Dexter Lawrence reshapes his body and mind

When the New York Giants made Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence the 17th overall selection in the NFL Draft last year, expectations were running high.

- JOHN FENNELLY

The 6-foot-4, 342-pound, two-time college football champion brought a legacy of winning with him to East Rutherford and the Giants were hopeful that he could transfer some of that mentality to their other young players.

Well, it didn’t happen, but it wasn’t because of a lack of effort. Lawrence started all 16 games on the defensive line as a rookie, registering 38 total tackles, 2.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits.

Lawrence, looking back on his performance, knows he can do better. He is considering last year’s dismal 4-12 campaign as a learning experience rather than a lost season. Coming into his second training camp, he now knows what it’s going to take to become a top DT in the NFL.

“Watching my whole game last year, I need to work on a lot of things,” Lawrence told reporters at camp. “This offseason I learned a lot of things. I educated myself more on my position. That’s what the biggest thing is, and I learned that from vets teaching me not just to focus on one thing. Watch your whole game, critique yourself, be a hard coach on yourself. Try to find ways to get better and that’s all I can do.”