I'm 51, so while he was on the TV I am too young to remember John Mendenhall. The first Giants NT I remember was Jerome Salley in the early Parcells' era. In my memory I can't recall an interior DL on the Giants better than Dexter was this season.
Here are some names to consider: Leonard Williams, Damon "Snacks" Harrison, Linval Joseph, Chris Canty, Fred Robbins, Keith Hamilton, Erik Howard, and Jim Burt. If you want, throw in some 3-4 ends like Leonard Marshall and George Martin.
What'cha got BBI?
In terms of Giants players, I think the only guy who may have an argument, and it's an imperfect one, is Leonard Marshall. He was a DE, but a 3-4 DE, which I count as basically a DT. My basic rule is if the player would very likely play DT in a 4-3 system, but plays DE in a 3-4, I count them as an interior DL.
I was a kid when Marshall played, but I just remember thinking of him as larger than life as a player. And he was great, when you look at the career and numbers, but I don't think he had a season as dominant as Dex. But in '85 Marshall had 15.5 sacks as a DE in a 3-4. Incredible. It helps to play with the GOAT, though. He followed that up with 12 sacks in '86. He was also a tackling machine, take a look at the career numbers here:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MarsLe00.htm
Completely different era of football, though, which the style of play then lent itself to big totals by DL. He never made All-Pro, but he also played during the time of Reggie White, Bruce Smith, and Chris Doleman.
I have to mention Snacks Harrison, because he was so dominating in 2016, but he was one-dimensional as a run-stopper, you really didn't get much in the way of pass rush from him, but he certainly did get a lot of double teams. Snacks did get first team All-Pro that year, though.
In terms of being a two-way DT, Dexter Lawrence is the best interior defensive lineman I've ever seen on the Giants for what he did this year. If he keeps this up, he'll be a gold-jacket guy and hopefully, if we can keep him for a long time, in the Giants Ring of Honor one day. This level of play, sustained for awhile, would put him alongside the great Giant defenders ever. Except for LT, of course, he's in a class by himself.
His season stacks up well with Haynesworths best season as a pro and when Haynesworth was on he was dominant. I went back through the all pro teams for 15 seasons trying to find a guy that produced like Dex and the only 2 in his ballpark were Haynesworth in 2007/2008 and Ngata back in the day…but Ngata’s best seasons didn’t touch what Dex did this year. The most QB hits Ngata ever had in a year was 14, the most Haynesworth ever had was 22 in his apex year. Dex put up 28 this year to go along with over 60 tackles which is just stunning…Haynesworth did that in his 7th year in the league, the scary part is Dex is just hitting his prime.
In terms of Giants players, I think the only guy who may have an argument, and it's an imperfect one, is Leonard Marshall. He was a DE, but a 3-4 DE, which I count as basically a DT. My basic rule is if the player would very likely play DT in a 4-3 system, but plays DE in a 3-4, I count them as an interior DL.
I was a kid when Marshall played, but I just remember thinking of him as larger than life as a player. And he was great, when you look at the career and numbers, but I don't think he had a season as dominant as Dex. But in '85 Marshall had 15.5 sacks as a DE in a 3-4. Incredible. It helps to play with the GOAT, though. He followed that up with 12 sacks in '86. He was also a tackling machine, take a look at the career numbers here:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/MarsLe00.htm
Completely different era of football, though, which the style of play then lent itself to big totals by DL. He never made All-Pro, but he also played during the time of Reggie White, Bruce Smith, and Chris Doleman.
I have to mention Snacks Harrison, because he was so dominating in 2016, but he was one-dimensional as a run-stopper, you really didn't get much in the way of pass rush from him, but he certainly did get a lot of double teams. Snacks did get first team All-Pro that year, though.
In terms of being a two-way DT, Dexter Lawrence is the best interior defensive lineman I've ever seen on the Giants for what he did this year. If he keeps this up, he'll be a gold-jacket guy and hopefully, if we can keep him for a long time, in the Giants Ring of Honor one day. This level of play, sustained for awhile, would put him alongside the great Giant defenders ever. Except for LT, of course, he's in a class by himself.
There's been a lot of talk about signing Jones and Barkley, but Lawrence is the one I want signed the most.
His current display has not been seen.....very curious to seen how he does against the Eagles OL.
Azeez is so important.....as same goes with Thibs with picking your poison...who do you check etc....I wish he was better against the run.
But to answer the OPs question, yes Dexy has become the best of them all. He’s turned into Aaron Donald this season
I liked Linval and one of the worst decisions was letting him go. Doesn't seem the same mistake will happen twice.
We’ll never know what Troy Archer might have become.
Recents - Linval Joseph was better than DT, and Cornelius Griffin.
If Marshall had played NT he might be up there with Dexter.
This Season is the best NT work I have seen from a Giants NT.
IMV:
1.)Lawrence
2.)Joseph
3.)Tomlinson
If we’re considering Marshall an interior lineman he’d be right there.
I go way back to the late 50s so there’s a lot to pick from
Dex is becoming the most dominant interior force I remember but it’s a short sample size.
I’ll throw out a bunch of names that were plus players inside.
Grier, Hamilton, Mendenhall, Neil, Burt, Archer, Joseph and Griffin.
Rosey was dominant and later became part of the Rams Fearsome Foursome so I’d rank him the best.
Dex has the goods to surpass everyone.
Archer played DE too. You also have to mention John Mendenhall as in the discussion of best DL in Giants history.
Dex is destroying centers and guards and double teams. He is equally devastating against the run or pass.
He is the best and the position move is a huge reason why.
For a single season, yeah, I'll go with Dex. He still has a way to go to catch Hammer's career.
Snacks? Snacks wishes he ever had a season like this one and was really only good for us in 2016.
His season stacks up well with Haynesworths best season as a pro and when Haynesworth was on he was dominant. I went back through the all pro teams for 15 seasons trying to find a guy that produced like Dex and the only 2 in his ballpark were Haynesworth in 2007/2008 and Ngata back in the day…but Ngata’s best seasons didn’t touch what Dex did this year. The most QB hits Ngata ever had in a year was 14, the most Haynesworth ever had was 22 in his apex year. Dex put up 28 this year to go along with over 60 tackles which is just stunning…Haynesworth did that in his 7th year in the league, the scary part is Dex is just hitting his prime.
I think his comparison is Vince Wilfork.
I think his comparison is Vince Wilfork.
Probably closest. There's very little comp in history for a true Nose Tackle doing what he's doing at his size and playing an unprecedentedly high percentage of defensive plays.
But Leonard didn't play over the nose.
BigBlueBuff....this is a great question. You could seriously argue that Dexter is the best NT the Giants have had in memory (albeit he has to do it for more than one year to really make a name for himself).
Wilfork couldn’t touch what Lawrence has done this season rushing the passer, not in the same stratosphere. He’s the best XXL pass rusher I’ve ever seen, Giants or otherwise.
JPP was a freak among freaks with a motor second to nobody that year, he hit quarterbacks 28 times that season. Dex hit quarterbacks 28 times this season playing with the same motor…it is hard to fathom.
It’s almost unholy. As a big man myself I have to say I wish I could move like him when I was skinny
JPP in 2011 is the best Giants defensive season in the last 15/20 years that I remember, atleast since Strahan's DPOY season. But I don't recall JPP being as consistently dominant as Dex. A lot of JPP's greatness that year was due to pure effort and hustle. He wasn't consistently overwhelming opposing OLs the way Dex currently is imo. What Dex has done this year has been special.
And at some point you have to trust what your eyes show you, and I remember a play versus the Vikings where he left his feet to dive and hit Cousins. He didn’t hop or fall down, he literally got horizontal with the ground and he might have flown right over a guard that was on the ground, it was absolutely ridiculous and for a moment it seemed like the laws of physics simply did not apply to him. Incredible play and I don’t think it was one that even counted in the stat sheet.