The Rams traded back three times in the 2019 draft before finally settling on safety Taylor Rapp out of Washington. With Eric Weddle and John Johnson already penciled in as the starters, Rapp seemed like more of a luxury pick for a team that had just made the Super Bowl.
Rapp has been anything but that, stepping in as a starter when Johnson went down with a shoulder injury that landed him on IR. He’s improved as the season has gone on, culminating in a breakout performance against the Cardinals on Sunday.
Rapp finished with two tackles, but more importantly, he picked off the first pass of his career and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. As great as that was, his game could’ve been so much better.
Before his pick-six, he dropped what should have been an interception. Later in the game, he had an INT called back due to a defensive pass interference penalty on Nickell Robey-Coleman. Finally, he broke through with one that counted, and he was relieved to get on the board with his first INT.
“The first one, I was so mad at myself, and the game back in London (against the Bengals), too, I dropped another sure (interception), so I was super mad at myself,” Rapp said, via the team’s site. “I was thinking about that one all the way up until I got the one that actually counted, so I was happy I could get one under my belt.”
It was a bad throw by Kyler Murray, but an even better play by Rapp, who “was able to read his eyes, and able to capitalize on it,” as the safety put it.
Watching his pick-six on the coaches film really shows what a great job Rapp did of reading Murray’s eyes and breaking on the ball to make the play. He sunk down in a robber-type coverage, taking away underneath routes. The receiver got behind him, but by retreating enough into the zone, he was able to get in the passing lane.
The end zone view gives an even better look at what Rapp saw. He initially bit on the play-action fake, but he didn’t get too far out of position and was still able to come down with the pick.
As good as this play was, his near-INT earlier in the game may have been even better had he hauled it in. It was a clear pick play by the Cardinals, attempting to get Kenyan Drake open in the flat.
Rapp did a great job getting around the pick and covering his assignment (Drake) in time to break up the pass. The only thing he didn’t do was catch the ball, otherwise he would’ve been headed to the end zone again.
The interception he had called back wasn’t exactly a standout play by the rookie, but it did show off his instincts and play recognition. That’s something Sean McVay talked about on Monday in evaluating Rapp’s play, saying he continues to get better.
“I think you’re starting to see the versatility and really just the overall instincts and how that enables him to play faster in those close quarters,” McVay said. “You can see there is a comfort in the scheme, he has an ownership on what he’s being asked to do in the framework of that specific call.”
On this play, Rapp recognizes the routes are both going to the left side. He starts to leave his split-zone assignment and heads towards the middle of the field, reading Murray’s eyes once again. He found himself in the right place at the right time, picking off the pass after a deflection.
In addition to lauding his instincts, McVay also complimented Rapps’ tackling ability. He has 72 tackles on the season and has only missed one attempt – a missed-tackle rate of 1.4%. That’s the lowest in the NFL among players with at least 50 tackles. That trait of his game wasn’t highlighted much against Arizona – he only had two tackles – but he did show why he’s a reliable defender.
“When he arrives, he gets guys down quickly. He’s a great tackler. Ironically, Taylor Rapp is a great wrap tackler,” McVay said.
Here, he comes up from his deep zone and makes a sure tackle on Larry Fitzgerald after the catch over the middle. He wrapped up the future Hall of Famer low and did not allow him to gain any additional yardage.
Rapp changed directions quickly and was coming downhill before Fitzgerald even hauled it in.
On this tackle, Rapp was in man coverage on Charles Clay. It was another rub route designed to free up the underneath receiver, and although Rapp had to work around the pick, he still made a strong tackle, once again going low.
This was Rapp’s best performance of the season, and he very easily could’ve had three interceptions. He earned an overall grade of 86.4 from Pro Football Focus, which was the second-highest on the Rams defense this week.
If Weddle retires after this season, or plays elsewhere in 2020, Rapp has proved to be more than capable of being a starter at safety next to Johnson for several years to come.