Geno Atkins got some love Tuesday morning, when NFL.com broadcaster Willie McGinest tabbed the Bengal and former University of Georgia star the fifth-best defensive tackle in the league after he led all NFL interior linemen last season with nine sacks.
"Nobody can block this guy one-on-one," said McGinest, who played 15 seasons in the NFL as an outside linebacker with the Patriots and Browns. He won three Super Bowls, none with Cleveland.
The 6-foot-1, 300-pound Atkins has been a beast since 2010, when the Bengals drafted him in the fourth round out of the University of Georgia. With 52 sacks, eight fumbles forced and two recovered, he’s been to five Pro Bowls, and it likely would have been six straight if he hadn’t torn an anterior cruciate knee ligament in 2013. Twice he’s been named first team All-Pro.
Atkins (@GenoSacks) is busy getting ready for training camp, which opens July 28 on the practice fields west of Paul Brown Stadium (open to fans for free). He's working out with other NFL linemen and specialty coach Chip Smith in Norcross, Ga., just outside Atlanta, as seen in this Instagram post by Smith.
The NFL Network this spring tabbed Atkins No. 68 among all players in the league, regardless of position. Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams said the native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., is "unbelievable," and playing against him is, "like trying to stop a truck."
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins, who like Williams played against Atkins and the Bengals in 2015 in London, said, “pound for pound, he’s probably the best three technique [inside tackle] in the league.”
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