The New York Giants have been historically known for dominant, run stopping defenders, and they think they’ve found the heir apparent in former Alabama DT Dalvin Tomlinson.

The Giants selected Tomlinson in the second round, 55th overall, in last month’s NFL Draft, and they plan to build another stout unit around the former Tide man’s dominant skill-set.

Following the draft, New York’s vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross had this to say about Tomlinson’s abilities, via ESPN.

“Dalvin is strong. He is country strong, he has jolt, he has walk-back power, he is stout at the point of attack, he has sneaky athleticism and every down he plays hard. Every down.”

The Giants were specifically looking for another player who could certainly complement their stout defensive line.

“I think that is a big thing that the coaches were looking for with whoever that fourth guy was in there, because we have three studs on the defensive line, I think,” Ross said. “So the next guy, he can kind of come in there and learn from those guys and play his role. There are not a lot of big expectations, and just go play.”

Leading up to the NFL Draft, there was an unspoken buzz about Tomlinson. Obviously, Jonathan Allen, Marlon Humphrey and Reuben Foster were the most talked about trio from Nick Saban’s defense, but Tomlinson could be the hidden gem. We’ll just have to see how his career plays out, but it wouldn’t surprise us if he has a big-time NFL career.

While at Alabama, Tomlinson’s no-nonsense, gap-crushing game may have been overshadowed by bigger-named playmakers, but he was still able to compile 62 tackles, with 5.5 for loss, three sacks, and four pass deflections during his senior year in 2016.

The Giants are hoping that Tomlinson can continue that success as a defensive anchor for Big Blue.

Will Ogburn

A former resident of both Baton Rouge and the heart of Crimson Tide country, Will Ogburn handles multimedia content and news coverage for Saturday Down South.