Advertisement

Jets’ Laken Tomlinson named 9th best guard in NFL

The New York Jets made splash after splash in free agency. As it normally goes, moves made in the trenches are a tad overlooked.

But not only did the Jets shell out the most on guard Laken Tomlinson, there’s also what our friends at the NFL Wire said. Don’t just skim over Laken Tomlinson’s addition because he’s good.

In fact, Tomlinson was named the ninth-best guard recently by TD Wire’s Doug Farrar.

Check out Farrar’s breakdown on Tomlinson’s placement below:

9. Laken Tomlinson, New York Jets

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Another new guy, and in a new location. The Jets signed Tomlinson to a three-year, $40 million contract this offseason to bolster their offensive line, and that should work out well. Last season for the 49ers, he gave up three sacks, nine quarterback hits, and 21 quarterback hurries on 681 pass-blocking snaps.

Some of those pressures came about through opponent dominance; there are other times when Tomlinson (No. 75) was not aided by Jimmy Garoppolo’s hesitancy in getting rid of the ball — especially on stuff over the middle of the field. This sack against Green Bay’s Za’Darius Smith in the divisional round is an example of both things happening at the same time.

Tomlinson would be even better with a more decisive quarterback. Perhaps that will be Zach Wilson in 2022 and beyond, though Wilson still has a lot of things to work out in his game. Regardless, the addition of Tomlinson to that line will help in all kinds of ways.

Story originally appeared on Jets Wire