On Wednesday, the New York Giants agreed to give up a fourth and sixth round draft pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for linebacker Alec Ogletree and a 2019 seventh round pick.
The Rams decided to part ways with Ogletree after he signed an extension of four years/$42 million with $21.3 million guaranteed last October. His salary cap hit will be $10 million for the Giants this year.
How Ogletree has fared
Ogletree was drafted in the first round (30th overall) by the Rams out of Georgia. He immediately entered their starting lineup as he started all 16 games in his rookie year.
The 26-year-old’s best season came in 2016 when he was voted a Second Team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Ogletree finished that year with 136 tackles, 11 pass breakups, and two interceptions while starting all 16 games.
His tackles declined last season, but he was still a productive player. In 15 starts (sat out the regular season finale to rest for playoffs), Ogletree recorded 95 tackles, 10 pass breakups, two sacks, and an interception (returned for a touchdown).
Giants’ recent ignoring of the position
Under old general manager Jerry Reese, the team never put improving linebacker near the top of their bucket list.
The Giants have only drafted three linebackers since 2011 with none coming before the fourth round.
In Jerry Reese’s decade as the general manager, they selected one linebacker within the first three rounds. That was Clint Sintim in the second round in 2009, who played 24 games (one start) in two seasons with New York before never playing another NFL game.
When was the last time the Giants had a linebacker make the Pro Bowl?
You have to go all the way back to 2006 when Antonio Pierce made the team. That was a year before Reese became general manager.
Gettleman’s history with stud linebackers
New Giants general manager David Gettleman served as the general manager of the Carolina Panthers from 2013-16. While there, he had two of the best linebackers in the league in Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis.
Kuechly was named to the Pro Bowl all four years Gettleman was at the helm, was a First Team All-Pro three times and was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2013.
Davis was a Pro Bowler in both 2015 & 2016 and was named a First Team All-Pro in 2015.
New defensive coordinator
With James Bettcher taking over the defensive duties, the Giants will often utilize a 3-4 defense which he used in his previous stop with the Arizona Cardinals.
That, of course, should make the linebacker position a greater priority. The Trade for Ogletree shows that Gettleman realizes that.
