Dexter Lawrence

Should the New York Giants extend interior defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson?

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New York Giants, Dalvin Tomlinson

Should the New York Giants extend Dalvin Tomlinson beyond 2020?

The New York Giants will have a few decisions to make next off-season, including the extension or release of interior defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson. Tomlinson is on the final year of his rookie contract, and after posting favorable numbers in 2019, general manager Dave Gettleman, if he is still around, will have to make a tough choice.

While I don’t think Tomlinson will be astronomically expensive, he could earn a nice three-year contract making $8 million per season. In 2019, he had his best campaign, posting 49 combined tackles, nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

They say the best ability is availability, and Tomlinson has yet to miss a game at the NFL level. His health and consistency remain a significant factor behind his success and development. However, the addition of Leonard Williams significantly impacted his performance. He nearly doubled his production during the second half of the season last year after Williams was traded for.

“I love Leonard, he is a great guy,’’ defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson said, per the New York Post. “I feel like we clicked off the field for the most part because we both love animated video games. We became instant best friends, I guess you could say. I love playing beside him, he is a great guy. He brings great energy. We have great chemistry. I’m looking forward to playing with him this upcoming season.’’

The influence of the former Jets allowed Tomlinson to more than double his sack totals last year and begin to unlock some of his hidden talents. At just 26-years-old, Tomlinson has plenty of time to continue improving, and if the New York Giants retain Williams on a long-term deal, I believe Tomlinson deserves the same. Nonetheless, they could elect to let him walk in free agency if they offer Williams an extension, as the Giants will be looking to spread out their money and maximize each position with more cap-space likely becoming available.

The Giants have yet to land Williams on a multi-year deal as he currently stands to make $16.1 million on the franchise tag, a high number based on his production in recent years. Gettleman sees the value of his play and chemistry with his surrounding defensive linemen.

New York Giants: Can Dexter Lawrence take a major step forward in 2020?

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New York Giants, Dexter Lawrence

Recently, New York Giants‘ interior defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence revealed a little of what he’s been watching in quarantine. Titles include “American Assassin,” “Money Heist,” and “Shooter.” All these films specialize in action, thrilling adventure, and high stakes. Lawrence’s first season featured some action and very little adventure, but as a first-round draft pick, the stakes continue to be very high.

Can Lawrence elevate his performance in his second season? Only time will tell, but let’s take a look ahead and find out what we can predict.

The Giants spent a lot of draft capital on Lawrence. Besides being the 17th pick in the first round, Lawrence was also part of the fallout from the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Despite the investment, Lawrence’s first season was underwhelming. He contributed just 35 tackles (21 solo, 41 assists) and 2.5 sacks over 16 starts. Another defensive lineman, Jeffrey Simmons, drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the 19th pick, racked up 32 tackles (18 solo, 14 assists) along with 2 sacks. This, though, comes from a measly 9 games with only 7 starts.

Looking ahead, defensive lineman Taven Bryan was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018. His tackle position compares with Lawrence’s pass rush duties (he played in a 4-3 compared to Dexter’s 3-4 scheme), but let’s examine it anyway. His production leaped up from 2018 to his sophomore season in 2019. His tackle numbers went from twenty to a whopping thirty-three with only 8 starts.

A more direct comparison might be Marcus Davenport, New Orleans’ 14th pick of the 2018 draft. In his second year, Davenport earned 31 tackles compared to 21 in his freshman effort. He also went from 4.5 sacks to 6. For a bit of fun, legendary Giants defensive end Justin Tuck notched 65 tackles in his third season (he was injured for most of his second tour of duty).

These few comparisons alone suggest that Lawrence has been given plenty of opportunity to prove his worth; he just needs to capitalize on it more. It appears Lawrence may have spent too much of the 2019 campaign lacking the confidence to step into his role as a starting interior lineman fully. Despite his totals, the upcoming 2020 should find Lawrence boosting his play, his stats, and encompass the thrilling adventure he’ll need to dominate opposing offenses.

Why The New York Giants’ Defensive Line Is The Strongest Position Group On The Roster

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The New York Giants‘ defense is loaded with young talent. New York has invested a lot of draft capital over the past two years to improve its defense. They have found talent in the secondary and linebacker corps, but they have found more talent on the defensive line than anywhere else. The Giants have quickly turned their defensive line into the team’s strongest unit, thanks to some hefty investments that have loaded their roster with young, talented players.

Hefty Investments

Since 2018, Dave Gettleman has invested 2018 third-round pick, 2018 seventh-round pick, 2019 first-round pick, 2019 seventh-round pick, 2020 third-round pick, 2021 fifth-round pick, and $16.1 million franchise tag into the Giants’ defensive line. Additionally, former general manager Jerry Reese spent a second-round pick on the defensive line in 2017. All of these investments have allowed the Giants to build an excellent group of defensive linemen.

Loads Of Youthful Talent

The oldest player in the group is Dalvin Tomlinson, and calling him old is wildly inaccurate. Tomlinson will be only 26 years old when the season starts. The next oldest player is Leonard Williams, who will also be 26 years old when the season starts. Dexter Lawrence is entering his second season at 22 years old. All three of these players are 26 years old or younger and highly efficient at their positions.

Dalvin Tomlinson had a breakout season in 2019. He racked up a career-high 3.5 sacks to go along with 49 combined tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 13 pressures. Dalvin is primarily a run-stuffer but he showed great improvement as a pass-rusher last season.

Leonard Williams arrived and made a significant impact in 2019. Nearly every other player on the defensive line saw their efficiency increase due to Williams absorbing double teams. To read more about the improved play of the Giants’ defensive lineman after Williams arrived, click here.

Dexter Lawrence showed tons of promise as a rookie in 2019. The hog molly out of Clemson totaled 38 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks, and 15 pressures as a rookie. He was even the highest-graded rookie at his position according to Pro Football Focus.

Behind these top-three talents, the Giants have tons of depth on their defensive line. BJ Hill was a solid starter as a rookie in 2018, prior to Leonard Williams’s arrival. RJ McIntosh showed flashes and Chris Slayton was recently elevated off the practice squad. New York has no shortage of defensive line talent heading into the 2020 season.

New York Giants: 2 defensive players have breakout potential in 2020

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New York Giants, Dexter Lawrence

Taking a look at three defensive players for the New York Giants that could break out in 2020:

The Giants’ defense ranked 30th in points allowed during the 2019 season, allowing an average of 28.19 points per game. In the yards allowed section, they ranked 25th, allowing 377.31 yards per game. Ultimately, the Giants ranked 20th or worse in nearly every category. One of the more problematic statistics was their -17 turnover differential, showing how much they actually lost the football on offense and forced their defense out onto the field.

Increasing their time of possession to allow the offense more opportunity is essential, and that starts with Daniel Jones’ ball security and taking time off the clock with the running game. However, the defense must step up significantly moving forward, and these three players could make a significant difference in 2020.

1.) Dexter Lawrence

The former Clemson standout had a solid rookie season, playing in all 16 games and logging 63% of all defensive snaps. He recorded 38 combine tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine quarterback hits. His 11.6 missed tackle rate was a bit too high, but for a rookie, Lawrence played admirably.

A year of experience under his belt should promote further development, and gaining Leonard Williams on the line should also help his productivity increase. The Giants expect Lawrence to be a big run stopper and also put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, given the 3-4 base scheme.

2.) Oshane Ximines

Ximines is one of my favorite players going into year two for the Giants, and his 4.5 sacks on just 45% of defensive stats make him a prime breakout candidate. He missed zero tackles last season as a rookie and got after the quarterback well, knocking down the quarterback three times and collecting 12 pressures.

The big storyline is the Giants might have a weak pass rush next season, but I believe Oshane can be a significant factor for them. Considering Graham’s desire to utilize linebackers and safeties in a schemed pass rush, this unit could be vastly underrated.

New York Giants’ Leonard Williams was dominant in one specific category during 2019 season

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New York Giants, Leonard Williams

There is no question that the New York Giants will feature Leonard Williams on their defensive line during the 2020 season. General manager Dave Gettleman tapped Williams with the franchise tag, which will pay him about $16 million this upcoming year.

The Williams debate has been the talk of the town since Gettleman traded a third-round pick for him in 2019. While his influence doesn’t come in the form of sacks, he made the players around him better.

Specifically, Dalvin Tomlinson saw his numbers double when Williams joined Big Blue in week eight of the 2019 regular season. The former Jet also saw his numbers increase, mainly his quarterback hits, which saw an increase of six from 5 to 11 in nearly the same percentage of defensive snaps with the Giants. In fact, he actually played more defensive snaps with the Jets (by 1%) through the first seven weeks compared to the Giants in the final eight. That is quite impressive from a production standpoint.

However, when evaluating Williams, you shouldn’t look at his sack numbers, but rather his pressure rate. His 11.3 pressure rate in 2019, ranked 13th among interior defensive lineman, according to Pro Football Focus. He lead all interior lineman with 19 pressures, which was five more than the 2nd ranked player.

The debate isn’t whether Williams is productive, though, it’s his contract that spurs the most negativity. It seems people understand what he brings to the defense, but not the price tag that accompanies it. Paying out $16 million for a defensive tackle is often not the best allocation of resources. Nonetheless, the New York Giants still have time to extend him on a multi-year deal that pays him less per season.

The Giants need Williams to play at a high-level this upcoming season, as his influence on Tomlinson and Dexter Lawrence is significant.

“He brings experience and a great work ethic to our group because he makes you want to outwork him in practice every day, where he goes harder than anyone,” Lawrence told Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated. “A lot of people don’t understand the value he brings to a defense, but I know firsthand what kind of impact he makes.”

New York Giants: The hidden secrets surrounding Leonard Williams’ influence on defense

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New York Giants, Leonard Williams

Taking a look at how Leonard Williams helped the New York Giants‘ defensive line:

When general manager Dave Gettleman traded for Leonard Williams, most believed this was a deal meant to save his job and preserve his image within the NFL. Giving up a third-round pick and more for a defensive lineman who simply couldn’t log a sack looked problematic, but when you deep dive into the analytics, his influence is a bit more significant than you would imagine.

With the Giants in 2019, Williams posted 0.5 sacks, 26 combine tackles, 11 quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. On average, he played about the same percentage of snaps with both the Giants and Jets, but his numbers with Big Blue far out-gained his production with the Jets. He was able to get into the offensive backfield more frequently, seeing an increase of six quarterback hits after the trade, and he logged more tackles for a loss (0 to 2).

However, despite his increase in production, the Giants are scheduled to pay him $16 million for the 2020 campaign. Unless they can extend him and lower his cap hit significantly, they will be overpaying for a player who simply can’t get the quarterback on the ground. Alternatively, you could make the argument that he does his job just fine, drawing double teams regularly and ranking 13th and pressure rate at 11.3%, according to PFF.

From Pro Football Focus:

No player had a bigger deference between his pressure rate rank and sack rate rank than Williams, who split the year between the Giants and the New York Jets prior to his trade. Among 87 interior defenders with 200 or more pass-rushing snaps, Williams ranked 13th in pressure rate at 11.3% but his one sack in 424 pass-rushing snaps put him near the bottom of the list in sack rate. On the other hand, Williams led the position with 19 quarterback hits. A few fractions of a second faster on several of those plays and that sack total looks a whole lot more respectable.

Considering the draft capital that the Giants gave up acquiring Williams, it seems likely that they’ll retain him moving forward. He’s always been a better run defender than a pass-rusher, but he’s certainly better in the passing game than the one sack he was able to produce in 2019. Now the Giants just need to figure out how to balance all the young talent they have at interior defensive line if they re-sign Williams.

When looking at Williams, though, you have to look at the players around him and see how he affected their play as well. Before Williams joined the Giants’ defense, Dalvin Tomlinson was having an OK season. Prior to his week eight arrival, Tomlinson had recorded 0.5 sacks, 17 combine tackles, and 3 QB hits.

After his arrival, Tomlinson posted 32 combine tackles, three sacks, and six quarterback hits. He more than doubled most of his statistical output. This is a significant jump for a player who wasn’t considered to be a foundational piece on the defense. Taking a look over at Dexter Lawrence, who was a rookie in 2019, his stats also saw an improvement.

Before Williams’s arrival, he had posted one sack, 19 combine tackles, and three quarterback hits. After he joined, Lawrence posted 19 combine tackles, 0.5 sacks, and six quarterback hits. His production was about the same, but as a rookie, that is to be expected.

As the chemistry gels between the trio in the trenches, we can expect them to increase their production and offer more value to the defense. Sometimes looking at an individual’s numbers does not tell the full story, and with Leonard Williams, his influence on other players must be considered.

Projecting The New York Giants’ Top Roster Strengths in 2020

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New York Giants, Darnay Holmes, Julian Love, Jabrill Peppers, DeAndre Baker, Xavier McKinney, Corey Ballentine

The New York Giants have rebuilt their roster over the past couple of seasons. They found their future franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones, in 2019 and revamped their offensive line in 2020. The future is bright for the New York Giants, but the rebuild is not complete. There are some legitimate strengths on their roster but also some glaring weaknesses. Today, I will break down those strengths heading into 2020, and tomorrow I will be back to breakdown those weaknesses.

Running Back

Saquon Barkley is entering his third season in the NFL. The 23-year-old freak athlete out of Penn State is coming off of a thousand-yard rushing season, despite playing in only 13 games. He led the NFL in scrimmage yards as a rookie with 2028 yards. He is arguably the most talented running back in the league and will be playing in a new, run-heavy offensive scheme in 2020.

The hiring of Jason Garrett should be music to Saquon’s ears. Garrett has led one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks over the past decade in Dallas. Jason Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys ran for 2,153 yards last season on 4.8 yards per attempt with 18 rushing touchdowns. The team has rushed for over 1,900 yards in every season since 2016. In 2015 they were 10 yards short of that mark but were coming off of an explosive 2,354 rushings yards in 2014. Expect to see the New York Giants’ offense feature a heavy dosage of run plays with Saquon Barkley and the solid depth behind him in Dion Lewis.

The Defensive Line

Dave Gettleman has invested plenty of assets into the Giants’ defensive line. Reese invested a 2017 second-round draft pick on Dalvin Tomlinson. Dave Gettleman followed that up in 2018, drafting BJ Hill in the third round and RJ McIntosh in the seventh round.

In 2019, Dave Gettleman and the Giants went all-in bolstering the defensive line. They spent a first-round pick on Dexter Lawrence, a seventh-round pick in Chris Slayton, then made the controversial trade for Leonard Williams. Trading for Williams cost a 2020 third-round draft pick and a 2021 fifth-round draft pick. Plus, of course, the $16M+ franchise tag.

Altogether, the Giants have invested seven draft picks and around $20M in their defensive line. But this pricey investment has paid off. The Giants have one of the NFL’s best defensive lines with plenty of young talent that will only get better. Heading into 2020, the defensive line is the strongest positional group on the New York Giants’ roster.

The Secondary

Another positional group that the Giants have invested plenty of assets in recently is their secondary. In 2019, the Giants drafted three defensive backs (four if you count Sam Beal, the supplemental draft selection). The Giants traded up into the first round to draft DeAndre Baker, stole Julian love in the fourth round, and picked Corey Ballentine in the sixth round.

The Giants did lose Janoris Jenkins this year, but they quickly replaced him with James Bradberry. The Gmen signed Bradberry to a lucrative three-year, $43M contract. Bradberry will serve as the Giants’ primary cornerback in 2020 and beyond. The team also found two cornerbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft. Darnay Holmes, their fourth-round pick, could be a day-one starter in the slot. Chris Williamson was also a solid pick in the seventh round.

On the back end, the Giants have Jabrill Peppers, the talented safety acquired in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Peppers impressed in 2019 but had his season cut short due to injury. The Giants have also paired another young, talented safety with Peppers. Their second-round pick in 2020, Xavier McKinney, is an uber-versatile, instant-impact player. Combine those two talents with Julian Love mixed in and the Giants have a young trio of safeties to build their defense around for years to come.

New York Giants: Dexter Lawrence Named To PFWA All-Rookie Team

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New York Giants, Dexter Lawrence

There’s not a lot of players on the New York Giants this season who have been recognized by the rest of the league as being the best at their position – the lack of Pro Bowlers for the team just highlighted the poorer play from even the team’s star players this year. And most didn’t expect any Giants to end up with postseason rewards, based on their play over the season.

However, that wasn’t the case for everyone. Some players did perform well despite things overall going pretty bad around them, and one of those players was a defensive lineman who made a big impact in his first year in the league: Dexter Lawrence.

The former Clemson player was taken in the first round after the Giants selected Daniel Jones, with most agreeing that it was a decent choice despite some skepticism around Dave Gettleman’s trend of drafting defensive linemen, and immediately stepped into a starting role to help replace the loss of Damon Harrison.

In that rookie season, Lawrence appeared in 63% of the Giants’ defensive snaps and registered 38 combined tackles and 9 quarterback hits. His effort was enough to earn him recognition among the best rookies in the league, as part of the PFWA All-Rookie team.

The Giants defensive line hasn’t always played well in recent years so it’s useful for the Giants to have a growing star at the position. With a pass rusher potentially being added with a high pick in the 2020 Draft, Lawrence may just end up being part of a competent unit next year, which would be a good change for a team still trying to replace talents such as Jason Pierre-Paul.

New York Giants: A Promising Future Lies Ahead For Dexter Lawrence

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New York Giants, Dexter Lawrence

The New York Giants had a disappointing 2019 season that ended with a 4-12 record. This record was bad enough to secure New York an excellent draft pick, 4th overall. This will be the Giants’ third year in a row picking top-six in the NFL Draft.

Last year, the Giants had a crucial draft class. They selected their franchise quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick. On top of that, the Giants had two other first-round draft selections. The Giants’ three first-round picks and eleven total players selected in the 2019 NFL Draft signify a vital draft class in the team’s rebuild.

Dave Gettleman’s 2019 rosters seriously lacked talent. The Giants had not one player selected to the Pro Bowl and not one player receiver a First or Second-Team All-Pro vote. But that is not to say there were no bright spots on this roster. There were quite a few in fact and many of them came out of the 2019 NFL Draft class.

There are plenty of rookies for the Giants to be excited about. Daniel Jones looks the part of a franchise quarterback and Darius Slayton looks to be Jones’s favorite and most promising target. But on the defensive side of the ball, the Giants had one of the league’s top rookies in Dexter Lawrence.

Dexter Lawrence Stats And Highlights

With the seventeenth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Dexter Lawrence II, a massive interior defensive lineman out of Clemson. Dexter Lawrence is the epitome of Gettleman’s phrase “hog molly.” He stands tall at 6-4 and weighs in at a hefty 340 pounds. And the young man is pretty nimble for his size.

Dexter Lawrence’s 2019 rookie campaign was nothing short of impressive. The Giants’ defensive lineman was as consistent as can be. Dexter received the honor of making Pro Football Focus’s 2019 All-Rookie Team. Here is what PFF had to say about the Giants’ first-round pick out of Clemson:

There were a handful of interior defensive linemen taken in the first round of this past year’s draft, but Lawrence was the only one to put together a season with 500 or more defensive snaps and an overall grade higher than 70.0. He’s been at his best as a run stuffer in the middle of the Giants’ defensive line. Lawrence’s 76.3 run-defense grade ranks 21st among 117 qualifying interior defenders this season. – Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus

Dexter Lawrence was an excellent run-stuffer for the Giants in his rookie season. However, he demonstrated his ability to get after the quarterback, too. Dexter was logged with 2.5 sacks, 9 quarterback hits, and 15 pressures this season. Additionally, his massive stature commands double-team blocks, freeing up pass-rush opportunities for other Giants defenders.

Dexter Lawrence was a consistent and reliable player in his rookie season. He was able to play and start in all 16 games for Big Blue this year. There are holes all over the Giants’ defense, but any hole that might have been open on the defensive line has been quickly and ferociously plugged by Dexter Lawrence.

One underrated New York Giants defender showed up in 2020

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New York Giants, Dalvin Tomlinson

The New York Giants and GM Dave Gettleman have prioritized the building of the defensive line in recent years. Yet their run-stopping grades were below-averaging, ranking 20th in the league, even after trading for Leonard Williams. The unit was even worse against the pass, ranking 28th in the NFL.

However, those rankings ignore individual performances and the quality some players brought. One of the more underrated interior defensive linemen was Dalvin Tomlinson, who emerged as a silver lining in the lost season.

PFF stated:

Dalvin Tomlinson is the Giants highest-graded player on defense for 2019 with a 78.1 overall grade. That ranks 11th among all interior DL with at least 500 snaps and makes his 3rd consecutive season grading above 78 overall.

Tomlinson has quietly proved his worth throughout his career, despite not being a great pass rush force — he’s more stout against the run, tallying 49 combined tackles this year. In the 3-4 defense, though, he did manage to improve his numbers rushing the passer, setting career highs in sacks (3.5), and QB Hits (9). Going into the final year of his rookie deal, expect Tomlinson to have an excellent performance and excel in stopping the run. It’s clear that the addition of Williams and Dexter Lawrence improved his efficiency across the board.

The New York Giants have moves to make:

The Giants’ defense could look a bit different in 2020, as they have over $80 million in cap space to spend and are looking to bolster the defense in multiple ways. The draft also offers Gettleman an opportunity to acquire upgrades at the linebacker and edge rusher position, which would benefit Tomlinson.

One free-agent target the Giants could look into is Yannick Ngakoue, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars. His elite numbers rushing the passer make him the best available option this offseason, and it’s fair to assume Gettleman will consider him if they Giants remain steady with the 3-4 scheme.