EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence has been compared to Los Angeles Rams' three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, received unexpected admiration from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and was likened to a Rolls Royce this season. It is high praise for a player who didn't sniff a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team his first three seasons.

But it seems to appropriately fit the rarified air Lawrence has entered this year. He is no longer the same player who was a strong run defender and quality pocket-pusher. Lawrence has developed into a force in the middle of the Giants defense, their best defensive player and a difference-maker against the run and pass.

He's made a massive -- somewhat unexpected -- jump in Year 4.

"[Lawrence] is a premier player and needs to probably get some more recognition for the ability that he has," Rodgers said earlier this season on The Pat McAfee Show after the Giants shut out the Packers in the second half of a Week 5 win. "Talking with our interior three, they think he's one of the top guys in the league for sure."

Lawrence, 25, already has a career-best 5.0 sacks in 2022. Perhaps more notable is a 16.6% pass rush win rate (PRWR), sixth among all defensive tackles. It's more than double his PRWR from his first three seasons (7.5%).

"This year it's just starting to make a little more sense to me," Lawrence said after logging a sack and five quarterback hits during a 24-16 win over the Houston Texans. "Each year my goal is to grow at my position, learn at my position.

"This year everything is kind of slowing down for me. It's making sense. I'm continuing to build my confidence throughout the whole week and preparing the right way. It's just showing."

Perhaps the most notable difference for Lawrence this season has been where he's lined up. He's been used as more of a natural nose tackle, lined up directly over the center rather than shaded off to the side matched against guards.

Lawrence has lined up as a nose tackle on 150 snaps (32.8%) this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He had just 115 defensive snaps at nose tackle in his first three years combined and played the position in only 3.8% of his snaps last season.

Lawrence was directly across from Texans center Scott Quessenberry on 46 of his 54 snaps (85%) on Sunday. With defensive coordinator Wink Martindale consistently bringing guys to the line of scrimmage from all over the field to at the very least feign a blitz, this puts Lawrence in a lot of 1-on-1 matchups with less athletic and powerful centers.

"Yeah, he's a load, and the centers, whether they have their head down or they have them up, they've still got to execute the snap," Giants coach Brian Daboll said. "We've been playing him there; we haven't moved him around maybe as much as he's been moved around in the past."

A lot of the credit needs to be heaped upon defensive line coach Andre Patterson, who joined the Giants this season after a stint with the Minnesota Vikings. His work with the Giants line (especially their arm and hand usage) in his first year has been continually praised. Patterson was also behind the move to nose tackle.

"When he came out, I really wanted him bad. I thought he'd be a great nose guard in this league," the veteran line coach said. "And watching him play on film in previous years, I thought that was his home spot. He's bought into the technique we're teaching him and it's worked out."

Lawrence was the Giants' best defensive player on the field against the Texans, finishing with five tackles, five quarterback hits, two half-sacks (1.0 sack combined), a tackle for a loss and a tipped pass. He had an eye-opening PRWR of 30.4%, the third-best mark of his career.

It prompted Giants rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux to throw out the Donald comparison.

"I mean, I told Dexter, I've never seen Aaron Donald play in person, but, it's him and him, as far as interior defensive linemen," Thibodeaux said. "There's not really much you can do with him. You can put your whole team on him, but then you're gonna have our whole team of guys come free. So, I don't know what I would do if I was on offense. You've got to hope that your guys play up to a guy that great."

Maybe that is rookie ignorance comparing him to the Rams' seven-time first-team All-Pro selection. Regardless, it speaks volumes to how the Giants feel about Lawrence, which is also evident by how much he's on the field.

Lawrence is playing 85% of the Giants’ defensive snaps this season. That's up from 69% last year under the previous regime. He played 90% of the snaps Sunday against the Texans. Martindale says he never really wants to take Lawrence out of the game.

It's probably not a coincidence that when Lawrence did go off the field Sunday, Texans running back Dameon Pierce had his longest run of the game for 44 yards.

Lawrence was back on the field the very next play. Two plays later, he tossed Quesenberry as if he was a traffic cone and tackled Pierce for a 1-yard loss. Houston had to settle for a field goal.

"It's like if you had a Rolls-Royce," Martindale said earlier this season. "Wouldn't you want to drive it everywhere?"