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Giants Now: PFF picks Dexter Lawrence as Giants' most improved player

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PFF picks Dexter Lawrence as Giants' most improved player

The Giants saw several players take monumental jumps in their development during the 2022 season.

Perhaps none more so than Dexter Lawrence.

Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness chose the most improved player from each team, where Lawrence not only earned that honor for the Giants, but he was also named one of the most improved players across the entire NFL.

"Dexter Lawrence didn't just improve in 2022; he joined the ranks of the best players on the defensive interior with a huge season both as a pass rusher and against the run," writes McGuinness. "His 43 tackles resulting in a defensive stop ranked seventh at the position, while his 70 pressures in the regular season and playoffs trailed just Chris Jones."

After being voted as a team captain for the first time, Lawrence 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).

Lawrence played a whopping 82 percent of the Giants' defensive snaps in 2022 (864 snaps) after never topping 69 percent of defensive snaps played in his first three seasons.

His dominance throughout the 2022 campaign led to Lawrence earning All-Pro Second-Team honors for the first time in his career, along with his first Pro Bowl selection. He was also named to the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) All-NFC Team.

"Every great defense has a centerpiece," defensive coordinator Wink Martindale said the week after the Giants' playoff-clinching win over the Colts. "You go back and look at the defense that we're building with the great defenses of the past, they always have a great centerpiece. And he has definitely become the centerpiece of our defense and I think it's awesome. I told him yesterday I was so happy for him, proud of him, because he's a good person, he's smart, and he's worked his tail off. I think it's great when you see a player succeed who puts as much work in as he has."

View photos of defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence's career with the Giants.

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