Dexter Lawrence II Backs NY Giants' Protege Despite Lacks of Stats

Referring to Dexter Lawrence II as an elder statesman may have some New York Giants fans questioning their youth and immortality. Still, Big Blue can only wish that's their biggest problem heading into a landmark primetime game.

Nonetheless, Lawrence offered a behind-the-scenes look at his mentoring of rookie Abdul Carter as the Giants prepared for Thursday's divisional duel with the Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video).

The seventh-year pro mentioned taking Carter under his wing as he struggles to reobtain the sterling statistical heights of his time at Penn State.

"You’ve got to talk about it a little bit, because you're coming from college where you get all the numbers," Lawrence said on Tuesday.

"These [opposing quarterbacks], they're a little selfish. They're going to throw that ball at the last minute or something, but it's the way of the game.

"You’ve just got to keep going, and you can win fast, and he’s going to throw the ball. It doesn’t matter, so you’ve just got to stay honed in on your technique and keep grinding."

Through five games, Carter has just a half-sack to his NFL name and has gone fully without a sack over the last four.

The most recent No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft had 23 in three showings at Penn State, including 12 last year.

That puts him in an exclusive club of Nittany Lions, as only six (including fellow first-round choices Courtney Brown and Aaron Maybin) have downed a dozen quarterbacks in a single season.

Lawrence isn't as much of a pure pass rusher as Carter, but he endured a drop-off in the category himself: he had 10 sacks in three seasons at Clemson (including six in 2016, a program freshman record), but it took him just under four years to match that tally as a pro.

Amidst the Giants' potentially dreary film sessions, however, Lawrence has been impressed with the backfield residence that Carter is establishing.

"The more you're around a quarterback, that's positive, and he's around the quarterback a lot," Lawrence noted.

"You're not going to always get the sacks that you want, but the more you can affect him and allow him to feel you, that's positive, and that's what you want.

"He's just got to keep going and not grow weary, and I think that's what he's going to do. He understands game day is war day, so he’s got a good mindset."

To Lawrence's point, Carter has been among the top rookie pass rushers with more advanced stats: he and Dallas' Donovan Ezeiruaku are the only rookies to be credited with double-figures in pressures, and Carter is one of nine overall to earn six quarterback takedowns.

He may have a prime opportunity to add to his numbers, both advanced and conventional, on Thursday night, when he and Lawrence have to deal with Jalen Hurts and the high-powered Eagles offense.

Hurts has always had some form of mobile ability—beyond, of course, the controversial "Tush Push"—but he has taken things to a higher level this season.

Through five games, Hurts is on pace for 166 attempts on the ground, which would set a career-high.

Since 2021, Hurts has a rushing success rate (at least 40 and 60 percent of yardage required on first and second down, respectively, and third and fourth down conversions) of 59.5 percent, second-best among quarterbacks in that span behind only Josh Allen (min. 30 starts).

"We’ve really got to do well at stopping the run first, and I think everything comes off of that," Lawrence noted of the game plan to face Philadelphia.

"That's how they win games. So, the most important thing is stopping the run and the shots after that. On third down, stopping Jalen from using his legs and things like that, so that’s just what it is.

"[Hurts] makes you have to be even more disciplined with your rush lane, because he's looking for ways to escape, or he's looking for a shot down the field. Don't just stand, have a motor, keep that motor going all play."

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