Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree looks on during the second day...

Giants linebacker Alec Ogletree looks on during the second day of voluntary mini-camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Alec Ogletree is already taking command of the defense.

The middle linebacker, acquired in a trade with the Rams this offseason, has set an early tone of aggressive play and physicality (or as much as is allowed) during the first two days of the voluntary minicamp. That seems to blend well with defensive coordinator James Bettcher’s vision of a relentless unit.

“It’s definitely a defensive mindset,” Ogletree said on Wednesday. “I don’t like to take all the credit for it. It’s each guy in the room that’s putting in the work and they have that mindset of, ‘We’ve got to attack today and get better together.’ So when you play like that, it definitely helps you out a lot to go out there and have fun and make plays.”

Ogletree said he’s excited about the situation.

“It’s going to be a good defense,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of talent here and I’m definitely happy to be here. Coach Bettcher has had one of the top defenses in the league the past few years and hopefully we can bring that here.”

SNACKS BACK SOON

A day after Pat Shurmur clearly was miffed by right tackle Ereck Flowers’ lack of participation in the voluntary minicamp — indeed the entire offseason program so far — he struck a far different tone in regard to the absence of defensive tackle Damon Harrison.

“I’m aware of why he wasn’t here,” Shurmur said. “There’s no real issues there . . . I expect him back soon.”

GIANT STEPS

Olivier Vernon said the hardest part of his transition from defensive end to linebacker in the Giants’ new 3-4 scheme is knowing where he’s supposed to be when the team breaks up into position groups. “Sometimes they’ll say, ‘D-line over here,’ and I’ll stop for a second,” Vernon said on Tuesday. “I don’t go there anymore. That’s one thing I’ve got to get adjusted to a little bit. Right now, I’m in a different room. Just trying to digest everything” . . . Eli Manning already has noticed a difference after just two practices under Shurmur. “I think he does like to coach on the field,” Manning said. “Some coaches like to just run the plays and then you coach in the film room after. He likes to [after] each play have a quick discussion . . . He likes to coach up the guys and get everybody on the same page. It’s a little different” . . . WR Odell Beckham Jr. continued his routine of participating in the morning walk-through and then working with trainers during the regular practice session. On Wednesday he was running and jumping without any indication of an injury.

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