Defensive Line: Interior

     The interior of the defensive line is where your biggest and strongest lineman go. The guys who tower over the rest in stature and power. Underlooked by some, this is a position you should never overlook because they can make a QB's life very horrible. Luckily for the men in blue, they have one of, arguably the best interior defenders in the league right now, and this post will cover a lot about him.

    Dexter Lawrence II is the Giant's best player no contest. There isn't a player on the roster who is more elite than he is, not even all-pro left tackle Andrew Thomas. Dexter Lawrence, known by his nickname "Sexy Dexy" is an unstoppable force from the interior. It simply doesn't get much better than him. Look at the clip below of him absolutely dominating former all-pro guard Quenton Nelson.

    Now, obviously, a player doesn't start this dominant, so let's go back to the start of his career. Lawrence went to Clemson University in South Carolina and would get drafted by the Giants with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft. His first two years in the league were average at best, not really doing much. His production started to ramp up during his third year where he showed some flashes as a premier defensive tackle but it wouldn't be until his fourth year that he exploded onto the scene.

    When the Giants brought in Brian Daboll as the new head coach, he would bring in defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and he put Dex at the nose tackle spot. Nose tackle is the defensive tackle position in which you line up right across from the center in an odd-man front. This spot was perfect for Dex, who would go on to make the All-Pro second team twice from that spot. During his fourth year, Dex garnered a career-high in sacks with 8, 7 TFLs, and 28 QB hits. He followed that up the next year with 4.5 sacks, 7 TFLs, and 21 QB hits. Dexter Lawrence has been an absolute monster for the G-men and got paid a 5-year deal that will keep him with them for a long time. Now time to move on to some of the depth interior d-line men on the team.    After Dexter Lawrence, the Giants have some average depth on the interior, we'll start with the surprising 7th-round pick Jordon Riley. Riley was a senior coming out of Oregon and was drafted by the Giants in the 7th round in the 2023 NFL draft. Riley played in 8 games last season, totaling 8 tackles over that span. As a late-rounder, Riley wasn't expected to do much this year. However, when the Giants traded Leanoard Williams to the Seahawks, suddenly the other IDL had to step up. His growth will be monitored with the seasons to come.

    Next up we have Rakeem Nunez-Roches the veteran. In his 9th season in the league and first with the Giants, Roches played in 16 games. totaling 26 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery. Roches is the current veteran for this Giants D-line and does his job. He isn't a star but he does what he has to. He and Jordon Riley will make up the rotation for the interior defensive line next year with Dexter Lawrence, along with anyone added in the draft.

    We'll finish the defensive line off with defensive ends and outside line backers next post, followed by a post on inside linebackers, then we'll finish the defense with cornerbacks. See you then