slightly after Love. And again, this came as no surprise to Giants fans, who watched the rookie establish himself as a legitimate offensive weapon for Big Blue.

22. WR DARIUS SLAYTON, NEW YORK GIANTS

Former Auburn Tiger Darius Slayton produced numerous highlight-reel plays in 2019 and picked up seven receptions that resulted in a gain of at least 30 yards — tied for the 16th-most in the league. Slayton ended the year with a 70.5 receiving grade that currently ranks sixth among rookie players at the position.

And finally… Quarterback Danny Dimes himself, Mr. Daniel Jones (65.7), checking in pretty far down the list.

34. QB DANIEL JONES, NEW YORK GIANTS

Daniel Jones has pretty much been as expected at the NFL level — he produced an average rate of positive plays but put the ball in harm’s way at an alarming rate. The sixth overall pick’s turnover worthy-play rate on the year ranks second to last among all quarterbacks, one spot worse than the perennially turnover-prone Jameis Winston. Most of those turnover-worthy plays stemmed from his recurring fumbling issue, though, as he fumbled in 10 of his 13 game appearances this season. His 17 fumbles on the year is the most in the NFL.

Jones, who set countless rookie records on both the franchise and NFL level, was just “average,” says PFF. That was, of course, hardly expected or anticipated as most assumed Jones would completely bomb out and not be in the running for the Offensive Rookies of the Year Award.

PFF was better in 2019, but their take on Jones continues to prove how flawed their analytics are.

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Giants’ Dexter Lawrence makes Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team

New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence has been named to the Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team.

On Thursday, Pro Football Focus named their All-Rookie Team for the 2019-2020 season. With the New York Giants being one of the most youthful teams in the league, there were multiple players who likely received consideration.

In the end, defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was the lone Giant who made the list. Lawrence was impressive all year long and certainly deserves a spot on the list.

Lawrence was selected by Big Blue 17th overall in last year’s draft and may be the one Giants’ rookie with the most promise. PPF graded Lawrence a 76.1 overall on his rookie season.

There were a handful of interior defensive linemen taken in the first round of this past year’s draft, but Lawrence was the only one to put together a season with 500 or more defensive snaps and an overall grade higher than 70.0. He’s been at his best as a run stuffer in the middle of the Giants’ defensive line. Lawrence’s 76.3 run-defense grade ranks 21st among 117 qualifying interior defenders this season.

Lawrence being the lone Giant on the list isn’t surprising. But it is a little surprising to see the quarterback selected over Daniel Jones was Gardner Minshew and not Kyler Murray. Minshew was the highest-rated quarterback according to PFF and interestingly enough, earlier this week Minshew made a point to make sure everyone knew he had a better year than Jones.

Darius Slayton had a really nice year for Big Blue, but the wide receivers who made PFF’s all-rookie team had better stats than Slayton.

Lawrence showed he was worth the 17th overall pick with his performance in his rookie year. Big Blue has plenty of work to do in acquiring more talent on defense. However, it looks like Lawrence can be a piece for the Giants to build around for the future.

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2 Giants named among NFL.com’s Top 25 Rookies of 2019

Two New York Giants were named among NFL.com’s Top 25 Rookies of 2019, but there was one glaring omission.

When the New York Giants made the change from Eli Manning to Daniel Jones going into Week 3, they knew they would get to see what they had in the quarterback they took sixth overall. What they did not know is that they may have found a gem in the fifth round when they selected wide receiver Darius Slayton.

Slayton emerged as a nice option for Jones throughout the season and it may be a duo we see for years to come. Because of their rookie campaigns, both Jones (7th) and Slayton (25th) were named to NFL.com’s list of Top 25 Rookies in 2019.

“Jones showed the ability to make every throw and create plays with his legs. He needs to clean up his fumbling issue (11 lost), but overall, it was a very promising campaign,” Daniel Jeremiah wrote.

“Slayton was known as a speed guy coming out of Auburn, but he’s proven he’s also a very adept route runner. He has outstanding chemistry with Daniel Jones, from whom he caught 41 passes for 561 yards and five touchdowns.”

Jones, of course, was selected to be the Giants quarterback of the future when Big Blue took him 6th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Although Jones had problems with ball security, he showed promise in his rookies year both through the air and in the rushing game as well.

Slayton took advantage of his time on the field in a season where the Giants’ receiving core was decimated by injuries. Golden Tate, Sterling Shepard and receiving tight end Evan Engram all missed time due to injury. In quite possibly his most impressive game of the year, Slayton notched 154 yards and two touchdowns on Eli Manning’s first game back in Week 14.

The Giants were one of seven teams to have multiple players make NFL.com’s list. NFC East rivals, the Washington Redskins, led the list with three players on the list.

The Giants are one of the youngest teams in the league so it’s fitting to see two of their players on the list. The success of Jones and Slayton is something many Giants fans hope to see continue in years to come. But let’s not ignore the fact that Dexter Lawrence was severely overlooked here.

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