The New York Giants are long known as one of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to the draft and they proved that by winning two Super Bowls over the past six years with a number of young players and they have another chance to score big as Jerry Reese and company work the phones heading into the event on April 25.
The Giants have a mid-round pick in the first round and one intriguing option for the team could be Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree. The Giants normally do not take players that have off the field issues, but Ogletree is a very interesting prospect and he could buck that trend. The Georgia star was arrested for DUI in February and that could be one reason why he is sliding down draft boards around the league.
According to ESPN.com, Mel Kiper originally had him as a top 10 pick, but since his arrest that could change for some teams, including the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, two teams that were previously interested in him. At 6-foot-3, 237-pounds, the linebacker is a beast, but his DUI could scare away some teams. As a top 10 talent, someone else deeper in the draft like the Bears or Giants may benefit from him sliding.
Ogletree previously played at safety before moving to linebacker and he showed last season with Georgia that he has above average pursuit ability and can also make noise behind the line of scrimmage. Ogletree announced that he was coming out following the Capital One Bowl win over Nebraska in January and it was for good reason, as he led the team with 13 tackles and a sack as well as forced fumble in the game.
Ogletree was one of the top linebackers on the team along with Jarvis Jones and made 11 tackles last season in 10 games as a junior. The DUI wasn't the only issue for Ogletree as he also dealt with a suspension last year for a drug test. If he can prove to teams in interviews that he is not a liability, he could end up being a solid pick in the middle of the first round. He had a solid showing at the combine and he could use that to stunt any issues off the field.
The linebacker could fit in with Chicago after the team lost Brian Urlacher and Nick Roach and the Giants could also be a fit, although they signed Keith Rivers and have Mark Herzlich on the roster. The Giants have made a number of significant moves on defense and should be much improved from last season.
