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Dominant Debut
Against an Eagles rushing attack that was the best in the NFL last season, Hankins posted a team-leading +3.1 run defense grade with four run stops. He didn’t have a single negatively-graded play all game. Philadelphia’s Jason Kelce finished the season as our top-graded center, but he had a nightmarish -8.9 run blocking grade against the Giants that week thanks in part to Hankins. With 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, the rookie controlled Kelce at the point of attack and used one arm to tackle LeSean McCoy for a loss. On the very next play, he again handled Kelce and quickly got off the block to stop McCoy for a one-yard gain.
Hankins = Linval Joseph on steroids
Overall, Hankins’ +9.5 run defense grade for the entire season led all Giants defensive tackles and was +1.5 better than Joseph in one-third the snaps. If you factor in playing time, Hankins had the third-highest grade per run defense snap of any defensive tackle in the entire league. His 10.5 Run Stop Percentage was seventh out of 77 NFL defensive tackles with at least 100 run snaps last season. His pass rush left a lot to be desired (he only had three quarterback pressures the entire season), but he only had three snaps total in 3rd-and-long obvious passing downs. Keep in mind that Joseph himself was never a dominant pass rusher outside his 2011 season.
The Giants front office always drafts with a long-term plan in mind, and certainly they were cognizant of Joseph’s contract year when they selected Hankins. No team likes to lose a 25-year-old durable player in his prime, but paying a hefty price for a run-stopping defensive tackle isn’t a necessity when there’s a potentially better one waiting in the wings. Now that Joseph is gone, Hankins is a projected starter and will no longer have to wait for playing time. If his rookie year is any indication, the Giants will wonder why they were so patient in the first place.
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