The New York Giants are entering the 2025 NFL season with a roster that looks much different from what it was a year ago. The team used its top draft picks to land an exciting playmaker, Abdul Carter, and quarterback Jaxson Dart, while fourth-year pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux continues his development into one of the league’s emerging edge threats.
Together, these building blocks offer hope for a franchise still looking to regain its footing after an uneven 2024 campaign. But when it comes to identifying the best player on the Giants’ roster, the conversation still starts with a familiar name — and one that opposing offenses know all too well.
PFSN NFL Draft analyst Jacob Infante recently evaluated the top player on every NFL roster ahead of the new season. For New York, his selection left little room for debate.
New York Giants Star Dexter Lawrence Dominates the NFL Discussion
“As enticing as Malik Nabers’ rookie year was, he’s just on the outskirts of being the New York Giants’ best player heading into the 2025 season,” wrote Infante. “That honor would go to Dexter Lawrence, who has been one of the best defensive tackles in the league.”
Lawrence has earned that reputation through consistent production and impact. Entering his age-28 season, the three-time Pro Bowler is coming off a career-best campaign that saw him rack up nine sacks — the most of any defensive tackle in the NFL last season.
That dominance earned him top billing from NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, who ranked Lawrence as the No. 1 defensive tackle in the league in 2024, ahead of All-Pro talents like Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs.
A first-round pick in 2019 (No. 17 overall), Lawrence has grown into one of the league’s most disruptive interior defenders. Known as “Sexy Dexy” for his mix of imposing size and surprising quickness, the 6’4″, 340-pound lineman has amassed 30 sacks, 310 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 95 quarterback hits, 11 passes defensed, and five forced fumbles over his six NFL seasons.
Week 9 highlights of Dexter Lawrence vs. Washington. pic.twitter.com/aLNFElBvUh
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) November 4, 2024
The Giants have made a strong financial commitment to keeping Lawrence at the heart of their defense. In the 2023 offseason, New York signed him to a four-year, $90 million contract extension with $46.5 million guaranteed. The deal also includes up to $1 million in per-game roster bonuses. To create cap flexibility in 2024, the team converted $10 million of Lawrence’s base salary into a signing bonus, generating $7.5 million in space.
Last season, Lawrence was knotted with Washington Commanders’ Daron Payne as the eighth-highest-paid tackle in the NFL.
“Lawrence has been a Pro Bowler each of the last three years, and he’s coming off a career-high nine sacks in 2024,” Infante wrote. “A rare athlete for a 340-pound man, he’s a dominant force who’s borderline unblockable one-on-one.”
Lawrence’s presence forces opposing offenses to alter their blocking schemes. Double teams are common, but even those often fail to neutralize his impact. His ability to control the line of scrimmage allows Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen to scheme aggressively around him.
The addition of Carter, especially alongside Brian Burns and Thibodeaux, will create a more formidable pass rush. The rookie’s mere presence will force the opposing offense to shift its focus and potentially reduce the amount of attention Lawrence receives.
While rising stars like Nabers, Thibodeaux, Andrew Thomas, and rookies Dart and Carter will continue to shape the Giants’ future, Lawrence remains the standard-bearer for New York. His dominant force on the interior can take over games and give the Giants a true defensive cornerstone heading into 2025.
