Where LA Rams starting safety is concerned, that’s a Rapp

Versatile and durable

While this will be his first season under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, Taylor Rapp had already played a versatile role for the team in 2019.  In nickel defense packages, he rotated in to replace a linebacker in passing downs. Even as a starting safety, he could continue to fill that role in 2020 as well. He’s certainly the right size, standing 6-foot-0 and weighing a muscular 208 pounds. His size and build allow him to absorb the punishment as he sheds blockers and makes tackles.

That size also allows him to play as a pseudo linebacker, challenge tight ends coming out on their pass routes, crowd the line to tackle would-be ball carriers, and even get up for the ball to tall wide receivers. That’s how versatility works on the football field. But that’s only one aspect of the Staley strategy.

Disguise and confuse

The Rams’ new defensive scheme is such that it appears to be one defense but runs it in a different manner. That does not mean that it will fool anyone outright, although that certainly could take place. What it is designed to do is create hesitation. If the quarterback takes even a fraction of a second to determine where he should throw the ball, that is just that much more time for the pass rush to get to him for the sack. It’s also that extra bit of time for the defensive back to diagnose the play and close any distance to the receiver and the ball in the air.

Rapp is a key player in that disguise. Because he does so many things well, he becomes a player who creates serious mismatches for the offense. If the quarterback makes the wrong diagnosis of what the defense is doing, he could wind up throwing the ball right into the outstretched arms of Taylor Rapp. Even though he has the ability to burn 10,000 calories in one day, he’ll consume far less on a pick-six play.