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For a lot of the season, the New York Giants defense was one of the very worst in the league. The past three weeks they have turned things around, and while Jason Pierre-Paul has the gaudy numbers, the true key has been Johnathan Hankins.
Even during the seven-game losing streak when the defense was at its worst, Hankins was never at fault. He came into this Sunday’s game as a top five defensive tackle according to Pro Football Focus. His name is up there with the likes of Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy in only his second year in the NFL.
The Giants drafted Hankins in the second round of the the 2013 draft, and now at 22 years old he is having a huge breakout season. The Giants expected a lot out of Hankins this year as they let their best defensive tackle from a year ago, Linval Joseph, leave in free agency with the idea in mind that Hankins could replace him. Hankins has taken that opportunity and run with it.
Even though the Giants had high expectations for Hankins, never in their wildest imaginations could they have expected him to be a top five defensive tackle in only his second season. Hankins is making quite a strong case to be a Pro Bowler this year and would be a huge snub if he was left out.
Aside from the Pro Football Focus rating, Hankins also has some pretty impressive statistics. He has racked up 48 total tackles, which is an impressive number for a defensive tackle, and has seven sacks this season, good for second on the Giants and fifth most among defensive tackles in the entire league.
No matter what way you look at it, Hankins is having an outstanding season. He is one of the best run stuffers in the league and is a very good pass rusher for a tackle. The Giants put a lot of faith in Hankins, and he has made them look great for doing so. He deserves to be rewarded with a Pro Bowl selection, and it is time people start recognizing what kind of talent this young man has as a building block for the Giants in the future.
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