New York Giants most important defensive player is… – EWB Roundtable
By Ed Stein
Mike Esposito, Contributor, Empire Writes Back
This one is definitely a tough one to peg when you look at the current state of the Giants’ defense. The whole unit needs a complete overhaul, to be blunt. However, if I were to pick out a player that the defense can’t function without, I’d probably go with Dalvin Tomlinson.
The third-year pro’s work at nose tackle this past season went largely unnoticed due to the unheralded nature of the position and the team’s struggles against the run, but there’s a lot to like about his potential going forward.
The 25-year-old had an excellent sophomore campaign in 2018 despite New York’s defensive woes. According to Pro Football Focus, Tomlinson finished the year as PFF’s’ 26th-ranked interior defensive lineman with an above-average 78.9 overall grade, the highest grade of any defender currently on the roster.
Tomlinson also tallied a team-leading 26 run stops last season, a total that was also the highest mark of any defensive lineman in the NFC East. That’s a pretty impressive feat, in my opinion, considering the division features some great interior defenders such as Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, and Da’Ron Payne.
If he can build on his success from last year, Tomlinson might establish himself as not only the best defender on the team but one of the best players at his position in 2019.