How DB Jordan Fuller has transformed the LA Rams defense

Fuller’s most important trait

Reactive athleticism is one of the more important traits for defenders. Take an athlete like former Chicago Bears receiver/returner  Devin Hester for example, who entered the league in 2006 as a cornerback. He was an electric return man but he struggled tremendously as a cornerback in the league. Hester ended up getting moved to wide receiver where he was a good bit more effective outside of his role as a return man.

Why? He is an immensely gifted athlete. However, his mind is more proactive than reactive. He could create plays with his athleticism, but he wasn’t good at reacting to someone’s creativity. Instead, he processes faster than almost everyone else out there on the football field. Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott busts out a big run with a very large crease. Fuller has deep cover two, you’ll see him drop at the beginning of the play. Again, reactive athleticism brings Fuller back into the play.

Faster processing speed is a huge weapon in the NFL.

Jordan Fuller is more reactive and that’s what makes his game so effective. Look at this play for example. I pointed out in the tweet that you can see from the broadcast angle that he drops into a deep zone. When Elliott breaks out of the box, Fuller uses his closing speed and reacts to the play, coming down to quickly prevent the play from breaking further.  One of the things that Fuller does extremely well is to read and diagnose the play. You see his reactive athleticism on display here and it’s very good. He makes the tackle with Jalen Ramsey.

You can see here that he’s quick to react. He reads Dak Prescott’s eyes and moves on the football quickly. He’s already moving toward the receiver as Prescott is throwing the football. That’s solid reactive athleticism and good defensive IQ.