The Dalvin Tomlinson Hype Has Begun

Eagan MN

24 March, 2021

8:18 AM

Description

Press release from purplePTSD: March 23, 2021 A couple weeks ago, If there was someone that Minnesota Vikings fans would get super hyped about on the defensive line, everyone would've guessed that that person would be Danielle Hunter. Instead, though, a lot of hype is surrounding the splashiest of Vikings free agency signings defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. DailyNorseman's wludford breaks down the hype surrounding Tomlinson, who will play alongside Michael Pierce and thus drastically improve the interior of the defensive line (which was one of the major liabilities during the 2020 season). https://www.dailynorseman.com/2021/3/22/22343926/dalvin-tomlinson-is-really-good "Tomlinson basically split his time last season between NT and DT/DE in the Giants 3-4 front, and had easily his best season as a pass rusher, with 28 QB pressures and a 74.6 pass rush grade from PFF, on 334 pass rush snaps." Wludford broke down tape of Tomlinson and said: "I hadn't seen a lot of Tomlinson on the field with the Giants, and his reputation of more of a run stuffing NT is what I was expecting to see when I began watching his tape. And yes, he can certainly stuff the run. But I was surprised how well he could collapse the pocket as a pass rusher." That's great news for a Vikings defense that would take any pass rushing from the nose tackle position as a pure bonus as long as their run blocking was shored up. Wludford continues: "He was even good at getting his hands up and knocking down passes. And as a run stuffer I was surprised how well he moves to get through the trash and make the tackle even when it's not his gap. One-on-one I didn't see many offensive linemen that could handle his 6'3", 320 pound load." Now I'm getting hyped. Wludford continues: "Even some of the very best. Against the not-so-good he could ragdoll them. Poor Ben Garland. And Connor Williams. And a couple others too. He's really good at extending his 33.5" arms and getting off blocks, and showed good explosion off the snap as well." This is all really great news for the Vikings. If they're now also capable of somehow keeping Danielle Hunter on the roster, they'll have a formidable front four with Hunter-Pierce-Tomlinson-Wonnum/Any draft pick from next month. After all, as Wludford concludes: "Bottom line, he's just a really good all-around defensive tackle." Let's hope that he's right, as the Vikings will need all the help they can get in 2021 if Hunter holds/forces his way out of Minnesota and the team yet again treats the offensive line as an afterthought. With home-run picks like Tomlinson, Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer will have less incentive to spend a first-or-second round pick on the defensive line. That just leaves room for more corners! After all, there's always the inevitable 25 7th-round picks to use on the O-line. This press release was produced by purplePTSD. The views expressed are the author's own.