A fourth-round Bengals draft choice in 2017, Lawson as a rookie proved to be one of Cincinnati’s promising young players ... Was used primarily as a pass-rush specialist in ’17, playing nearly 42 percent of Bengals’ defensive snaps, and he is expected to have an expanded role in ’18 ... Led all NFL rookies in sacks with 8.5, which also tied for second-most ever by a Bengals rookie (DE Carlos Dunlap had 9.5 in 2010; DE Justin Smith had 8.5 in ’01) ... His 2.5 sacks of Aaron Rodgers on Sept. 24 at Green Bay made him only the second Bengal rookie ever to reach the 2.5-sack mark in a game (Smith had three in ’01) ... Named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team.

Career transactions: Selected by Cincinnati in fourth round of 2017 NFL Draft (116th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 5-7-17.

2017 highlights: Played in 16 games with one start at RDE ... Totaled 16 tackles, including 8.5 sacks ... His 8.5 sacks led all NFL rookies, ranked second on the team and was just one shy of DE Carlos Dunlap’s Bengals rookie record of 9.5, set in 2010 ... Named to Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team ... Recorded season-high four tackles on Sept. 24 at Green Bay, including 2.5 sacks of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, making him second Bengal rookie ever to record at least 2.5 sacks in a game (DE Justin Smith had three in 2001) ... Recorded sack of Bills QB Tyrod Taylor in fourth quarter of
one-score game on Oct. 8 vs. Buffalo ... On Oct. 29 vs. Indianapolis, sacked Colts QB Jacoby Brissett with two minutes left in fourth quarter of one-point game ... Had 1.5 sacks on Nov. 26 vs. Cleveland, including one in the fourth quarter ... On Dec. 24 vs. Detroit, sacked Lions QB Matthew Stafford on fourth down with one minute left, giving the Bengals possession and securing a victory.

College: Played in 33 career games, with 20 starts, in four years (including redshirt year in 2014) at Auburn ... Totaled 67 tackles, including 24 TFLs (19th in Auburn history) and 14 sacks ... Two-time team captain (2015 and ’16) ... Started 13 games as a redshirt-junior in 2016, with 30 tackles (13.5 TFLs, nine sacks) en route to All-SEC First Team honors (coaches) and semifinalist recognition for both the Chuck Bednarik Award (nation’s best defensive player) and Lombardi Award (nation’s best lineman or linebacker) ... Torn ACL caused him to miss 2014 season (redshirt), and a hip injury in ’15 opener vs. Louisville limited him the rest of that season ... As a freshman, played in all 14 games for SEC champion Auburn team that played in National Championship game, logging 20 tackles, including 7.5 TFLs, with four sacks and two FFs.

Personal: Hometown is Alpharetta, Ga. ... Attended Milton High School, where he was considered one of the top HS prospects in the country regardless of position ... Recorded 78 tackles as a senior, including 44 TFLs, with 27 sacks ... Played in the 2013 Under Armour High School All-America Game ... Also participated in wrestling and track in HS ... Communications major at Auburn ... Father, Carl Sr., played fullback at Georgia Tech.