https://www.dailynews.com/2018/11/2...ent-from-undrafted-to-top-tackler-in-2-years/
Rams linebacker Cory Littleton went from undrafted to top tackler in two years
By RICH HAMMOND
AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo
THOUSAND OAKS – It’s called an experiment because results aren’t certain. When the Rams handed one of their most important positions to Cory Littleton, they pulled down goggles and hoped for the best.
The Rams at least had a hypothesis. They’d seen Littleton’s aggressiveness and intelligence on special teams, and in spot duty as an outside linebacker, and they thought it would project to success at middle linebacker. It easily could have been a misread, but it turned into one of their best decisions of the year.
Quietly – fitting, because of his unassuming nature – Littleton is one of the NFL’s top tacklers. Entering the Rams’ game
Sunday at Detroit, Littleton is tied for seventh with 91 total tackles. Among inside linebackers, he is second only to Carolina’s Luke Kuechly, a four-time All-Pro selection.
Littleton even has become the subject of a Pro Bowl voting campaign among Rams fans.
“It means a lot,” Littleton said after Thursday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “There are a lot of people out there, even people you don’t personally know, going out of their way to get you in the Pro Bowl because they think highly of you as a player.”
That’s not bad for a player who went undrafted two years ago out of Washington and who, as recently as training camp, perhaps was thought to be too small (6-foot-3, 228 pounds) to thrive at middle linebacker.
The game has changed, though, and Littleton’s ability to pursue and cover running backs, from sideline to sideline, more than makes up for a lack of heft. He is growing into the role as a vocal leader and has retained his role on special teams, with two blocked punts this season.
Littleton, who had only five starts entering this year, is the only player in the NFL this season to have recorded at least one sack (he has three this season), an interception and a tackle for a safety.
“It’s just been a progression throughout the season,” Littleton said. “Everything is pretty much down for me. You do different individual things, week by week, because every team shows us little different things, but I feel pretty good with where I am right now.”
In all, Littleton completely has justified the Rams’ decision to trade his predecessor, Alec Ogletree, to the New York Giants in March for two mid-round draft picks. Ogletree, albeit playing in a completely different defense, has totaled 44 solo tackles, 68 total tackles and one sack in 10 games with the Giants.
Littleton is on pace for 132 total tackles and 96 solo tackles, which essentially would equal Ogletree’s massive 2016 season with the Rams, when he had 136 total tackles and 98 solo tackles. A few months later, the Rams gave Ogletree a four-year, $42-million contract extension.
It soon became clear that perhaps that wasn’t the wisest decision. Ogletree earned rightful praise for his big-splash plays, but consistency often was an issue, particularly with pursuit and tackling.
The Rams stared down the idea of an $11-million annual salary-cap hit for Ogletree through 2021, then looked at Littleton, who increasingly had impressed since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips took over in 2017 and wondered why Littleton hadn’t played more. Special-teams coach John Fassel adores his motor and effectiveness. Littleton has come a long way in only three seasons.
“I won’t lie,” Littleton said. “I don’t really think about it much, but when I do, it is pretty crazy to think about it. It’s a little hard to believe.”
An interesting decision is on the horizon. Littleton makes only $635,000 this season and is set to become a restricted free agent next March. The Rams can keep him, in the short term, but they also need to formulate a long-term plan for a defense that has few starters locked up beyond 2019.
The first big decision could rest with Littleton’s interior mate. Mark Barron is under contract through 2020, with a cap hit of almost $9.7 million each year, but the Rams could cut Barron and save more than $6.3 million next season. That might not be necessary, but if it helps to lock up Littleton, it could be an answer.
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