Rookie Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence tackles his first Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.



Q: Daniel Jones was your training camp roommate. What kind of guy is he?

A: Just a humble, hungry guy. Very consistent with his routines and his daily plans. A guy that I felt came in preparing like he was the starter already. I’m just happy that he got this opportunity to show and prove to himself, that’s what he’s been waiting for. He told me he’s ready.

Q: When did he tell you that?

A: The day I heard about it, I texted him.



Q: What did you tell him?

A: Congrats, go prove yourself. Let’s win some games.



Q: And he texted back?

A: “I’m ready, let’s do it.”



Q: How good do you think he can be?

A: I think he can be great, honestly. Just seeing how he was in practice, he made some mistakes, but he didn’t consistently make the same mistakes, it was different things. Just how he stayed up late, came in early kind of deal. He was just a guy that’s just hungry.

Q: What’s it like being 6-foot-4, 351 pounds. Is that what you are?

A: 6-5, 340.



Q: All right, what’s it like being 6-5, 340?

A: I’ve been big all my life, so it feels normal. Can’t find a lot of stuff to fit all the time, all the clothes to fit. I can’t say really much about it, it’s just who I am.



Q: What is your suit size?

A: I think I’m like a 54 maybe, or 52 long, or something like that.



Q: What’s a typical dinner for you?

A: Where we going? You take me on a date, where we going?

Q: You’re not my type.

A: (Laugh).

Q: Steak?

A: I like the big boys — you know, the 30 ounces, 40 ounces. I like the long bones. So I’ll probably get like a steak medium, get some greens, I love my greens, not too big on the starches and all of that, but I’ll get some broccoli or something … spinach.

Q: Do you have to avoid sweets or anything?

A: No, no, no, no, no. I’m not a big cake guy, but I like cookies and ice cream.



Q: Does the team want you at a certain weight?

A: Oh yeah, 342 is my max.

Q: You strike me as someone who would protect someone who was being bullied.

A: Yeah, I don’t agree with it at all. Growing up, I felt like I wanted to treat people the way I wanted to be treated, with respect. That was the Golden Rule since Day 1. That’s kind of how I grew up, and that mindset never changed no matter how big I got, how more aggressive I got, things like that.

Q: I’m taking you out to dinner one night — steak or Italian?

A: That’s rough, that’s rough. When I do Italian, I always spill it on my shirt.

Q: Describe your on-field mentality.

A: I’d just say aggressive, hungry and just tenacious kind of thing. I just play mean. Off the field not mean, but on the field I just click into something different. I know I gotta whip this guy in front of me every play.



Q: How does mean translate into how you play?

A: Having that mindset that the guy in front of me can’t stop me, and he’s not going to.



Q: Can you sack the quarterback up here?

A: Definitely. It’s just up to me to prove it and go show it every Sunday. It’s been a focal point of me just to work on my plan every week and just go attack that guy, don’t wait for it, you go attack him. I feel like when I attack that guys, nobody can stop me.



Q: In your mind, you’re a three-down player.

A: Correct.



Q: You still think you can dominate at this level?

A: Yes. Without a doubt, yes.

Q: Why?

A: Just because my mindset is different. Knowing that I’m going against the best. I love to compete, so that just makes me better.

Q: So the best is yet to come from Dexter Lawrence.

A: Correct, correct.

Q: The PED suspension for the last year’s NCAA championship game at Clemson, how much did that bother you?

A: Yeah, that was annoying. That was some bullcrap. It happened, and I’m over it now, and I’m happy I ain’t gotta go through that anymore. Now I’m just being more careful about everything.

Q: But you never figured out …

A: Where it came from? No.

Q: What was it like scoring a 2-yard rushing touchdown last season against Louisville?

A: It was very exciting. Finally got my chance to shine, get the ball, they kept handing it off to my friend [Christian Wilkins].

Q: Dance in the end zone?

A: Everybody kept jumping on me, so I couldn’t freak it up a little bit.





Q: You were going to?

A: I was gonna hit ’em with a little something.



Q: Are you a good dancer?

A: Oh yeah, great dancer.

Q: “Dancing With the Stars” possibly in the future?

A: Possibly.

Q: “Sexy Dexy,” where did that come from?

A: That came from middle school, seventh grade. A football coach, he started that name.



Q: Why did that start?

A: I don’t know, I guess I was a big handsome guy (laugh) named Dexter.

Q: How good of a basketball player were you?

A: Great. All-time great.

Q: How so?

A: Nobody can guard me down there. Free throw line in, that’s my game. You catch me in the free throw line and in — can’t be stopped.



Q: Were you all-anything?

A: All-conference.



Q: No basketball offers, though,

A: I had a couple.

Q: Where?

A: North Carolina State and Clemson. They said if I come play football, also play basketball.



Q: What happened? Why didn’t you pursue it?

A: Football’s enough.



Q: Who would you compare yourself to as a basketball player?

A: Oh man! I used to look at some Shaq [O’Neal], some Tim Duncan … I tried to mimic Dwight Howard, he was just a little bit too bouncy for me.

Q: What drives you?

A: I’ll just say knowing I’m playing for someone bigger than myself — God, my mom, my brother — just playing for them. Playing for the people who can’t — that’s what I write on my tape: Play for ones who can’t. Don’t take the game for granted and just go out there and just play through them and for them.



Q: Anybody in particular who can’t?

A: Not necessarily anyone particular, but just people that’s like got Down syndrome, like in Clemson we had everybody come out sometimes, so enthusiastic wishing they can play but they can’t, so just seeing them, how excited they are about the game — why not you be as excited as them and you’re actually playing?

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A: Dwayne Johnson, The Rock [Dwayne Johnson] and LeBron James.

Q: Why Dwayne Johnson?

A: Just his charisma and attitude about everything. Good motivational guy. Just growing up watching him wrestle, things like that, and just the star he is in the movie world also.



Q: Are you more like your mother or your stepfather?

A: I don’t know, I’m kind of a mix of both.

Q: Where is your real dad?

A: He lives in Arkansas.



Q: Your parents divorced when you were young. Did that affect you in any way?

A: Not quite, I was real young, I didn’t know any better. Really it was just me and my mom, my little brother all my life. That’s kind of just how I grew up.

Q: What is the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome?

A: It was a couple. When I was younger, I was moving back and forth from Arkansas and North Carolina, so that was kind of hard having to do that … meeting new people, new friends, I’m young, don’t know much, constantly doing that. And then my sophomore year in college, I got a nerve block and it irritated the nerves in my leg, so I couldn’t feel my leg for a year and like two months. I didn’t ever think the feeling would come back, or the strength, I didn’t have either one of those things, so that was kind of scary. That’s when I just became closer to myself, just figuring out who I am, and how serious I was about playing football, because some people would quit in that moment when it was been that long. But I just stayed with the program and got better over time.

Q: You played with a lot of pain in your foot as well.

A: I couldn’t move it, so it was kind of dragging and everyone was falling on it, so it just kept getting more and more banged-up. I wouldn’t practice some weeks like at all, I’d just show up on Saturday kind of deal.

Q: Hobbies?

A: I like fishing, playing my video game, hang out with the guys.

Q: Superstitions?

A: I guess I got like a routine I go through pregame. Doing the same warm-up, listening to like the same genre of music, eating the same meal, stuff like that.

Q: Three dinner guests? Me and two others probably.

A: Nah, you’re not my type (laugh). I like successful people, so get some knowledge from Mr. [Warren] Buffett. I gotta have my two other favorites, LeBron James and Dwayne Johnson.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “All About the Benjamins.”



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A: Dwayne Johnson and Tom Cruise.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: All types of pastas.

Q: Season goals?

A: Prove myself right. Tell myself after each practice, each game, that I did my all.

Q: What’s it like being a New York Giant?

A: I’ve been a Giant for about five months now, something like that, it’s been great. The fans are amazing, my teammates, the people in the offices are great.



Q: What is your message to Giants fans?

A: The best is yet to come, stay with us, we’re gonna pull it together and we’re gonna win some ballgames.