Every NFL team is looking for big, physical corners with the size and length to handle the league’s top pass-catchers, along with the athleticism and ball skills to make big plays.
LSU’s Kristian Fulton checks every box, and should be one of the top corners off the board in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Fulton recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about winning the national title with the Tigers, why he loves playing the corner position, and what kind of player he’ll be at the next level.
JM: You’ve had a few months to reflect. I feel like I should address you as National Champion Kristian Fulton. How do you look back on it?
KF: It feels great. The last few months have given me a chance to really look back on it and reflect, especially now that the combine has come and gone. My mind was very preoccupied with the combine, I didn’t really have time to think about anything else. It feels great to reflect on the season that we had. It was very special for me and all of my teammates.
JM: 2019 was your senior season, and you were one of the leaders of a strong defense. The coaching staff really counted on you and Grant Delpit and you guys really embraced a leadership role on a team that went all the way. How does that experience serve you well going forward?
KF: It showed me how far maturity can take you. My goal was to make everybody in that secondary a better player. That was my job as a leader, that’s the role I happily took on. I wanted to make sure that we did our part on the back-end. I can learn from the role that I took on this past year and bring that experience with me to the next level. I know that I’m going to be a rookie and I have to earn my stripes but I’m gonna bring that winner’s mentality with me wherever I go. I can only learn from the things I experienced in high school and college. I’m gonna try to implement those small things that I learned into my next locker room.
JM: What can you tell me about the chemistry that you guys had within that secondary? You all seem to be strong communicators.
KF: That’s just something that our coaches implemented before the season even started. Grant [Delpit] and I realized that we all had to be on the same page. We had a relatively young group of guys in the secondary. We started to build that chemistry in practice. That’s why we were so good on Saturday’s. The process started really early for us. We worked hard in practice and communication was always a big topic of discussion for us. It just made things that much easier for us in the secondary.
JM: What can you tell me about the scheme that you guys ran on defense and how you were primarily utilized in coverage?
KF: We were asked to play man coverage at cornerback. I would say that we played man coverage on 90 percent of our defensive snaps. That’s how we like to play things at LSU. We have faith in ourselves. If we can handle things on our side, it makes everything that much easier for the front seven. The defensive linemen and linebackers didn’t have to worry about us doing our job. They knew we were gonna cover. We shut things down on the outside. The front seven could really just focus on the run game.
JM: What’s your favorite part about playing the cornerback position?
KF: I love playing man coverage. Like I said earlier, that’s what we played at LSU. We had to survive on that island. I love the competition aspect that comes with that. It’s me versus the wide receiver across from me and may the best man win. That’s what football is all about. I enjoy shutting down the man across from me. I take a lot of pride in that. I take advantage of the opportunity to talk a little trash every now and then (laughs). I find fun in that.
JM: Do you approach smaller, shiftier receivers differently than you do the bigger, more physical ones?
KF: We always looked at things like, how does this situation benefit us? That’s what we focused on throughout the week. Where can we find our strengths within this situation or matchup? There were certain ways that we wanted to play certain receivers. You always take different approaches. Those were the things we looked for on film as a secondary throughout the week. I would definitely say that there’s different ways to approach a smaller, shiftier guy than a more physical one.
JM: Who are some of the best receivers that you were tasked with playing man coverage against?
KF: Van Jefferson from Florida immediately comes to mind. I would definitely say Tee Higgins as well. He’s pretty good, he’s a tough cover. Kalija Lipscomb from Vanderbilt was another one. All of the guys from Alabama of course. We played against great receivers on a weekly basis.
JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?
KF: It was a great experience. I grew up watching the combine. To actually have a chance to get out there was a dream come true. I really enjoyed meeting with the different teams and their coaches. That was obviously my first time meeting face-to-face with so many different NFL coaches. It was such a cool experience for me. It gave me a chance to tell my side of the story. I gave them every opportunity to get to know me as well.
I wanted them to know what I’m like both on and off the field. I enjoyed getting a chance to talk football with them. That was a lot of fun. I feel like I had a great combine and I think that I left a great impression on everybody. I was happy with my performance throughout all of the drills. I ran a good 40. I feel like everything went exactly as I planned it to go.
JM: As the 32 NFL teams walked away from the combine, what are you hoping they said about Kristian Fulton?
KF: I hope that they said that Kristian Fulton guy is a real football player. I believe that I proved that I have a high football I.Q. and that I really understand the game at a high level. I can discuss and explain coverages. I’m a great athlete. I think that really shined through the drills. I cleared up my backstory as well. I was open about the situation that I had in 2017. I wanted to clear that up with them. I’m not the bad guy that some people make me out to be. I wanted to clear the air with that situation.
JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?
KF: I didn’t really get asked anything too strange. That’s the honest truth. I didn’t get asked anything that caught me off guard.
JM: What was it like playing for Coach Ed Orgeron?
KF: It was a lot of fun. Coach O is one of a kind. He’s a guy that really understands how to get his players going. It doesn’t take much for him to motivate you. He comes to work fired up. His passion is infectious. You have no choice but to be just as fired up as he is. He’s a great coach and he brought a great staff with him. I feel like that’s the reason why we were so successful. A lot of his assistant coaches have NFL experience. That was big for us.
JM: What can you tell me about Joe Burrow, the man and the leader?
KF: Joe is very humble. He comes to work every day ready to work. He doesn’t really say much around the building. Once he gets on the field, he turns into a completely different person. He’s the ultimate competitor. I just think Joe is different. He took a business approach in practice. That’s why he did what he did on game day. He practiced like he played. That’s how serious he takes the game.
JM: How did you guys make each other better players in practice?
KF: For us as a secondary, we possibly saw the best collegiate offense of all time every day in practice (laughs). That’s how he made us better. To be honest with you, they had us questioning our abilities throughout spring and fall camp. We weren’t sure how good we were as a defense. Going up against those guys on offense helped us out tremendously. We started slow, but we had to adapt. That’s why we came on strong towards the end of the season.
JM: It’s funny you say that. I interviewed your teammate Rashard Lawrence recently and I asked him a similar question. He told me that Joe was killing you guys so badly in practice that it was downright demoralizing at first (laughs).
KF: Yeah, that’s exactly how it went in the beginning (laughs). We had a lot of defense-only team meetings after those practices (laughs). What’s really going on out there? Are those guys that good or are we that bad? We had to get on the same page. That’s exactly how it went.
JM: Were you able to get any private visits or workouts in before COVID-19 pulled everybody off the road?
KF: I wasn’t able to make any physical visits or workouts, unfortunately. After the combine, I don’t think many of those meetings were set to take place immediately. At least that’s the info that I received. I was set to start taking my visits after pro day and our pro day was pretty late in the game. It was scheduled for the beginning of April, so obviously, it was canceled.
JM: I imagine you’ve been meeting with teams via FaceTime and such. Who are some of the teams that you’ve met with?
KF: I’ve hopped on the phone and FaceTime with the Bears, Cowboys, Titans, Colts and Broncos. All of these meetings have either already occurred, or will occur over the next few days. We’ll definitely be scheduling even more of these meetings in the coming days and weeks.
JM: You had so many great teammates throughout your time at LSU, but I’m gonna put you on the spot. If you were going into battle tomorrow and could only bring one with you, who would it be and why?
KF: I would probably bring K’Lavon Chaisson with me. I know that he’s gonna bring the intensity with him. He’s a great leader. He’s always himself. He’s a passionate guy. I gotta bring the pass rusher with me. He knows how to get after guys (laughs). That’s why I would bring K’Lavon with me.
JM: When a team uses a draft pick on Kristian Fulton, what kind of guy are they getting?
KF: They’re getting the ultimate competitor and hard worker. I’m a lock-down cornerback, at the end of the day. I’m gonna take away my side of the field. I’m gonna come into the locker room and work to make everybody on the defense a better player. I’m a guy that’s gonna be involved in the community as well. Coach O really taught us the importance of that. I’m gonna do everything the right way. I’m gonna help bring a championship to our team.
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