Is Demarcus Lawrence overrated?

By: Jake Rajala

The former Dallas Cowboys second round pick in 2014, Demarcus Lawrence, headed to the Seattle Seahawks in free agency. Below is the production from Lawrence in Jerry’s world:

• 61.5 sacks

• 126 QB hits

• 97 tackles for loss

Clearly, Lawrence has been one of the most punishing edge rushers over the past decade. He’s made four Pro Bowls and even placed fourth in DPOY voting on one occasion. With that said, are the Hawks getting an elite DE?

I don’t have faith in Lawrence in the Rainy City. He has seven sacks, 13 QB hits, and 14 TFLs, over the past two seasons combined. The veteran pass rusher has also missed 20 games over the past four seasons. He even had a PFF grade of 56.8 last season – which is quite dreadful.

The Hawks don’t desperately need help at hunting the opposing QB. They were 9th in sacks last season. Leonard Williams had 11 sacks and 10.5 stuffs a season ago. Derick Hall had 8 sacks last season, a couple of forced fumbles, and 2 FFs. I don’t believe a Hawks team that lost two stud WRs should have used a hefty amount of money to ink an aging edge rusher. I would have rather seen the Hawks use a mid-round pick for a DE.

Lawrence may have had beef with Dallas – as he recently said he wouldn’t win a Super Bowl there. I don’t believe a move to the Hawks would cure his Lombardi taste. I’d rather see Lawrence join the reigning Super Bowl champions (despite Philly acquiring Josh Uche), especially with Brandon Graham likely retiring. Plus, he would get to beat his old friends (Cowboys) twice a season.