Former Clemson star Dexter Lawrence has certainly earned the respect and admiration of his defensive coordinator.

Don “Wink” Martindale, who’s wrapping up his second season as the New York Giants’ DC, had plenty of high praise for Lawrence this week while discussing the dominant defensive tackle’s second straight Pro Bowl selection.

On Wednesday, the NFL announced the full rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, and Lawrence was named the Giants’ lone Pro Bowler.

After collecting his first career Pro Bowl honor in 2022, Lawrence became the first Giants defensive lineman to receive the honor in back-to-back seasons since Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011-12, per Giants.com, which noted that Lawrence is also the franchise’s first interior lineman to be selected to multiple Pro Bowls since Arnie Weinmeister made four straight from 1950-53.

“I think it’s great that (Lawrence) made the Pro Bowl,” Martindale said to the media Thursday.

“Dex has stayed Dex since I’ve been here. He was a really good player before we got here and then he had a great year last year, and he hasn’t changed his work ethic – he hasn’t changed anything about him. I think sometimes he might put too much pressure on himself, but that’s what all the great ones do. So, like I said, I’m really happy for Dex.”

A fifth-year pro, Lawrence has enjoyed another stellar campaign in 2023. In 15 games this season, the 6-foot-4, 340-pounder has filled up the stat sheet while racking up 19 quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks, 52 tackles (32 solo), seven tackles for loss, two passes defended and 61 total pressures.

Martindale called Lawrence – the NFL’s highest-ranked interior defensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus – the “centerpiece” of New York’s defense and an “unblockable” player.

“When you say that any good defense, especially this system, where you can be most effective is when you have a centerpiece of the defense, and he’s definitely been the centerpiece of the defense for us,” Martindale said. “And we just gotta keep building this thing around him, and we’ll see. The sacks are a bonus, out of the nose (tackle position), you know what I mean? The sacks are a bonus, and he has a way of getting to the quarterback, too, and I think that’s what makes him so unique. I think when he wants to be, he can be an unblockable player.”

A first-round pick (17th overall) of the Giants in 2019, Lawrence also garnered All-Pro honors last season in addition to being named a Pro Bowler for the first time.

The 26-year-old was rewarded for his breakout 2022 campaign with a well-deserved contract extension last May, when he and the Giants agreed to a four-year, $90 million deal with $60 million guaranteed.

Lawrence told reporters this week that he’s tried not to put any extra pressure on himself to perform this season and live up to the big contract, but rather has just focused on going out there and being the type of player he knows he is.

“Honestly you get to thinking, like, ‘OK, I gotta outperform my (contract),” Lawrence said. “But honestly, I just gotta continue to be myself, and whatever happens with me doing that is the end result and I’m happy with that. I know how hard I work, so I’m confident in my work. I know who I am as a player, so I’m confident in that, and all that goes a long way.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images