Could Norman-Lott add more explosiveness to the interior of the Giants’ defense?
Most agree that the New York Giants need to add some talent to their defensive line.
For the most part, people bring up their run defense as the primary issue with the Giants’ defense. That said, Shane Bowen’s defense is predicated on disrupting the offense with four “elite” (as he put it) penetrating rushers.
In that case, the Giants could look at Tennessee defensive lineman Omarr Norman-Lott.
Norman-Lott is a bit undersized, but has a very explosive first step which allows him to be a big problem for offensive linemen. That explosiveness and his agility make him a capable pass rusher as well as a run defender. Could those traits make him appealing option for the Giants if he falls to the second day of the draft?
Prospect: Omarr Norman-Lott (55)
Games Watched: vs. NC State (2024), vs. Oklahoma (2024), vs. Alabama (2024), vs. Georgia (2024)
Measurables
Height: 6-foot 1 7/8 inches
Weight: 295 pounds
Arm length: 33 5/8 inches
Hand size: 11 1/8 inches
Strengths
Best traits
- First step explosiveness
- Leverage
- Pass rush
- Power
- Competitive toughness
Omarr Norman-Lott is an undersized but impressively explosive defensive tackle. He has less-than-ideal size, at 6-foot 1 ⅞ inches, 295 pounds, though he has surprisingly long arms for his frame at 33 ⅝ inches.
Normon-Lott is highly disruptive when he’s allowed to attack individual gaps thanks to his natural leverage maximizing good play strength, a fantastic first step, solid hand usage, and a knack for keying the snap.
He does an excellent job of timin the snap, particularly for a player who was used in a rotation, and is often the first player moving besides the center. He wastes no energy in his get-off, firing forward to maximize his leverage and power, easily getting under most guards’ pads. Normon-Lott uses his long arms well to engage guards and deliver a hard jolt to drive them back on their heels.
He primarily uses a bull rush, but balances that with speed-to-power, a long-arm move, and the occasional rip move. He understands how to rush with a plan and has built his pass rush repertoire around his strengths. Normon-Lott generally does a good job of placing his hands to win inside leverage and has great grip and core strength to torque and control blockers.
He’s very disruptive behind the line of scrimmage and also shows fantastic competitive toughness as a run defender. Normon-Lott understands how to put his hips in the gap before disengaging to make a play on the ball carrier, and is also very quick to retrace in pursuit. He has a high-revving motor and is tireless in pursuit of the ball carrier, though he doesn’t have the speed to run many skill position players down.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Height and weight
Norman-Lott’s primary weakness is his frame, as he’s both short for an NFL defensive tackle at just under and also a bit light. Neither of those are particularly far from the NFL’s archetype for the position, but his size does impact his game.
Normon-Lott simply lacks the mass of some of his larger peers, which makes it more difficult for him to take on larger guards and double-teams. Likewise, his play speed can slow considerably if a blocker is ready for his explosiveness and his initial rush fails.
Finally, much of his play strength is due to a combination of good strength maximized by great leverage and an explosive first step. Normon-Lott doesn’t lose leverage often, but many of his advantages disappear on the rare occasions that he pops up out of his stance.
Game Tape
(Norman-Lott is the Tennessee defensive tackle wearing number 55)
Projection
Omarr Norman-Lott projects as an important rotational defensive tackle who has starting upside in the right scheme.
NFL teams might be wary of playing Norman-Lott in short-yardage situations due to his size. However, his sheer disruptiveness will make it hard for coaches to take him off the field in most situations. He’ll be at his absolute best as an interior defender in a one-gap defense that allows him to attack into the backfield. He’s an absolute handfull for individual linemen and is also able to split double-teams when attacking. His athleticism gives him solid versatility and he can play out of a variety of alignments, from 1 to 5-technique, but again, he shouldn’t be asked to two-gap or hold up against double-teams.
Teams that want to use defensive tackles as block eaters should probably look elsewhere, but any team that wants a penetrating interior defensive lineman should give Norman-Lott some serious consideration.
Does he fit the Giants?
Yes
Final Word: An early Day 2 value
