LA Rams 2020 NFL Draft class saving the day like the cavalry

Round 3 Pick 104: Terrell Burgess

The LA Rams returned to the defense with their next selection in round three.  They wisely chose a swiss-army knife to bolster their defensive secondary, a hybrid safety/cornerback out of Utah named Terrell Burgess. Burgess truly can do it all. While it appears he is taking over for former Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman in the slot, Burgess can do so much more. Defensive back Tyrann Mathieu possessed the same skillset coming out of LSU in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Mathieu primarily played corner in college, while Burgess primarily played safety.  But they both flip-flopped positions in the defensive backfield based on where they were needed the most. This strategy was used to create a new and confusing wrinkle in the defense, setting the team up to exploit some sort of mismatches in coverages.

While Burgess didn’t have the same statistical production as Mathieu, their playstyle is nearly identical. As such, you can expect Burgess to be used in a similar sort of role as that of Mathieu in the NFL. That means, Burgess, could assume the primary coverage to the offense slot receiver, roam high as a free safety, or read the quarterback’s eyes as a rogue defensive back.

His skill set allows the defense to create a mismatch against the receiver that the offense is trying to set up as their own mismatch. A running back motioning from the backfield into the slot or a tight end out wide typically triggers coverage by the defender responsible for that area, or a linebacker But adding versatile Burgess to the defense allows the Rams to turn the tables on the offense. Mismatches are timing routes, and that places the quick-strike pass from the unsuspecting quarterback directly at Burgess.  Those types of deceptive coverages truly allowed Mathieu to jump routes for easy interceptions.

That trait of fluidity, or flowing the best coverage towards a targeted receiver, allows the defense to match their better defenders against the offensive route-runner. Just as Mathieu helped defenses that he has played for, so can Burgess help in a similar role for the Rams.

If you want the full breakdown of Terrell Burgess, just click here to see his full profile.