He’s quickly becoming a valuable gem in this year’s draft process.
It is easy to be overlooked when one is playing on the same team as Jonathan Allen, Ryan Anderson, Reuben Foster and Tim Williams, but Wednesday was Dalvin Tomlinson’s time to show out and he dominated.
Alabama's hidden gem in the 2017 NFL Draft. Dalvin Tomlinson is a BAD man! pic.twitter.com/d0WW9DBTyX
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) March 8, 2017
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive lineman turned in 22 reps on the bench, and displayed a motor in agility drills that excited a multitude of NFL teams. Tomlinson flashed explosiveness off the ball, while having speed and control when bending his body and changing directions.
He received a lot of positive feedback, especially in the bag drills.
Alabama's Dalvin Tomlinson, Jonathan Allen and Dakota Ball in defensive line drills. pic.twitter.com/9fymBHhUoL
— Stephen M. Smith (@CoachingMSmith) March 8, 2017
His hands and lower body strength guided him to 62 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, seven quarterback hurries and four pass breakups through 15 games in 2016. Tomlinson’s impact as a two-gap defender is what limited Clemson’s offense in the first half (14-7, Alabama) of the 2017 College Football Playoff national championship game, and its rushing attack throughout the contest (91 yards, 42 carries).
Per the updated CBS NFL Draft Tracker, Tomlinson projects as a third-round pick.
Stephen M. Smith is a managing editor and columnist for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @Smsmith_TDALMag.
