Tag: Decobie Durant

Decobie Durant is looking forward to proving he belongs in the NFL

Rams rookie Decobie Durant is looking forward to proving he belongs in the NFL after getting overlooked in college

Decobie Durant wasn’t a name most fans knew when the Rams selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He went to a small school, South Carolina State, and was a slightly undersized cornerback compared to some of the other top players at his position.

But despite being a lesser-known prospect, the Rams loved what he put on tape during his time at SC State, particularly with his two-interception game against Clemson last season.

Durant still has a lot to prove after making it to the pros, and he can’t wait to show that he belongs in the NFL.

“I’m looking forward to pretty much being able to show them that I belong,” Durant said on the Pivot Podcast. “Coming from South Carolina State, a lot of people counted me out. They’re probably saying I can’t compete with the bigs, or I ain’t play against elite talent on Saturday. I just really want to show them that it don’t matter where you came from.”

Durant was graded as a sixth-round pick by NFL.com. He was considered undersized and “could struggle with bigger slot targets,” which are fair criticisms of his game. But Lance Zierlein also wrote in his scouting report that he “plays with tremendous confidence and competitiveness.”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him outperform his draft slotting,” Zierlein wrote.

Durant has some work to do if he’s going to be a Day 1 starter with the Rams because he plays a position that’s pretty deep in Los Angeles. But he’s also learning from the best, Jalen Ramsey, and dedicated to succeeding in the NFL.

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Decobie Durant has learned a lot from Jalen Ramsey: ‘He has taken me under his wing’

Rams rookie Decobie Durant says Jalen Ramsey has taken him under his wing and he’s already learned a lot from the All-Pro corner

One of the benefits of being a cornerback who’s drafted by the Los Angeles Rams is the opportunity to play alongside Jalen Ramsey. He’s established himself as the best corner in the game today, and someone every young defensive back can learn a lot from.

Decobie Durant, who the Rams drafted in the fourth round, is already realizing that just a few months into his Los Angeles tenure. The former South Carolina State cornerback has been taken under Ramsey’s wing, learning a lot from No. 5 in their brief time together.

“He has taught me how to dial in when I’m on the field,” Durant said, via HBCU Gameday. “He has taken me under his wing, and taught me a lot. I’m lucky to have him take the time to mentor me in my first season.”

Durant is a player the Rams loved in the draft, despite the fact that he went to a smaller school and didn’t accumulate much experience against top-tier players. His performance against Clemson, however, really stood out to Les Snead and Sean McVay after he came down with two interceptions.

He’s a confident cornerback, which is essential at that position, so he fully believes he can compete at the highest level with the Rams – as he should.

Whether he starts right away is another question. The Rams have Ramsey and Troy Hill as two starters, with David Long Jr. likely stepping in as the nickel corner. Durant could overtake Long for that spot, especially given Long’s struggles at times last season, but the Rams are likely to give Durant the necessary time to develop before getting thrown into action.

Rams sign all 8 rookies from their 2022 draft class

The Rams have signed all 8 of their rookies from the 2022 draft class to contracts ahead of mandatory minicamp.

It’s been a busy Monday for Tony Pastoors and the other people that handle the financial side of things for the Los Angeles Rams. Besides agreeing on a reworked deal with Aaron Donald, the Rams have officially signed all eight rookies from the 2022 draft class.

The eight incoming rookies for the Rams are Logan Bruss, Decobie Durant, Kyren Williams, Quentin Lake, Derion Kendrick, Daniel Hardy, Russ Yeast, and AJ Arcuri. With mandatory minicamp beginning this week, it’s a positive development for Los Angeles to have all of their rookies signed.

There weren’t any indications that the Rams would be unable to agree to deals with all of their rookies, so Monday’s news shouldn’t come as a surprise. Contract talks with rookies are likely easier for Los Angeles due to them not having any first or second-round picks, making it simpler to navigate salaries and bonuses.

Along with No. 99, the Rams will have all eight of their first-year players from the 2022 NFL draft present for minicamp this week.

Jersey numbers of Rams’ 2022 rookies revealed

The jersey numbers of each of the rookies on the Rams have been revealed via the team’s official Twitter account.

It’s been a few weeks since the Los Angeles Rams made eight selections during the 2022 NFL draft. Rookie minicamps recently took place across the NFL, and after the Rams got an opportunity to see their new rookies in action, we now know what numbers they’ll be wearing in 2022.

Logan Bruss will be wearing No. 60 next season, keeping the same number he wore at Wisconsin. Decobie Durant will also be sporting the same number he wore in college at South Carolina State, electing to stay with No. 14.

Kyren Williams is going to be rocking No. 23 with the Rams next season, which is the same number he wore at Notre Dame and the number that Cam Akers wore in his first two years. Akers has since changed his number to No. 3 — to the dismay of Odell Beckham Jr. — which was something he had planned last season until he discovered he’d have to pay a hefty price to alter it.

Among the other defensive backs the Rams took in this year’s draft, Quentin Lake was also able to keep his number from college, choosing to wear No. 37. Derion Kendrick has chosen to make the switch from No. 11 at Georgia to No. 6 in the NFL, potentially picking the number of the round he was chosen in. It could also simply be the fact that single-digit numbers are elite for defensive backs.

For the final three picks that the Rams made, Russ Yeast will be going from sporting No. 2 to No. 43 in Los Angeles. Daniel Hardy will keep his No. 44 from Montana State while AJ Arcuri will be wearing No. 61 in the NFL instead of keeping No. 76 from his time at Michigan State.

While it’s going to be nearly impossible to find any authentic jerseys for any of the rookies on the Rams, fans can now create custom jerseys with their names and numbers if they desire.

Grading every Rams pick in the 2022 NFL draft

The Rams made eight selections in the 2022 NFL draft and we handed out grades for each prospect they drafted.

Fans of the Los Angeles Rams have grown accustomed to waiting for their beloved team to make a selection in the NFL draft in recent years. The Rams have taken an aggressive approach in trading picks in exchange for proven talent, which resulted in them winning a Super Bowl this past season.

On Friday night, the Rams finally made their first selection of the 2022 NFL draft at pick No. 104. Los Angeles took Logan Bruss out of Wisconsin, an interior offensive lineman that addresses a need on the roster.

While we won’t know if certain picks are a success for years to come, I’ll be handing out grades for each prospect the Rams select in the draft. Each grade is based on the team’s needs, other prospects that were available at the pick, and whether or not the prospect fits the makeup of the current roster.

5 things to know about new Rams CB Decobie Durant

Get to know new Rams CB Decobie Durant, who walked on at SC State – the same school Darius Leonard went to

With their second pick in the draft this year, the Los Angeles Rams added a cornerback with a great story of resilience and perseverance. They selected Decobie Durant in the fourth round, a corner out of South Carolina State.

He’s proud to have graduated from an HBCU and hopes to open doors for other players down the line.

“Coming from an HBCU, alongside myself with the others in the draft with me, we just trying to set the bar, set the bar high for not only ourself, but other people along with us in the draft and the people that’s coming in behind us next year,” he said.

Get to know Durant with five facts about the 24-year-old cornerback from Lamar, South Carolina.

Decobie Durant worked at FedEx after getting no offers out of high school

New Rams CB Decobie Durant is a great story, going from working at FedEx out of high school to being a walk-on at SC State.

Decobie Durant didn’t take the traditional path to the NFL. The Rams’ fourth-round pick went through adversity before college and worked hard to make his dream come true by reaching the NFL on Saturday.

Out of high school, Durant had zero offers to play college football. So, he took a job with FedEx and developed some relationships with contractors in that job. After working there for a little while, he reached out to the South Carolina State coach to see if there was an opportunity for him to play there.

Coach Harrison gave him a shot and Durant took full advantage. On NFL Network recently, Durant detailed his path to becoming a draft prospect, from FedEx to SC State.

“Coming out of high school, I had zero offers,” he said. “So it was hard for me. I was undersized. Fresh out of high school, I went to Palmetto Prep in Columbia, South Carolina. That didn’t go as planned and now I’m back at square one. I’m back at home, working at FedEx. I built a good relationship with contractors out there, just working day by day and then I finally reached out to Coach Gerald Harrison. Here at South Carolina State, he recruits my area back at home. He just told me, you can pretty much come in and roll and you will be a grey shirt for the 2017 year, so I sat out that whole year. 2018 rolls around, I told them they won’t regret giving me the opportunity to be part of the team and from that point on, I just kept my foot on the gas pedal.”

Durant put together a great career at SC State after redshirting his freshman year, going on to play four seasons from 2018-2021. He picked off 12 passes, was named the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and was a first-team AP FCS All-American.

Now, he’s an NFL cornerback after getting drafted by the Rams 142nd overall in the fourth round.

Decobie Durant models his game after Tyrann Mathieu, 2 other star CBs

Decobie Durant picked three really good defensive backs to model his game after, including Tyrann Mathieu

As a fourth-round pick, Decobie Durant isn’t a household name for fans. The Rams’ new cornerback was a productive player in college, however, and has his best football ahead of him.

With the Rams, he’ll get a chance to compete for playing time right away at a position of need – though the return of Troy Hill complicates things a little bit for his standing on the depth chart.

Durant sets the bar high for himself and models his game after three excellent defensive backs. He told reporters after being drafted by Los Angeles that he tries to play like Tyrann Mathieu, Stephon Gilmore and a little bit of Marshon Lattimore.

Any cornerback who can embody the playing style of those three guys is bound to have success in the NFL. That doesn’t mean Durant will turn into the caliber of any of those three Pro Bowl defensive backs, but he has high expectations for himself.

Instant analysis of Rams trading for Troy Hill

The Rams traded for Troy Hill during the 2022 NFL draft, reuniting him with Jalen Ramsey. What does that mean for the other CBs in LA?

The Los Angeles Rams double-dipped at cornerback during the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, but one of the two cornerbacks they added was via trade. Amid the selection of Decobie Durant with the 142nd overall pick, the Rams acquired Troy Hill from the Cleveland Browns, reuniting him with Jalen Ramsey.

Hill is familiar with the Rams, having spent five seasons with the organization from 2016 to 2020. In his final three seasons in Los Angeles, Hill totaled 23 pass breakups and seven interceptions before signing with the Browns in 2021.

But with Hill rejoining the Rams, what does that mean for the other cornerbacks like Robert Rochell, David Long Jr., and newly-drafted Durant? Los Angeles likely wanted to bring in a familiar face after losing Darious Williams in free agency.

Taking that into account, Hill will likely start on the opposite side of Ramsey while Rochell and Long will compete for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. The Rams prefer their cornerbacks to flash the ability to move inside or outside, so whoever can show those skills in training camp could prevail.

The trade for Hill shows that the Rams weren’t overly confident in either Rochell or Long to step into an expanded role in 2022. Both saw playing time last season, though, both of them saw other members of the secondary steal snaps from them in the latter portion of the season.

Meanwhile, Durant and the other cornerbacks on the roster could provide depth and contribute on special teams. The decision to reunite with Hill does improve the outlook of the cornerback room entering next season.

Twitter reacts to Rams drafting CB Decobie Durant with 142nd pick

The Rams picked up a sleeper at cornerback to start their haul on Saturday, selecting Decobie Durant. Here’s how fans and analysts reacted.

Decobie Durant was a standout at South Carolina State, an HBCU that’s also the alma mater of star linebacker Darius Leonard. The Rams picked up the underrated cornerback in the fourth round, selecting him 142nd overall on Saturday.

They desperately needed cornerback help and found it with the 5-foot-10 DB from SC State. He displayed good ball skills with 12 interceptions and also has impressive speed after running a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash, potentially competing for starter snaps as a rookie.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the Rams’ second selection of the 2022 draft.