The New York Giants made a minor transaction on Saturday afternoon, claiming rookie linebacker Joey Alfieri off of waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles and waiving defensive end Alex Jenkins with an injury designation.
Alfieri is an interesting addition if for no other reason than that the Giants actually appear somewhat set at the linebacker position — to the point where veterans like B.J. Goodson are struggling to hang on.
How Alfieri ultimately factors in remains to be seen, but here are three quick things Giants fans should know about their newest linebacker.
Alfieri is “stupid athletic”
The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Alfieri wasn’t invited to the 2019 NFL Combine, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t able to put his athletic talents on full display.
Alfieri posted a 4.53-second 40-yard dash and a 33.5-inch vertical jump at Stanford’s Pro Day in March. He carried that over this Spring after signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, drawing praise from his teammates.
“Joey is just stupid athletic,” Eagles guard Nate Herbig said to NJ Advance Media. “He’s very smart [and] just has really good ball instincts.”
Better suited for a 3-4
Alfieri was capable of playing in the Eagles’ 4-3 system, but he spent much of his college career as an edge rusher in Stanford’s 3-4 system.
With the Giants, Alfieri will return to the 3-4 under defensive coordinator James Bettcher, which will likely play more to his strengths.
As a 3-4 edge rusher in college, Alfieri finished his career with 156 tackles, 25.5 tackled for a loss, 12 sacks, two interceptions and one touchdown.
Game of Thrones music amps him up
While most players blast top artists through their headphones while getting ready for a game, Alfieri relies on the Game of Thrones soundtrack.
“When I’m getting my ankles taped I’ll always listen to Light of the Seven by Ramin Djawadi, from HBO’s Game of Thrones,” Alfieri told NFL Draft Diamonds.
As someone who has never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones, I have no idea the significance of that song, but I am sure the masses will find it interesting nonetheless.
