PFF ranks Dexter Lawrence, Andrew Thomas among best at their positions
The Giants' strong 2022 campaign was led by the dominant performances of numerous players, most notably defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and offensive tackle Andrew Thomas.
The two young linemen were both named Second-Team All-Pro for the first time in their careers, so it should come as no surprise that they are both garnering praise from the media leading up to the 2023 season.
Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness ranked the top 32 players at each position, where both Lawrence and Thomas landed in the top 5 at their respective positions.
"A rough rookie season has long since been forgotten about, with Thomas growing into a top-five NFL tackle in his third season in the league," McGuinness said after ranking Thomas at No. 4. "We've seen him improve every season, both as a run blocker and a pass blocker..."
After boosting his game in 2021, Thomas took a significant step in his development this past season. The 24-year-old recorded just two penalties all season and allowed a mere three sacks and 21 total pressures on over 600 pass block snaps.
The 24-year-old started the first 16 games of the year before sitting out the regular-season finale in Philadelphia. He played 100 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 14 games, while on the field for over 80 percent of the other two contests. The only snaps Thomas missed were due to games being out of hand late in the second half.
View the best photos from the career of Giants All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas.
As for Lawrence, his breakout 2022 campaign led to him landing at No. 3 on PFF's list of top interior defenders.
"Lawrence experienced a breakout 2022 season..." wrote the PFF analyst. "And at just 25 years old, he still has room to grow and could threaten (Aaron) Donald and (Chris) Jones with another big season. Including the playoffs, he produced 70 pressures on 577 pass-rushing snaps, proving to be a disruptive force for opposing offenses all year long."
The fourth-year defensive lineman was ranked No. 3 on PFF's list after he set new career-highs with 7.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits, shattering his previous high marks of 4.0 sacks and 11 QB hits. He has also set new career-bests in total tackles (68), tackles for loss (seven), pass breakups (three) and forced fumbles (two), which led to his first selection to the Pro Bowl.
After never topping 69 percent of defensive snaps played in his first three seasons, Lawrence played 82 percent of the Giants' defensive snaps in 2022 (864 snaps).
In addition to Lawrence, Leonard Williams also made PFF's list of top interior defenders, coming in at No. 12.
"The sixth overall pick in 2015, Williams has been a high-floor player since arriving in the NFL," said McGuinness. "Throughout his eight-year career, he has never earned a PFF grade lower than 70.5. He's solid both as a run defender and as a pass rusher and doesn't really have a weakness to his game."
Williams missed time due to injury for the first time in his eight-year career this past season. In the 12 games he did play, the veteran lineman registered 45 tackles (26 solo), 2.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble and a career-best two fumble recoveries.
View photos of defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence's career with the Giants.
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