The New York Giants have plenty of talent to utilize in 2020 and beyond. Drafting offensive tackle Andrew Thomas and safety Xavier McKinney upgrades two essential positions on both sides of the ball.
With the establishment of new head coach Joe Judge and an overhauled coaching staff in place, the team should look vastly different this year. The offensive scheme, led by Jason Garrett, should include heavy 12 personnel sets and running the football. The defense will also be different, with a focus on man coverage and blitzing on third down.
I expect the Giants to be an aggressive football team, putting their pedal to the metal. Judge is committed to playing smash-mouth football for all four quarters. However, relying on their unsung heroes will be important moving forward. The offensive line remains unpredictable, but they have established depth, which brews confidence in the unit.
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Here are two New York Giants players who are vastly underrated:
1.) Dalvin Tomlinson
Tomlinson is an extremely effective player for Big Blue. The former Alabama stand-out is 26-year-old entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Giants. He has yet to miss an NFL game and had his best season in 2019.
After the Giants traded for Leonard Williams, Tomlinson’s stats exploded. He racked up 3.5 sacks, 49 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits. He set career highs in sacks, tackles for a loss, and quarterback hits.
His aggression and ability in the run game are essential for success on defense. Pairing him with Dexter Lawrence and Williams should give the Giants a stellar interior presence. In addition, he is a fantastic tackler, missing just 5.8% of his tackles in 2019.
The ability to depend on him to help solidify the trenches and push the pocket is why he is so undervalued. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will scheme a pass rush, which will rely on the defensive tackles to collapse the pocket and open up pass rush lanes for linebackers and safeties.
Tomlinson has fantastic hand strength, giving him the ability to overpower centers and guards. He is especially effective lining up in the 0-technique, as he contains the size and strength to dominate. Starting in the three-technique, Tomlinson is great at drawing double teams and holding his ground between the guard and tackle. This gives an advantage to the Giants outside linebackers in 1v1 situations.
With just one year left on his deal, the Giants would be silly not to extend him. As a second-round pick, they don’t have the ability to pick up his fifth-year option, which requires them to offer a multi-year deal to keep him in blue for the foreseeable future.