Introduction
Eric Tomlinson (born April 22, 1992) is an American football tight end for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas at El Paso. He previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans,New York Jets, and the New England Patriots.
Early years
Tomlinson attended and played high school football at Klein High School.
College career
Tomlinson attended and played college football at UTEP, where he contributed from 2011–2014.
Collegiate statistics
| Eric Tomlinson | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2011 | UTEP | CUSA | FR | TE | 12 | 6 | 83 | 13.8 | 2 |
| 2012 | UTEP | CUSA | SO | TE | 10 | 4 | 26 | 6.5 | 0 |
| 2013 | UTEP | CUSA | JR | TE | 10 | 30 | 304 | 10.1 | 1 |
| 2014 | UTEP | CUSA | SR | TE | 8 | 19 | 134 | 7.1 | 1 |
| Career | UTEP | 40 | 59 | 547 | 9.3 | 4 | |||
Professional career
On December 11, 2014, it was announced that Tomlinson had accepted his invitation to appear on the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, along with teammate Jameill Showers. On January 17, 2015, he played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was part of Mike Holmgren's American team that lost 17–0. Tomlinson was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He had a mediocre performance overall, finishing ninth among his position group in the 40-yard dash and tenth in the bench press. On April 9, 2015, Tomlinson attended UTEP's pro day and performed the majority of combine drills again. He was able to have a better showing than his day at the combine and lowered his times in the 40-yard dash (4.77s), 20-yard dash (4.82s), and 10-yard dash (1.73s). His unofficial time in the 40-yard dash would've been the third best time among all tight ends who participated at the combine. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Tomlinson was projected to be an undrafted free agent by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 20th best tight end prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 ⁄8 in (1.97 m) |
263 lb (119 kg) |
32 ⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.98 s | 1.75 s | 2.91 s | 4.54 s | 7.46 s | 30 ⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
19 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Philadelphia Eagles
After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, Tomlinson signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was released during final roster cuts on September 4, 2015.
Houston Texans
On September 6, 2015, Tomlinson was signed to the Houston Texans' practice squad where he spent his entire rookie season. He was released on September 3, 2016 as part of final roster cuts. The next day, he was signed to the Texans' practice squad.
New York Jets
Tomlinson was signed by the New York Jets off the Texans' practice squad on November 5, 2016.
On September 10, 2017, Tomlinson recorded his first official receiving statistics in the season opener. He had two receptions for 25 yards in the 21–12 loss to the Buffalo Bills.On October 29, 2017, Tomlinson scored his first career touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Josh McCown in a game against the Atlanta Falcons.
In the 2018 season, Tomlinson played in 15 games with 12 starts, recording eight receptions for 72 yards before being placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2018.
On March 19, 2019, the Jets re-signed Tomlinson. He was released on August 31, 2019.
New York Giants
On September 1, 2019, Tomlinson was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants. He was waived on September 24.
New England Patriots
On October 15, 2019, Tomlinson signed with the New England Patriots. In his debut game, he recorded one catch for one yard against his former team, the New York Jets. On October 29, 2019, Tomlinson was released by the Patriots.
Oakland Raiders
On December 11, 2019, Tomlinson was signed by the Oakland Raiders.
New York Giants (second stint)
On March 30, 2020, Tomlinson was signed by the New York Giants.