Jordan Fuller wasn’t drafted as early as Cam Akers and Van Jefferson, and he doesn’t fill an immediate need on defense, so expectations for the rookie safety are tempered. However, he already seems to be exceeding the bar set for him with an impressive start to training camp.
The rangy safety has shown off his ball skills, awareness and range in practice on back-to-back days with interceptions. The Rams shared a clip of his second pick, covering the deep middle of the field to prevent a big play from John Wolford to Jefferson.
Fuller made a nice over-the-shoulder catch, which isn’t an easy grab to make for a safety.
Fuller probably won’t contribute much as a rookie because of the depth the Rams already have at safety with John Johnson, Taylor Rapp and Terrell Burgess, but at worst, he’ll get on the field in dime packages and possibly big nickel sets.
The rookie has already caught the eye of the eldest safety on the team with Johnson paying him a compliment in the early part of camp.
“Jordan is long. He can run. He looks like he could cover sideline-to-sideline,” Johnson said last week. “He can come out the post, so I’m excited to see what he could do.”
Fuller is a nice complement to the skill sets that Johnson and Rapp possess, playing a true free safety role in college, which will transition to the NFL. Johnson and Rapp are both better near the line of scrimmage, so Brandon Staley could find ways to get Fuller on the field in three-safety sets with Fuller patrolling the deep middle.
As a sixth-round pick, expectations shouldn’t be too high for his rookie year, but with Johnson set to hit free agency in 2021, Fuller could see his role grow even more next year.
