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How Much Should We Expect from Dalvin Tomlinson?

adamg : 7/23/2017 2:02 pm
I was under the impression that we shouldn't expect too much production from Tomlinson before I looked at several different aspects that may play a role here. And, I've seen a lot of people saying seemingly contradictory statements about DT's rookie expectations. On the one hand, there seem to be a few people saying we can expect Hankins-like production from him (presumably as well as Hankins produced as a rookie) and yet also that we can expect him to become the starter as the season goes on.

First things first, Hankins didn't produce as a rookie. He didn't play many snaps and never even started a game. That was part of why I thought Tomlinson might not be an initial contributor. But several factors show that maybe more was at work there.

Looking at that 2013 team, you could see why Hankins may have been limited simply by a more loaded roster. Cullen Jenkins was our 3 tech. Linval Joseph was the 1 tech. Mike Patterson and Shaun Rogers - guys who had started every game for teams in the past - were also ahead of Hankins on the depth chart and saw significantly more snaps at DT. Hankins ended up with 9 solo tackles and 7 assists seeing 16.9% of the snaps. It wasn't until year 2 that he started (all 16 games), produced (7 sacks to go with 51 total tackles), and saw the second most defensive snaps (64.6%) of all defensive linemen, not in small part due to the loss of some of those guys who were around his rookie year.

Looking at our 2017 roster, there's no one near as accomplished as Jenkins (or even Patterson or Rogers) to prove too entrenched for Tomlinson to dethrone as the #2 DT. Robert Thomas seems to be the de facto starter. Thomas saw action in 8 games last year, never started, ended the season with a sack but only 5 total tackles and played only 6.1% (68) of defensive snaps.

Jay Bromley alternatively might be considered the de facto starter. (He seems more suited for passing downs and occasionally spelling the 3 tech, imo.) He ended up with 1 sack and 14 total tackles, playing significantly more (248 snaps, good for 22.3% of defensive snaps) than Thomas.

And Corbin Bryant was an interesting signing in terms of bringing in vet DT experience to lead the way for Dalvin. But, he's listed at 6'4'' 300, and seems more likely considered competition for Bromley (3 tech and passing down DT) rather than competition or a vet alternative to Tomlinson.

Hankins came up with four guys who were or had previously been 16 game starters and vets. Tomlinson doesn't have that in front of him. And the last point I'll make that may indicate where our expectations should be for his involvement and production, I looked at the Hankins' draft and Tomlinson's draft. Hankins came in a loaded class where he was the sixth DT taken. Tomlinson arguably was the second DT taken, and maybe even the first DT taken if you're talking about guys who can play both the 1 tech and 3 tech. So, it's not without precedent that DTs come in hot out of the gate:

Players Taken Before Starts/Games Played
Sheldon Richardson 15/16
Star Lotulelei 16/16
Sharrif Floyd 1/16
Sylvester Williams 4/13
Kawann Short 0/16
Johnathan Hankins 0/11

Players Taken Before
Jonathan Allen (more of a DE or 3 tech than true DT)
Malik McDowell (more of a 3 tech than a 1 tech)
Dalvin Tomlinson

So, despite Hankins coming into a scenario where he would have to show tremendously in order to command a ton of playing time, Tomlinson doesn't necessarily have to. And given the immediate success we have seen from DTs even within Hankins own class, we shouldn't rule out Tomlinson from showing up big time even as a rookie DT.
Probably  
AcidTest : 7/23/2017 2:15 pm : link
more and more as the season progresses, but my guess is that Thomas starts vs. Dallas. It would be great if Tomlinson is the third DT coming out of camp. That would get him a game jersey, and some snaps on defense.
ROY or 4th DT  
larryflower37 : 7/23/2017 2:17 pm : link
You can not judge players on other players performance.
He comes from a big program and we do not have a lot of depth in front of him so anything is possible.

If he comes in physically ready to handle 16+ games?

If he can get the play book down to start?

Does he have the skills necessary to start at DT?

no one is able to answer any of these questions yet.

I hope it is yes to all the above and he is ROY but more likely he is part of a rotation at DT.

.  
arcarsenal : 7/23/2017 2:24 pm : link
I think DT can be just as productive as Big Hank was in year 1. Maybe more because playing next to Snacks with JPP and Vernon on the ends is about as good a situation as a rookie DT is ever going to fall into.
RE: .  
adamg : 7/23/2017 2:25 pm : link
In comment 13536671 arcarsenal said:
Quote:
I think DT can be just as productive as Big Hank was in year 1. Maybe more because playing next to Snacks with JPP and Vernon on the ends is about as good a situation as a rookie DT is ever going to fall into.


Did you read my post? Saying he can be as productive as Hankins as a rookie is literally saying he won't do much.
RE: RE: .  
arcarsenal : 7/23/2017 2:28 pm : link
In comment 13536672 adamg said:
Quote:
In comment 13536671 arcarsenal said:


Quote:


I think DT can be just as productive as Big Hank was in year 1. Maybe more because playing next to Snacks with JPP and Vernon on the ends is about as good a situation as a rookie DT is ever going to fall into.



Did you read my post? Saying he can be as productive as Hankins as a rookie is literally saying he won't do much.


Yes, I read your post and shared what I am expecting.

Hankins was solid but unspectacular in year 1 - because of how favorable Tomlinson's situation will be, I think he's a safe bet to at least be that but I wouldn't expect a whole lot more.
I am anticipating a lot from the kid  
uncledave : 7/23/2017 2:36 pm : link
he could have gone to Harvard but passes that up for Alabama because of a love for football. Most rookies cant ingest a playbook fast enough but I don't foresee that being an issue for DT at all. If he can stay healthy, with JPP, OV, and Snacks by his side, his match-ups will remain favorable. I expect pure domination.
I expect he'll be worked in as part of  
PEEJ : 7/23/2017 2:37 pm : link
a rotation for the 1st half of the season, with an appreciable uptick in snaps and starts after the bye
Agree with PEEJ.  
TC : 7/23/2017 3:19 pm : link
He's a big, tough very smart kid with a good attitude. He'll be seeing plenty of snaps by the end of the season.
I agree that,  
Doomster : 7/23/2017 3:25 pm : link
to fall into a situation where he is surrounded by three elite players, and the guys on the depth chart, ahead of him, are basically there because of experience.....this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the guy......hope he takes advantage of it....
.  
Big Blue '56 : 7/23/2017 3:31 pm : link
A lot
I expect  
John from Atlanta : 7/23/2017 3:53 pm : link
the same unknown as any rookie. The guy could be complete garbage or an all pro. Anybody who tells you they know what to expect is lying. Go read what people wrote about Marvin Austin.
Coughlin was reluctant  
johnnyb : 7/23/2017 4:46 pm : link
to allow rookies to play a lot. McAdoo has shown he will allow rookies to play. Big difference in coaching styles. Hankins lack of play as a rookie not necessarily due to performance.
I expect a lot of snaps  
WillVAB : 7/23/2017 4:48 pm : link
I think Snacks played around 70% of the snaps last year. Bromley and the other vets are rotational guys at best.

The other starting spot is Tomlinson's to lose.
I hope Tomlinson wins  
jeremysgiants : 7/23/2017 5:12 pm : link
the starting job in camp but I also wouldn't be surprised if our opening day starter isn't yet on the roster. I have little to no confidence in Thomas or Bromley. Anyone know which teams if any are packed at DT? Maybe a solid but aging vet will be cut.
Expectations for Tomlinson  
Big_Pete : 7/23/2017 5:57 pm : link
From the front office point of view, I think they expect Dalvin Tomlinson to compete for the playing time opposite Harrison. Considering he is a rookie and previoulsy our DTs have taken a while to work into the mix, I think that is reasonable baseline for what we should expect.

I do, however, think that Tomlinson may surprise a lot of people this year. I think he is more NFL ready than many DTs coming out of college. I think his strength, hand placement and leverage, while needing development for the NFL, will put him in good stead. Having Damon Harrison as a mentor will also be valuable.

The key will be how we replace Johnathan Hankins' 816 snaps (from PFF). I can't see us increasing Harrison's 720 snaps. I expect NYG will be split Hankins' snaps between Tomlinson and Bromley with Robert Thomas or Corbin Bryant picking up the that Bromley (264) and Thomas (76) had last year.

I think the reason we aren't hearing many projections on Tomlinson  
NoGainDayne : 7/23/2017 6:05 pm : link
is because it's silly to project a DT before pads go on.

The players you hear about at this point are the ones that are impressive movers so the fact that there isn't much hype surrounding him isn't strange.

Giants seemed to pick him for strength / intelligence and there is no way to really asses that at this point.
tough comparision  
BlackburnBalledOut : 7/23/2017 6:20 pm : link
Coughlin barely ever played rookies, McAdoo howevr had no problem with it in his 1st year coaching the Giants.

I expect him to be the DT2 behind Harrison, i dont expect much more than to clog up the line and eat blockers. he should be protected by the talent around him. Hankins is a good player but thats as far as I'll go. I think Tomlinson can step in and play well.

i dont expect a pro bowl plaer just yet.

We may see Bromley get more snaps than we are used to early on while tomlinson gets his legs under him. i wouldnt expect that to last if it were the case and honestly idk if bromley even makes the roster.
Tomlinson  
Samiam : 7/23/2017 7:15 pm : link
None of the previous Giants DT draft choices had anybody as good as Snacks playing next to them. That would make Tomlinson starting from day 1 more possible. Second, Tomlinson is playing a different role here than he played at Alabama which may be good or bad. There, he was the man usually doubleteamed. Here, that's not long likely to happen unless Snacks gets hurt. Last, as mentioned above, the competition for the starting position is not as intense. Not saying it will happen but I could see him starting from day one
How much should we expect  
BigBlueWhale : 7/23/2017 7:47 pm : link
from anyone in the trenches?

I think we'll find out starting August 1st - the expected 1st practice in full pads. I'll be there. Looking forward to seeing if Flowers, Fluker, Hart or Tomlinson look like good football players.
RE: Tomlinson starting  
BigBlueWhale : 7/23/2017 7:52 pm : link
McAdoo has shown a willingness to start rookies.
As for history, Cofield started.
Linval had Canty, Cofield and Rocky Bernard in front of him.
Hankins had LinJo and Cullen Jenkins.

Although I like Robert Thomas and think he can do a good job as a base starter, Tomlinson has a clearer path.
Did Joseph get many snaps  
grizz299 : 7/23/2017 8:22 pm : link
in his rookie year.?
Fred Colfield (as Blue Whale noted) Kevin Boss and Aaron Ross played every snap as a rook in a year that we won the superbowl.
Then in 2011 TC started two lowly regarded rooks on another superbowl team..but the myth continues (TC wouldn't start rookies).
Point is: The past isn't really relative or predictive. My gut tells me Tomlinson will start. Seems he has the ideal skill set, intelligence, work ethic and incredible strength that made him one of the great college wrestlers of all time.
Everyone is down on Bromley, I wonder, now his third year and it's not impossible he'll put it together. This is a man who has overcome alot through hard work and I'm not ready to count him out.
In one sense, I think Hankins was underrated and might be missed. He was not a 3 and that might have hurt against the standard NFL passing game. But it was a nice match up to go up against the poower of the Dallas line with two 1 technique tackles. Styles makes fights.
Cofield Did Not Start  
Samiam : 7/23/2017 8:41 pm : link
Cofield was not in the SB draft nor did he start as a rookie. The DT in that draft class was Alford 3rd round pick from Penn State and he didn't start as a rookie either
We are expecting a lot.....  
Dry Lightning : 7/23/2017 8:47 pm : link
And he is a rookie. We could be easily disappointed. Really, we should hope that he is a decent rotational player. It is time for Bromley to either show us something or hit the bricks. Dude has been a fucking dud.
RE: I agree that,  
Gatorade Dunk : 7/23/2017 9:23 pm : link
In comment 13536715 Doomster said:
Quote:
to fall into a situation where he is surrounded by three elite players, and the guys on the depth chart, ahead of him, are basically there because of experience.....this is an opportunity of a lifetime for the guy......hope he takes advantage of it....

Commas, and ellipses...

And that's about it.
RE: Did Joseph get many snaps  
Gatorade Dunk : 7/23/2017 9:25 pm : link
In comment 13537014 grizz299 said:
Quote:
in his rookie year.?
Fred Colfield (as Blue Whale noted) Kevin Boss and Aaron Ross played every snap as a rook in a year that we won the superbowl.
Then in 2011 TC started two lowly regarded rooks on another superbowl team..but the myth continues (TC wouldn't start rookies).
Point is: The past isn't really relative or predictive. My gut tells me Tomlinson will start. Seems he has the ideal skill set, intelligence, work ethic and incredible strength that made him one of the great college wrestlers of all time.
Everyone is down on Bromley, I wonder, now his third year and it's not impossible he'll put it together. This is a man who has overcome alot through hard work and I'm not ready to count him out.
In one sense, I think Hankins was underrated and might be missed. He was not a 3 and that might have hurt against the standard NFL passing game. But it was a nice match up to go up against the poower of the Dallas line with two 1 technique tackles. Styles makes fights.

Ah, Fred Colfield.

At this point it's pretty obvious that you're just trolling - no one can consistently get every player's name wrong the way you do.
Everyone' mentions the fact Hankins and Joseph didn't play....  
TyFromQueens : 7/23/2017 10:12 pm : link
In their rookie seasons.

Everyone forgets Coughlin was The HC. Fewell was The DC.

Last season we started Shep on offense. Apple,Thompson,Adams and Orkwa later on when JPP went down.

This is a coaching staff that I s not afraid to play a rookie if they earn the time.

This is a wait and see game.
Hey  
allstarjim : 7/23/2017 10:16 pm : link
A combination of Fred Robbins and Barry Cofield would be a pretty damn good player!

Tomlinson's college tape is much better than Hankins was, first off. I believe he is much more NFL-ready than Hankins was, and I believe he'll be pretty good right out the gate and contribute early. But, it's all talk until the games start and he has to prove it. I think we are going to be happy Giants' fans.

But, anything can happen and let's just see what kind of roster we have going into week 1 of the season. I always just hold my breath until that week 1 game because injuries happen and hopefully that preseason will go smoothly on the health front.
RE: RE: Did Joseph get many snaps  
arcarsenal : 7/23/2017 11:06 pm : link
In comment 13537048 Gatorade Dunk said:
Quote:
In comment 13537014 grizz299 said:


Quote:


in his rookie year.?
Fred Colfield (as Blue Whale noted) Kevin Boss and Aaron Ross played every snap as a rook in a year that we won the superbowl.
Then in 2011 TC started two lowly regarded rooks on another superbowl team..but the myth continues (TC wouldn't start rookies).
Point is: The past isn't really relative or predictive. My gut tells me Tomlinson will start. Seems he has the ideal skill set, intelligence, work ethic and incredible strength that made him one of the great college wrestlers of all time.
Everyone is down on Bromley, I wonder, now his third year and it's not impossible he'll put it together. This is a man who has overcome alot through hard work and I'm not ready to count him out.
In one sense, I think Hankins was underrated and might be missed. He was not a 3 and that might have hurt against the standard NFL passing game. But it was a nice match up to go up against the poower of the Dallas line with two 1 technique tackles. Styles makes fights.


Ah, Fred Colfield.

At this point it's pretty obvious that you're just trolling - no one can consistently get every player's name wrong the way you do.


His posts are usually auto-skips for me anyway - I can't be bothered to wade through the disastrously unformatted walls of text that read like a rambling drunk.
A couple thoughts about Tomlinson  
Eric on Li : 7/23/2017 11:20 pm : link
1. He's older than a typical rookie and spent a lot of time being coached by NFL caliber coaches and playing against top quality offensive lineman (including practices).

2. He doesn't have overwhelming size or speed, he wins with technique and effort player.

For those reasons I expect him to be more ready to contribute right away than you're average rookie who has to learn "the right way" to do things. What's less clear is how high his upside is given that he doesn't have elite size or athleticism. From the moment he was drafted different things I've heard about him reminded me of Barry Cofield - who was a good player that started a lot of games in the NFL, including all 16 games his rookie year, even though he was never a dominant player or as talented as Hankins/Joseph. Just a tough, versatile, productive over-achiever.
About what Linvale Joseph  
Glover : 7/23/2017 11:31 pm : link
contributed his rookie season.
RE: Did Joseph get many snaps  
Gatorade Dunk : 7/24/2017 12:07 am : link
In comment 13537014 grizz299 said:
Quote:
in his rookie year.?
Fred Colfield (as Blue Whale noted) Kevin Boss and Aaron Ross played every snap as a rook in a year that we won the superbowl.
Then in 2011 TC started two lowly regarded rooks on another superbowl team..but the myth continues (TC wouldn't start rookies).
Point is: The past isn't really relative or predictive. My gut tells me Tomlinson will start. Seems he has the ideal skill set, intelligence, work ethic and incredible strength that made him one of the great college wrestlers of all time.
Everyone is down on Bromley, I wonder, now his third year and it's not impossible he'll put it together. This is a man who has overcome alot through hard work and I'm not ready to count him out.
In one sense, I think Hankins was underrated and might be missed. He was not a 3 and that might have hurt against the standard NFL passing game. But it was a nice match up to go up against the poower of the Dallas line with two 1 technique tackles. Styles makes fights.

Fred Colfield aside, Barry Colfield was a second year player in 2007, Boss was not the starter at TE for most of the season (Shockey started 14 games), and Ross only started 9 games as a rookie.

The actual information is right at your fingertips; why do you continue to make stuff up and/or trust your own memory?
RE: RE: Did Joseph get many snaps  
Gatorade Dunk : 7/24/2017 12:08 am : link
In comment 13537134 Gatorade Dunk said:
Quote:
In comment 13537014 grizz299 said:


Quote:


in his rookie year.?
Fred Colfield (as Blue Whale noted) Kevin Boss and Aaron Ross played every snap as a rook in a year that we won the superbowl.
Then in 2011 TC started two lowly regarded rooks on another superbowl team..but the myth continues (TC wouldn't start rookies).
Point is: The past isn't really relative or predictive. My gut tells me Tomlinson will start. Seems he has the ideal skill set, intelligence, work ethic and incredible strength that made him one of the great college wrestlers of all time.
Everyone is down on Bromley, I wonder, now his third year and it's not impossible he'll put it together. This is a man who has overcome alot through hard work and I'm not ready to count him out.
In one sense, I think Hankins was underrated and might be missed. He was not a 3 and that might have hurt against the standard NFL passing game. But it was a nice match up to go up against the poower of the Dallas line with two 1 technique tackles. Styles makes fights.


Fred Colfield aside, Barry Colfield was a second year player in 2007, Boss was not the starter at TE for most of the season (Shockey started 14 games), and Ross only started 9 games as a rookie.

The actual information is right at your fingertips; why do you continue to make stuff up and/or trust your own memory?

*Cofield (my own autocorrect is learning your misspellings)
Tomlinson will fit into the rotation early on...  
Torrag : 7/24/2017 12:40 am : link
...and depending on what Spags identifies as his strengths his opportunities will increase as time and his game progresses. The good news is we have the best DT in the game anchoring the unit and imo now three physical, talented guys to rotate in with him in Thomas, Bromley and Tomlinson.
starter  
bc4life : 7/24/2017 5:05 am : link
by mid-season. could be better than Hankins
I've never been high on Hankins...  
Milton : 7/24/2017 5:45 am : link
But in a world of false hype, I'm also a big believer in the mantra that money talks and bullshit walks, so I gotta believe that the Colts didn't give Hankins $9M/year to be a JAG. That being said, I still think Hankins won't be missed as long as Snacks remains healthy.

Meanwhile, I expect Tomlinson to be a plus player right out of the gate (or at worst, a non-liability).
Fact is,  
Doomster : 7/24/2017 6:06 am : link
Tomlinson has nothing to do with Cofield, Joseph or Hankins.........

He is his own entity....and anyone speculating about his play is, well, speculating.....

The Giants are offering him a chance at a brass ring, which is a chance to be a starter on a team with aspirations towards a SB.....anything can happen.....

But let's see him perform on the field first....

And Milt....what are you doing up this early?
RE: Fact is,  
Milton : 7/24/2017 6:26 am : link
In comment 13537163 Doomster said:
Quote:
And Milt....what are you doing up this early?
I'm not up this early, I'm up this late (west coast time).
Kind of expect a lot including being at the front of the rotation  
Jimmy Googs : 7/24/2017 6:49 am : link
In that spot when the season starts. I think rookies on the Giants seem to be more and more ready to contribute early on over the past several years. Not sure why but it's a fact.

And by the way Adam...Bromley and de facto starter should never go together in a sentence ever again.
I really like Tomlinson and expect him to start next to Snacks at some  
gersh : 7/24/2017 8:16 am : link
Point this season, likely early. But people forget that how good Hankins was in college. He wasn't at some DII school, he stated as a freshman at OhionState and rarely came off the field. Tomlinson tore his (other) ACL at Bama and didn't olay nearly as much as Big Hank. (DT tore his first ACL just before entering Bama - which caused him to redshirt his freshman year).
Again, I think Tomolinson plays more than Hank did as a rookie, but that's not because Hank didn't have the experience, because Hank had more experience coming into the NFL
The $64,000 question.  
Ira : 7/24/2017 8:47 am : link
None of us really know. All of us are hopeful. My guess is that he's a very quick learner and wins the starting job before mid-season.
Tomlinson's competition is much weaker than Hankins' or Joseph's was.  
Klaatu : 7/24/2017 9:29 am : link
It's a lot closer to what Barry Cofield's was, so it's tempting to project Tomlinson as an early starter (if not a day one starter, like Cofield). What's working against Tomlinson, though, is that teams spend so little time in pads in the summer these days...so little time with any actual hitting. No doubt his performance in the preseason games will mean a lot for the rookie, but just how many snaps he'll get remains to be seen. I don't think the OP's question will be answered until the season is well underway.

As I've said repeatedly, the battle for DT is the one I'm most looking forward to watching this summer, and not just to see who starts next to Harrison. Snacks played 61% of the defensive snaps last year (10% on STs). Hankins was in on 69% of the defensive snaps (19% on STs), so obviously who starts is the big question, but who comes in as the 3rd DT looks to be pretty important as well, even with the assumption that interior pass-rushing will be a DE's job, too.
he'll rotate  
annexOPR : 7/24/2017 12:44 pm : link
be solid, not put up huge stats, and the defense will be a top 5 unit barring the injury bug

Well he's not going to play on 3rd  
Brandon Walsh : 7/24/2017 1:07 pm : link
down in our pass rushing package so that will cut into 35% of the total snaps at least.

That could change if he proves he can push the pocket/generate a pass rush but I wouldn't hold my breath on that in his first year, or at least first half of the year.

Plus, Spags likes to kick inside his longer DE's in on 3rd down, ala JPP.
Milt I agree RE: Hank  
area junc : 7/24/2017 2:23 pm : link
and the Giants sure as hell didnt think he was worth that, but as a few speculated, he probably had his most value as a 34 NT. The Colts run a 34 and there you go. Let the guy get as big as he wants and clog the middle.
Not sure I trust the Colts front office in terms of player  
Ten Ton Hammer : 7/25/2017 9:10 am : link
evaluation anyhow.
...  
annexOPR : 7/25/2017 10:15 am : link
if the colts were any good at evaluating defensive talent they wouldn't have needed to ridiculously overpay a DT who hasn't been good in 2 years.
re: Tomlinson  
annexOPR : 7/25/2017 10:22 am : link
I expect him to rotate 1st and 2nd downs ... I actually would not be surprised if he is @ DT on passing downs - especially to give Snacks a breather.

low sack totals but he was disruptive as a pass rusher. Could be quite the force on 3rd downs - especially well rested
...  
annexOPR : 7/25/2017 10:25 am : link
sorry for flooding this thread, but he was at the top of my draft wish list - so nice when the giants actually pick "your guy" (last time this happened: Landon Collins)

here's a short n sweet video of how disruptive he can be ... has me thinking Cornelius Griffin 2.0
DT DT - ( New Window )
Tomlinson's a grinder.  
BigBlueWhale : 7/25/2017 10:36 am : link
Opponents aren't going to like this guy. There's nothing flashy about him, he's just your typical big, country strong Giants DL. Remember this is a 3 time Georgia state champion wrestler: he loves the grind. Stamina. Hard work.
Further many wrestling techniques are useful on a football field especially at DT. You can see on his college tape, he stacks almost like underhooks and is able to control offensive linemen.

On a tantalizing day before camp, here's a great Sports Illustrated article on DT before the draft:

Quote:
As the Alabama defensive linemen killed time watching television and playing video games on a road trip a few years ago, A’Shawn Robinson got bored and decided he should attempt what so many of his teammates had already failed to do. He wanted to wrestle fellow defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson.

Given a list of recent Alabama players, the 6' 4", 320-pound Robinson—who currently plays for the Lions—is the guy most outsiders would select as the person with whom one should absolutely not trifle. But inside the Alabama program, the players knew the correct answer was the guy Robinson challenged in that hotel room.

“Nah,” Tomlinson said at first. “I’m good.”

But this was the match the other Crimson Tide players had waited for. Robinson might finally be the guy who had the strength and quickness to subdue Tomlinson, who won three Georgia heavyweight state titles for Henry County High. (He probably would have won four, but his coach chose to let a senior wrestle in the heavyweight class when Tomlinson was a freshman.) It didn’t take long for the others to goad the 6' 3", 310-pound Tomlinson into facing off with Robinson.

It didn’t take much longer for Robinson to tap out.


Alabama's Least Hyped Prospect is Also its Biggest Badass - ( New Window )
Another note on Tomlinson:  
BigBlueWhale : 7/25/2017 10:47 am : link
Seems to fit into that "tackling machine" the Giants have going on up front. (OV, JPP and Snacks are all at the top of the league in tackles by DL.) Tomlinson notched 62 tackles last year, along with 5.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 4 PDs and 1 FF. I like that activity level especially for a guy playing in heavy rotation who is known to always play his gap.
If Thomas did his weight room and scheme specific technique work  
Bob in Newburgh : 7/25/2017 11:30 am : link
He is going to be hard to move out of the base stop the run first defense.

I suspect that it will take a year before DTs talent overcomes all before it.
rotate with thomas  
annexOPR : 7/25/2017 11:36 am : link
kill QBs on 3rd down

sounds good to me
DT  
Big_Pete : 7/25/2017 9:52 pm : link
In an ideal world, I think the general plan is to pair Tomlinson and Harrison inside on early downs to shut down the run and force the 3rd down situations where we can add the extra DE/s as inside pass rushers along with nickel and dime packages with our stacked secondary.

Obviously Tomlinson will need to develop and earn his spot.

It is interesting that we didn't go for a specialist 3 tech DT in favour of drafting Tomlinson who probably has a closer skill set to Hankins.
RE: DT  
Gatorade Dunk : 7/26/2017 12:05 am : link
In comment 13539020 Big_Pete said:
Quote:
In an ideal world, I think the general plan is to pair Tomlinson and Harrison inside on early downs to shut down the run and force the 3rd down situations where we can add the extra DE/s as inside pass rushers along with nickel and dime packages with our stacked secondary.

Obviously Tomlinson will need to develop and earn his spot.

It is interesting that we didn't go for a specialist 3 tech DT in favour of drafting Tomlinson who probably has a closer skill set to Hankins.

The desire for a 3T is entirely from fans/media - nothing that the team has done suggests that they feel they need a typical 3T. It's become pretty clear that they believe in stopping the run game to win the down and distance, and then cycle in pure pass rushers on 3rd and long.
RE: RE: DT  
Klaatu : 7/26/2017 8:13 am : link
In comment 13539068 Gatorade Dunk said:
Quote:
In comment 13539020 Big_Pete said:


Quote:


In an ideal world, I think the general plan is to pair Tomlinson and Harrison inside on early downs to shut down the run and force the 3rd down situations where we can add the extra DE/s as inside pass rushers along with nickel and dime packages with our stacked secondary.

Obviously Tomlinson will need to develop and earn his spot.

It is interesting that we didn't go for a specialist 3 tech DT in favour of drafting Tomlinson who probably has a closer skill set to Hankins.


The desire for a 3T is entirely from fans/media - nothing that the team has done suggests that they feel they need a typical 3T. It's become pretty clear that they believe in stopping the run game to win the down and distance, and then cycle in pure pass rushers on 3rd and long.


I disagree with that, GD. The Giants drafted Jay Alford, Marvin Austin, and Jay Bromley, who were all primarily 3-Techs, with the idea that they could provide an interior pass-rush. They signed free agent Rocky Bernard for the same reason. Even Johnathan Hankins, for all that he's a "bigger-bodied" DT, was expected to fill the same role, and my guess is that the Giants are hoping to get that push up the gut from Tomlinson as well.

I liked the Tomlinson pick (hell, I had the Giants drafting him in the 2nd round in one of my mocks). I do agree that the Giants were looking for a "run bully" (as Lance Zierlein described him) first and foremost, but I think what made him more attractive to the Giants was his versatility, as opposed to some other DTs they could have drafted who were more the pure-3-Tech type such as Larry Ogunobi or Jaleel Johnson.
Sans any injuries, you have to be quite optimistic about the Def Line  
Jimmy Googs : 7/26/2017 8:33 am : link
this season. I really think the high-priced talent we have at the the other 3 spots can only be benefit for a rookie like DT on the field. Sure, he will rotate with some tackles but if Giant evaluators are correct he will be the lead guy in that rotation by Thanksgiving.

I almost wish McAdoo/Spags don't even play JPP, Vernon and Snacks this preseason...at all

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