New York Giants: Can Dexter Lawrence take a major step forward in 2020?

New York Giants, Dexter Lawrence
New York Giants, Dexter Lawrence

Recently, New York Giants‘ interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence revealed a little of what he’s been watching in quarantine. Titles include “American Assassin,” “Money Heist,” and “Shooter.” All these films specialize in action, thrilling adventure, and high stakes. Lawrence’s first season featured some action and very little adventure, but as a first-round draft pick, the stakes continue to be very high.

Can Lawrence elevate his performance in his second season? Only time will tell, but let’s take a look ahead and find out what we can predict.

The Giants spent a lot of draft capital on Lawrence. Besides being the 17th pick in the first round, Lawrence was also part of the fallout from the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Despite the investment, Lawrence’s first season was underwhelming. He contributed just 35 tackles (21 solo, 41 assists) and 2.5 sacks over 16 starts. Another defensive lineman, Jeffrey Simmons, drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the 19th pick, racked up 32 tackles (18 solo, 14 assists) along with 2 sacks. This, though, comes from a measly 9 games with only 7 starts.

Looking ahead, defensive lineman Taven Bryan was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018. His tackle position compares with Lawrence’s pass rush duties (he played in a 4-3 compared to Dexter’s 3-4 scheme), but let’s examine it anyway. His production leaped up from 2018 to his sophomore season in 2019. His tackle numbers went from twenty to a whopping thirty-three with only 8 starts.

A more direct comparison might be Marcus Davenport, New Orleans’ 14th pick of the 2018 draft. In his second year, Davenport earned 31 tackles compared to 21 in his freshman effort. He also went from 4.5 sacks to 6. For a bit of fun, legendary Giants defensive end Justin Tuck notched 65 tackles in his third season (he was injured for most of his second tour of duty).

These few comparisons alone suggest that Lawrence has been given plenty of opportunity to prove his worth; he just needs to capitalize on it more. It appears Lawrence may have spent too much of the 2019 campaign lacking the confidence to step into his role as a starting interior lineman fully. Despite his totals, the upcoming 2020 should find Lawrence boosting his play, his stats, and encompass the thrilling adventure he’ll need to dominate opposing offenses.