Damon Harrison is still the Giants’ monster in the middle

No matter what defense the New York Giants play, 3-4, 4-3, 4-2-5, whatever, the guy who anchors the front for them is Damon Harrison.

Let's look at expectations for Snacks as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster.

2017 season in review

Harrison had the kind of season that has become standard for him. Dominant run defense, with the best Pro Football Focus run grade (94.2) among interior defenders for the second straight year. Not a lot of credit, as he was bypassed for All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

2018 outlook

Harrison should continue to be a dominant anchor for the Giants in the middle of their run defense. He turns 30 in November, and should still have a few seasons of high-level play remaining.

With the Giants going to a base 3-4 defense, Harrison will be returning to the defense he played in with the New York Jets, and to a full-blown nose tackle role.

"Obviously, I’ve played in a 3-4 before under [New York Jets Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles, and Coach Bettcher and Bowles worked together, so I have a lot of familiarity with the system," Harrison said during mandatory mini-camp. "It’s just all about reaching in that memory bank. Everything I was told to forget, I’ve got to remember again."

The Giants have been showing a run-stuffing three-man defensive front of Harrison, Dalvin Tomlinson and B.J. Hill. That is nearly 1,000 pounds of beef, and three guys capable of playing the nose.

There is much optimism about the ability of that trio to control the run, and as long as Harrison continues to play at a dominant level that would seem to be a goal the Giants can accomplish.