Film room: Giants’ DT D.J. Reader will anchor revamped defensive line

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I love how easily Reader transitions off of Schmitz’s reach attempt back to the inside. He presses the front-side A and gets to the back-side B to close the cut-back lane — that is top-level defensive tackle play.

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Reader is massive — I’m not trying to act as if he’s Usain Bolt — but he does have more range than other gigantic defensive linemen, a trait that’s accentuated by his awareness. He brushes off the chip and fights through the reach block to force the jump-cut back to the the inside. Very good gap execution and adjustment off the running back’s movement. Watch how he located Lamar Jackson off a twist attempt:

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Greg Van Roten didn’t fare much better in the rep below; pay attention to the low nature of Reader and how easily it appears for him to operate and move with his hips low. His upper body strength was plenty to keep Van Roten from accessing his chest, which also points to the quickness of Reader’s hands.

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Reader receives no stats for the play above but it’s an ELITE block destruction off a power-gap concept on third-and-one. He takes the play-side down block and bullies him back into the pullers to create a traffic jam that results in Josh Jacobs being tackled at the line of scrimmage. Reader unlocks impressive strength and raw power at the point of attack. He is a force when he keeps his hips low.

As we saw in several clips above, Reader stresses double-teams. His ability to stay low, find space, and anchor into the ground puts double-teams that vacate prematurely into precarious situations, for the offensive lineman stuck in the one-on-one rarely has a clean grasp of Reader. Still, even if the linemen do have a direct shot, Reader is savvy and proficient enough to make a play in his gap.

Reader’s techinque allows him to effective execute his assignment against double-teams, here are a few plays that substantiate this ability:

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Pass rusher

Reader is not a dynamic pass rusher like Lawrence, but he’s smart and strong. He can create interior pressure and find the appropriate angles/aiming points to create separation and harass the quarterback. He leverages his hands well, and his attack technique is effective. He also generates good push with his power moves:

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Reader has pass rushing juice for a 330-plus pound nose tackle. Much of his success is dictated on his football IQ, timing, powerful hands, and more suddenness than one would expect. He understands how and when to work the half-man and use a double-swipe/rip — he knows how to string moves together. The Giants have a deep rotation up front, and Reader’s presence on the roster is not contingent on his pass-rushing, but he has enough ability to earn opportunities up front in third-down packages.

Final thoughts

The New York Giants may have just signed their best defensive tackle on the roster. Reader slides in as the de facto defensive tackle one, next to Shelby Harris and Darius Alexander — the latter of whom the Giants hope to see a massive second-year bump. One aspect of Reader’s game that I appreciate is how he plays within the structure of the defense. He’s a smart football player, and some of his best plays do not show up on the stat sheet.

The Giants opted to throw a bunch of darts at the board to try to patch up a relatively light defensive line room. There are several options now, and there should be enough snaps to go around, as an intense training camp battle will likely commence in a few months. The Giants signed a good, savvy football player in Reader, and one who should help their porous run defense.