The New York Giants have traded two 2018 draft picks to the Los Angeles Rams for linebacker Alec Ogletree, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Rams will receive New York’s fourth and sixth-round selections while the Giants get back a 2019 seventh-round pick along with the linebacker.
At 26 years old, Ogletree provides a sizeable upgrade at the linebacker position for the Giants, who have gotten inconsistent production from that spot in their defense.
The linebacking troubles, which came about due to injuries, was just a microcosm of a nightmarish 2017 for the Giants. They were only able to get eight games out of Jonathan Casillas, seven out of BJ Goodson and six out of Keenan Robinson.
While Casillas and Robinson are not All-Pro’s at the position (the book is still out on the young Goodson), it forced the Giants to rely on an even weaker set of linebackers in Devon Kennard, Calvin Munson and Kelvin Sheppard.
They were a part of a Giants defense that ranked 28th in the NFL and were suddenly in need of serious revamping despite a strong showing in 2016.
Ogletree is just the kind of shot in the arm the Giants need.
Taken 30th overall in the 2013 draft, Ogletree has put together three seasons in which he’s recorded at least 110 total tackles with 5.5 sacks in five seasons. The Giants have had three players in total record 100-plus-tackle seasons since Ogletree’s debut.
He saw a dip in production in 2017 but was still able to record 95 total tackles with an interception, which he returned for a touchdown, in 15 games. It was a sudden drop compared to a solid 2016 campaign in which he put up a career-high 136 total tackles with two interceptions.
Should the Giants stay healthy in 2018, expect Ogletree to line up in his preferred outside linebacker role flanking Goodson in the middle while Casillas inhabits the weakside role.
The Rams signed Ogletree to a four-year, $42.75 million deal prior to the 2017 season, which means the Giants do have control of him for an extended period of time. However, his contract has a potential out after 2019.
