Rams 25-and-under team: Jordan Fuller
Ohio State product primed for breakout season in 2021
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Rams 25-and-under team: Jordan Fuller
In this series we take a look at 14 players for the Los Angeles Rams 25 years old or younger who could be considered foundational or impact players.Player: Safety Jordan Fuller
Age: 23
The skinny: Selected in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, Fuller had a productive rookie season. The Ohio State product earned a starting job at safety out of training camp, finishing with 55 combined tackles, five pass break-up and three interceptions in 12 starts. With defensive play caller from last season in safety John Johnson III joining the Cleveland Browns in free agency, Fuller will be counted on to take on more of a leadership role. With Johnson gone, Fuller said he’s working on strengthening his mental approach to the game this offseason. Fuller also switched to his college No. 4 from No. 32 this year. “I definitely take that on my shoulders and all the DBs as a group have to take that on,” Fuller said about the loss of Johnson. “He was a great leader, a great communicator and really, really smart. That’s kind of the reason I want to work on my Football 101, learning the ins and outs of the game because John was great at that.”
Reason for optimism: At 6-2 and 205 pounds, Fuller’s strength is his playmaking ability and versatility. According to Pro Football Focus, played 450 defensive snaps as a deep safety and 258 defensive snaps near the line of scrimmage, so new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris has some flexibility to move him around. Fuller said this offseason he’s studied other safeties from around the league on film to sharpen his skills, watching their body movement and understanding what they are seeing pre-snap. Fuller said he’s using that film study as motivation in his journey to become one of the best safeties in the NFL. “I played next to one of the best safeties in the game in John Johnson last year, so it’s kind of easy to find someone to look at,” Fuller said. “But then I’m also looking at Justin Simmons a little bit. Also, Jessie Bates, who isn’t in our scheme but is a great safety to watch.”
Reason for concern: Fuller missed four games during the regular season due to a shoulder injury. So, making sure he’s fully healthy and can withstand the rigors of a marathon NFL season is one of the things Fuller is working on in the lead up to training camp. “Physically, I’m just trying to get stronger,” Fuller said. “Obviously, I got a little banged up during the season, so for my upper-body I’m just trying to build a little more armor for myself. It’s a long season, so I’m trying to build up for that.”
