Clemson defensive end Shaq Lawson has the production. He led the nation in tackles for a loss with 251/2 last season. He recorded 121/2 sacks against quality competition.

Lawson even performed well at the NFL Scouting Combine. He opened eyes with a 40-yard dash in 4.70 seconds and a 20-yard shuttle in 4.21 seconds. Those were near the top of the board for his position.

With that kind of resume, Lawson was a popular pick to the Giants in mock drafts with the 10th overall pick in the first round.

"I think he's a very good tenth overall pick," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said after pegging Lawson to the Giants in his post-Combine mock draft. "After the Combine, when you look at his numbers compared to, say, his teammate Kevin Dodd and some of the other defensive ends, I mean, he tested out very well. And then you go back and look at him two years ago, he was there with (now-Falcons defensive end Vic) Beasley, you look at him this past year, when everybody knew that was who you had to stop ... he's nearly 270 pounds. He ran a 4.7 (40-yard dash). He's got good athletic ability."

The pick seems to makes some sense. If you're the Giants, there is no such thing as having too many pass rushers, and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul is on a one-year, prove-it deal. There is room on the roster for a player of Lawson's skills.

The problem is that the public perception of Lawson doesn't seem to match that of NFL talent evaluators. They see him as a very good prospect, just not a Top 10 prospect.

Independent NFL draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki, after talking to numerous scouts and personnel executives, has Lawson as a Top 40 pick. He grades him as his 24th overall prospect, and the ninth-best defensive lineman. He's behind players such as Dodd and Penn State defensive lineman Austin Johnson.

It's unlikely Nawrocki's ninth-best defensive lineman is the 10th overall pick. The reasons seem to show with the Scout's Take in Nawrocki's book "NFL Draft 2016 Preview":

"(Lawson) received a lot of hype because Clemson was No. 1 in the country. People are going to say he was an elite rusher. Maybe at 260 he could be. He played at 279 and 284 during the year, and he looked it."

Nawrock lists in Lawson's weaknesses that he "lacks ideal edge burst and acceleration to take the corner." That is what his tape shows as a two-year reserve and one-year starter. But his Combine numbers may say differently.

Lawson weighed 269 at the event in late February.

Still, the perception of NFL teams appears to be that he's more of a mid-first-round pick than a Top 10 selection.

Here are scouts from three different teams (as told to NJ Advance Media's Mark Eckel):

"He's a good player. He has a good burst and some explosiveness, but he's not real dynamic. He's a first-round pick, but not as high in the first round as some people think."

"First-round pick, probably in the middle of the round somewhere. He's a good pass rusher with long arms. He really came on this year.

"He's a lot different than [Vic] Beasley. Beasley was a pure speed guy. He got there with his speed. This guy got speed and athleticism. And I think he's a little stronger."

Maybe there is one team that sees Lawson playing at the lower weight and being a dominant pass rusher who has that explosion off the edge. It's unlikely to be the Giants. They like their defensive ends bigger and strong. Newly signed Olivier Vernon is listed at 275 pounds and Pierre-Paul has played in the 280-range in the past.



Unless the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grab Lawson ninth overall, it sure sounds like he's a mid-first-round pick, and not going to be the Giants selection at No. 10 overall.

TALK IS CHEAP, Ep. 47: Giants draft preview -- offense

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Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.