New York Giants DL Dexter Lawrence is one of the league’s best defensive players. The 6-foot-4, 350-pounder was on pace for a career year last season before having his campaign cut short due to an elbow injury.
Lawrence is training hard in preparation for the 2025 season, hoping to bounce back fully healthy and continue his reign of dominance in the middle of the Giants’ defensive line.
This summer, Lawrence is training with renowned private defensive line coach Mark Hall (@markhall___enterprises on Instagram), with whom he has been working for the last four years.
Mark Hall explains what separates Giants DT Dexter Lawrence from the rest of the NFL’s D-Linemen
I recently interviewed Mark Hall on Fireside Giants to gain some insight on the training he is doing with Lawrence and other Giants’ defensive linemen. Hall gave an exciting answer when asked what separates Lawrence from other elite defensive linemen that he has trained in the past.
“Well, I think it’s a combination of everything,” Hall explained. “It’s a combination of the work ethic. It’s a combination of the genetics. It’s a combination of the attitude, the temperament, upbringing.
“I know Dexter’s mom. We talk quite often in regards to what’s going on with him. And she has that attitude of dominance, making sure that things are set, making sure that she raised her boys to be young men. So it starts there.”
Hall has been privately training defensive linemen since 2005, working with many of the NFL’s top talents over the course of the last two decades. But when compared to other elite defenders, Lawrence is simply built different.
“And then genetically, I mean, come on. You’re 6-5, bench press 225, 38, 40 times, can run a 4.9, 5.0 at that weight. I mean, you just just don’t fucking make them like that to be totally honest with you. You know what I mean?”
It’s one thing to have tools and traits at the NFL level. But to be among the league’s best, one must have a differentiating factor in addition to their physical ability. According to Hall, that difference-maker for Lawrence is his “attitude of dominance.”
“And then I’m telling you like, I’ve seen guys with some of those tools, but what separates him from a lot of different things and a lot of different people, I think, is just that attitude of dominance. Just that attitude that I can’t be effed with, you know what I mean? Basically.
“…He’s going to get majority of the doubles. He’s going to get majority of the slides. He’s going to get a majority of the plays that go away from him. But he still finds a way to work back into the play.”
Lawrence’s intense drive and motor help him be among the best in the league
That attitude of dominance shows up on film consistently for Lawrence. The three-time Pro Bowler takes no plays off, and that drive and motor to never give up on a play is among the many reasons why he has reached elite status.
“Dexter is a big guy. And you watch Dexter on video. Dexter is running 15, 20 yards downfield. And this is consistent,” Hall explained.
“In the NFL and even myself, we have these things we call loaf. If we see a guy loafing to the ball, you know, that’s, that’s an indicator you’re tired. That’s an indicator you may not want it. So he does all those things extremely well, and it’s consistent.”
Lawrence is an unrelenting force in the middle of the Giants’ defensive line. Last season, he totaled a career-high 9.0 sacks in only 12 games. He also added 44 combined tackles and eight tackles for loss.
Maintaining consistency and continuing to play at a high level is Lawrence and Hall’s area of focus as they train this offseason. With training camp around the corner, Lawrence is taking no time off as he continues to train and prepare to be among the best in the league.
“Consistency has been one of the bigger reasons that he’s, that he’s had such early success,” Hall said. “And I say early success because I think, you know, even watching film today, yesterday, I think he can do so much more to the game to impact the way they play across the front. To where they impact, he can impact the way they play across their front. So he just has so many different levels that he can raise his game to, to get even more out of it.”
CHECK OUT THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MARK HALL ON THE FIRESIDE GIANTS YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
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