For almost 16 full weeks, we here at Giants Wire continued to pound the drum for the New York Giants’ defensive line — Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence, B.J. Hill and, later on, Leonard Williams.
We routinely faced criticism for our belief that the unit was a strength of the team, particularly against the run following the addition of Williams. But with the defense hemorrhaging like a sieve on a weekly basis and the number of sacks down outside of linebacker Markus Golden, it was easy to understand how that confused onlookers.
Ultimately, our analysis has been supported by the — you guessed it — analytics.
In addition to Dexter Lawrence finding himself named to the 2019 Pro Football Focus All-Rookie Team, it was revealed on Thursday that Dalvin Tomlinson was the team’s highest-graded defender.
Tomlinson had a quiet but effective season, recording 49 tackles, six stuffs, one forced fumble and 3.5 sacks. He was strong against the run and produced a little pass rush upfront.
The fact that Tomlinson and Lawrence graded out so well and Williams was analytically dominant against the run speaks volumes about how poorly the team’s linebackers (and secondary) played. They were routinely being put in position to win thanks to the defensive line, but that rarely played itself out.
That aside, it’s nice to see Tomlinson receiving some of the recognition he deserves.
