Giants Roster Breakdown: Marvin Austin

Next up in our player-by-player breakdown of the 90-man roster the New York Giants will bring to training is Marvin Austin, the thus-far disappointing defensive tackle who has yet to make any real impact after being drafted in the second round in 2011, 52nd overall.

2012 Season In Review

Austin played in eight games, totaling five solo tackles and three assists in 103 snaps. That is all the production the Giants have gotten from Austin in two seasons. He spent his rookie season on IR with a torn pectoral muscle. Markus Kuhn, the 2012 seventh-round pick, played 173 snaps and registered 12 tackles and four passes defensed, illustrating exactly how far down the depth chart Austin was.

2013 Outlook

Forget being a dominant player. The 2013 NFL season is likely Austin's last real chance to prove that he can be a useful NFL player. What to expect? Who knows? The eight games he played last season are the only real football he has played in three seasons, having missed his senior season at North Carolina after being suspended for accepting illegal benefits.

Linval Joseph, Cullen Jenkins and this year's second-round pick Johnathan Hankins figure to receive signficant playing time in the defensive line rotation. That leaves Austin fighting for playing time -- and maybe even a roster spot -- with Mike Patterson, Shaun Rogers, Kuhn and five-year veteran Frank Okam.

I think Austin makes the team. The Giants history is to show tremendous patience (too much patience?) with their high draft picks. It has been a long time since Austin made an impact on a football field, however, and I don't see that changing. It would be nice if he proves me wrong, but I don't see him as more than a bit player and an occasional part of the defensive tackle rotation.