Merrin won the 2010 grand final with the Dragons and was at the club when Lawrie was coming through the under-20s system, before finishing his career playing alongside the Wollongong junior in the Red V.
Lawrie, 26, earlier this year signed a three-year deal to keep him at the Dragons until the end of 2026.
"I love him. He just wears his heart on his sleeve and puts the Red V and team first," Merrin told AAP.
"He is a potential future captain of the club. You can build a club around a player like Blake Lawrie because he does all the tough stuff.
"He is a Steelers junior who has come all the way through and he holds the pride in the Red V close to his heart."
Merrin described Lawrie's leadership in the same breath as Dolphins captain Jesse Bromwich and Melbourne skipper Christian Welch as props doing a sterling job in the NRL.
"Blake's a leader of that calibre," he said.
"I was lucky enough to be in the system while he was there and I saw those qualities in him.
"He didn't need too much mentoring. He is a very quick learner and knows what qualities to look for in other players to make himself better."
Lawrie starts at prop against the Gold Coast in Robina on Sunday in his 108th game for St George, as the Dragons go in search of back-back wins.
The future of off-contract coach Anthony Griffin - told to re-apply for his position in 2024 - remains dependent on the team's performances.
Merrin, now in a back-office role with the Dragons, said Griffin was handling the attendant media scrutiny well.
"He is only human and there is always pressure being in the top job but his main concern is the playing group and getting them ready every week," he said.
"Everything else is outside noise by the media.
"He is a great coach and person. He knows how to get on the players' level and his biggest asset is that he worries about the person before the player.
"I just want to see the club go well. (Griffin) did a lot for me on and off the field throughout my career (at Penrith and the Dragons)."
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