FWIW Casserly has him going 27th & DJ rates him 25th overall

Casserly
27 Dexter Lawrence - DT
School: Clemson | Year: Junior

The Raiders continue to re-build their defensive line by taking the third Clemson Tiger in Round 1.
[www.nfl.com]

Daniel Jeremiah
25 Dexter Lawrence, DT
School: Clemson | Year: Junior
Previous rank: 32

Lawrence is a hulking defensive tackle at 6-4 and 342 pounds. As a pass rusher, he primarily relies on his strength and power to push the pocket. He does have impressive foot quickness and occasionally flashes a nifty swim move. However, he didn't get many opportunities, because Clemson brought in more explosive rushers in obvious passing situations. He is a dominant run defender. He easily stacks single blocks on the front side and refuses to be cut off on the back side. Teams will need to investigate the suspension for a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs that kept Lawrence out of the College Football Playoff. Overall, Lawrence will be an immediate force against the run, and I believe he has the potential to develop into more than a pocket pusher in the passing game.
[www.nfl.com]

DEXTER LAWRENCE
CLEMSON
DT
Prospect Info
COLLEGE Clemson
HOMETOWN Wake Forest, N.C.
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 6' 4"
WEIGHT 342 lbs
ARMS 34 3/4”
HANDS 10 1/2”
Prospect Grade 6.19
SHOULD BECOME INSTANT STARTER

Combine Results
40 Yard Dash 5.05 SECONDS
Bench Press 36 REPS

Player Bio
Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brett Venables has recruited many top-level talents, but Lawrence may have been the most heralded of them all. He was a top-five recruit nationally and was chased by every blue-blood program in the country after being named the North Carolina state Player of the Year by the Associated Press (91 tackles, 21 for loss, 13 sacks) at Wake Forest High School in North Carolina. It did not take Lawrence long to find the field as a freshman, starting 11 of 15 games to become a Freshman All-American by multiple outlets, ACC Defensive Freshman of the Year, and second-team all-conference after posting 79 tackles, 9.5 for loss, seven sacks, and two blocked kicks. He excelled during the team's national championship run, recording two sacks against Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game and four tackles against Alabama in the title game. While his snaps (438 vs. 643 as a freshman) and statistical production (39 tackles, three for loss, 2.5 sacks) were down in 2017, ACC coaches still voted Lawrence first-team all-conference. Lawrence was first-team All-ACC again as a junior, starting 13 games for the Tigers (44 tackles, 7.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups). He missed the team's two playoff appearances, however, after testing positive for ostarine, a performance-enhancing drug. Lawrence maintained that he did not knowingly ingest the substance.

Analysis
By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst
Draft Projection Round 1
NFL Comparison Shaun Rogers

Overview
Massive defensive tackle with the size, length, power and relative athleticism to play a variety of positions in either a 3-4 or 4-3 front. While Lawrence certainly has his share of flashes on tape, he's never really turned into the playmaker that many expected him to become after his freshman year. However, many of the best defenses in the NFL have had interior linemen with the traits and power Lawrence possesses. While he has the ability to play in any scheme, he might be at his best as a read-and-react run-stuffer with the ability to stymie running games with his size and force

Strengths
Enormous frame with intimidating combination of size and power
Healthier and much quicker in 2018
Impressive athletic ability for his size
Footwork allows disruptive power to travel down the down the line
Agility to defeat or recover quickly from cut blocks
Possesses booming upper-body power
Disengages from single blocks whenever he wants to
Able to thwart seal blocks and mangle down blocks that miss the target
Has potential to eat double teams and let his linebackers roam free
Ball carriers are finished once he gets his hands on them
Punishing bull-rusher with leg drive to constrict pocket space

Weaknesses
Has been unable to equal impressive production from freshman season
Average rush talent likely to limit draft value
Lacks looseness as rusher to find edges
Basic rush counters relatively ineffective
More reliant upon size over technique at this stage
Gets caved by double teams when he doesn't sink his post
Inconsistent hand placement/quickness for early control at the point
Occasionally shortcuts flow to the ball causing him to lose his fit
[www.nfl.com]




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2019 10:35PM by Rams Junkie.