Two-Time Super Bowl Champ Shows Love to Former Clemson Star
By: Staff Report February 2, 2024

This former NFL linebacker showed a lot of love to a former Clemson star following another outstanding season in 2023.

Jonathan Casillas, a two-time Super Bowl champion with the New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots, gave props to Giants defensive tackle and Clemson pro Dexter Lawrence after his second straight All-Pro campaign.

“You look at the Giants’ whole team and what they did this year, even last year as well, there’s one guy I think that’s been the most consistent – he made All-Pro this year, and that’s Dexter Lawrence,” said Casillas, who played for the Giants from 2015-17 and tallied 385 total tackles with 6.5 sacks during his NFL career (2009-17) with four different teams (Saints, Buccaneers, Patriots, Giants).

“I think he’s showed week in and week out he’s one of the best players in the NFL, top defensive tackles in the league, and he’s dominant. And when he has a game, when he’s dominating, he literally shuts the offense down. He has direct impact on every single play because he’s literally right in front of the guy that has the ball in the center, and he lines up right over top of him, sometimes literally shoulder to shoulder against him, parallel to this guy. And he’s very effective, and he’s dominant.”

Lawrence was indeed dominant again during his fifth NFL season in 2023, when the 6-foot-4, 340-pounder posted 21 quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks, 53 tackles (32 solo), seven tackles for loss, two passes defended and 60-plus total pressures across 16 games.

Along with earning his second straight All-Pro honors in 2023, Lawrence was named to the Pro Bowl, the Pro Football Writers of America All-NFC Team and the NFLPA Players’ All-Pro Team, all for the second consecutive year as well. He was also picked to PFF’s 2023 All-Pro team.

Lawrence has amassed 266 tackles (28 for loss) and 21 sacks across 80 games (73 starts) since being taken by the Giants in the first round (17th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Last May, the 26-year-old signed a four-year, $90 million contract extension with the Giants including $60 million guaranteed.