Nikolas A. Lalos (born June 25, 1997) is an American professional football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for Dartmouth.
_(cropped).jpg) Lalos with the New York Giants in 2021 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | June 25, 1997 Akron, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | St. Vincent–St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) | ||||||||||
| College: | Dartmouth (2016–2019) | ||||||||||
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Early life
editLalos grew up in Akron, Ohio, and attended St. Vincent–St. Mary High School, where he played basketball and football.[1]
College career
editLalos was a member of the Dartmouth Big Green for four seasons, playing on the junior varsity team as a freshman before lettering in the final three seasons. As a senior, he was named first-team All-Ivy League after recording 35 tackles with a team-high 10 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks as well as seven passes broken up and an interception, which he returned 22 yards for a touchdown. Lalos finished his collegiate career with 59 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery in 24 games played. After his senior season, Lalos played in the 2020 Hula Bowl and was named the defensive MVP of the game after making six tackles with two sacks and a forced fumble.[2]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+5⁄8 in (1.95 m) |
268 lb (122 kg) |
33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | |||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
New York Giants
editLalos was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent on April 25, 2020.[4] He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[5][6] Lalos was elevated to the active roster on November 28, 2020, and made his NFL debut the following day against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12.[7] He received a Twitter shout-out from fellow St. Vincent–St. Mary High School alum LeBron James on the morning of his first career game. Lalos went on to catch a deflected pass thrown by Bengals' quarterback Brandon Allen for a game-altering interception while playing limited defensive snaps in the 19–17 victory.[8] He was elevated to the active roster again the following week against the Seattle Seahawks and recovered a fumble on a mishandled snap by Seattle's Russell Wilson during the 17–12 win.[9] He reverted to the practice squad after each game. The Giants signed Lalos to their active roster on December 8, 2020.[10]
On August 31, 2021, Lalos was waived by the Giants and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[11][12]
He signed a reserve/futures contract with the Giants on January 10, 2022.[13] On August 5, 2022, Lalos was waived.[14]
New Orleans Saints
editOn August 15, 2022, Lalos signed with the New Orleans Saints.[15] He was waived on August 30.[16] He was re-signed to the practice squad on November 16.[17]
Seattle Sea Dragons
editOn November 17, 2022, Lalos was drafted by the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL.[18] He finished the season with 35 tackles, seven tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks with one forced fumble and one interception.[19] Lalos was released from his contract on May 15, 2023.[20]
New Orleans Saints (second stint)
editOn May 16, 2023, Lalos signed with the Saints, marking his second stint with the team.[21] He was waived on August 29, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad.[22][23] Following the end of the 2023 regular season, the Saints signed him to a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[24]
On August 27, 2024, Lalos was waived by the Saints and re-signed to the practice squad.[25][26] On November 5, 2024, Lalos was cut.[27]
References
edit- ^ Beaven, Michael (November 29, 2020). "Akron native Niko Lalos grabs interception in NFL debut with New York Giants". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Beaven, Michael (April 28, 2020). "St. V-M graduate Niko Lalos ready for NFL opportunity with New York Giants". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Niko Lalos College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Benton, Dan; Fennelly, John (April 25, 2020). "2020 NFL Draft: Giants undrafted rookie free agent scorecard". Giants Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Gantt, Darin (September 5, 2020). "Giants cut 28 to get to 53-man limit". Profootballtalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (September 6, 2020). "Giants sign 14 to practice squad; 2 spots open". Giants.com. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Alper, Josh (November 28, 2020). "Giants activate Graham Gano, Xavier McKinney". Profootballtalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Dunleavy, Ryan (November 30, 2020). "Niko Lalos' Giants debut only got better after LeBron James shoutout". New York Post. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (December 6, 2020). "Recap: Giants rally in Seattle for fourth consecutive win". Giants.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Alper, Josh (December 8, 2020). "Giants sign Niko Lalas to active roster, Joe Webb to practice squad". Profootballtalk.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (September 1, 2021). "New York Giants announce 53-man roster". Giants.com.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (September 1, 2021). "Giants establish practice squad amid roster moves". Giants.com.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (January 10, 2022). "QB Daniel Jones 'progressing' in rehab process". Giants.com.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (August 5, 2022). "Giants sign T Will Holden; waive DE Niko Lalos". Giants.com.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 30, 2022.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. November 16, 2022.
- ^ "XFL 2022 Draft Recap: Seattle Sea Dragons Full Draft". November 19, 2022.
- ^ Benton, Dan (May 3, 2023). "Ex-Giants shined during 2023 XFL regular season". Giants Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ "XFL Transactions". Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ "Saints sign a familiar face out of the XFL after a tryout at rookie minicamp". Saints Wire. May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 29, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce practice squad additions". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 30, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints sign 11 to reserve/future contracts". NewOrleansSaints.com. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 27, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 28, 2024.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". www.neworleanssaints.com. Retrieved November 7, 2024.