Dexter Lawrence II (born November 12, 1997), nicknamed "Sexy Dexy", is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

nose tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Clemson. In 2015, he concluded his high school football career at

Wake Forest High School Wake Forest High School, formerly Wake Forest-Rolesville High School, is a four-year high school (9–12) located in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Demographics In 2016–2017 there were just over 2,000 students attending Wake Forest High ...

in Wake Forest. He was ranked as the No. 2 recruit in college football's incoming Class of 2016.

High school career

Lawrence played his whole

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

career at

. During his high school career, he had 28.0 sacks, 204

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

, 6 forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

s and 1

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

Recruiting

Lawrence was seen as the best prospect to ever come out of the state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. He considered multiple schools, including

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivis ...

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

and

NC State Wolfpack The NC State Wolfpack is the nickname of the athletic teams representing North Carolina State University. The Wolfpack competes at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college footb ...

. In the end he signed with Clemson.

College career

In 2016, Lawrence played in 12 games for the Tigers at defensive tackle. Throughout the regular season, he recorded 55 tackles and 5 sacks. The 5 sacks he recorded in his freshman year is a Clemson record. Lawrence beat the previous record of 4 set by

William Perry William Perry may refer to: Business * William Perry (Queensland businessman) (1835–1891), businessman and politician in Queensland, Australia * William H. Perry (businessman) (1832–1906), American businessman and entrepreneur Politics and ...

Ricky Sapp Ricky Sapp (born November 14, 1986) is a former American football outside linebacker. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Clemson. Early years Sapp attended Bambe ...

, and

Shaq Lawson Shaquille Lawson (born June 17, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson Tigers football, Clemson, and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the ...

. Lawrence was subsequently named the 2016 ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Lawrence was part of the Clemson team that defeated

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

in the

2017 College Football Playoff National Championship The 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship was a bowl game that was used to determine a national champion of college football in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the 2016 season. The game was played at Raymond Jame ...

by a score of 35–31. In the game, he recorded four total tackles. Dexter was ruled ineligible for the 2019 College Football Playoff after testing positive for the banned substance

ostarine Enobosarm, also known as ostarine or MK-2866, is an investigational selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) developed by GTx, Inc. for the treatment of conditions such as muscle wasting and osteoporosis, formerly under development by Merc ...

. After the season, Lawrence decided to forgo his senior year and enter the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

College statistics

Professional career

Lawrence injured his left leg during his attempt at the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

during the 2019 NFL Combine. Lawrence was selected by the

with the 17th overall pick in the

. The Giants originally acquired the selection as part of a trade that sent

Odell Beckham Jr. Odell Cornelious Beckham Jr. (born November 5, 1992), commonly known by his initials OBJ, is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Beckham played college football at LSU and was drafted by the ...

to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

In week 3 against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, Lawrence recorded his first career sack on

Jameis Winston Jameis Lanaed Winston ( ; born January 6, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State, where he became the youngest player to win the He ...

in the 32-31 win. In week 5 against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

, Lawrence recorded a sack and a forced fumble on

Kirk Cousins Kirk Daniel Cousins (born August 19, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the team then known as the Washingto ...

in the 28-10 loss. In Week 1 of the 2020 season against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on ''Monday Night Football'', Lawrence recorded his first sack of the season on

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

during the 26–16 loss. During the Week 2 game of the 2021 season against the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

, Lawrence jumped offside on the final play of the 4th quarter during a

Dustin Hopkins Dustin Hopkins (born October 1, 1990) is an American football placekicker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round ...

missed field goal nullifying the Washington kick attempt. The Giants would lose 29–30 on Hopkins' re-kick, dropping them 0–2 for the fifth consecutive season. On April 28, 2022, the Giants picked up the fifth-year option on Lawrence’s rookie contract.

References

External links

Sports Reference (college)Clemson Tigers bioNew York Giants bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Dexter 1997 births Living people African-American players of American football People from Wake Forest, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina American football defensive tackles Clemson Tigers football players New York Giants players 21st-century African-American sportspeople National Conference Pro Bowl players