Rams Cobie Durant blossoming into leadership role…

[www.si.com]

Rams DB Cobie Durant Blossoming into Leadership Role​

Los Angeles Rams defensive back may be entering just his second NFL season, but he is already becoming a leader in the secondary.

Given the state of the Rams' secondary, a young player like Durant had to step up. With Jalen Ramsey and other key players departing this offseason, the unit is severely lacking in experience. In fact, Durant is already the fourth-most-experienced member of the secondary with just 13 games played, trailing only cornerback Robert Rochell (28) and safeties Jordan Fuller (31) and Russ Yeast (15).

Even though he's still learning himself, Durant is more than comfortable stepping up as a leader.

"We're going to compete at a high level," Durant said via the Rams' website. "We got each other's backs. Jalen's gone, David Long's gone, Troy [Hill]'s gone, Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott, all those guys. So we're young in the back end, but we got some ballers back there and we just drafted some more guys. It's a great opportunity for us to step up and show the league what we got.

A fourth-round pick in 2022, Durant had an impressive showing in his rookie season. In 13 games, he had five passes defended and three interceptions, one behind Ramsey for the team lead. With so many losses in the secondary, the Rams will be counting on Durant to build on his success in a bigger role.

A year ago, Durant was a fresh draftee and just getting accustomed to life with the Rams. Now, he's one of the leaders for a key part of the defense. Goes to show how quickly time passes in the NFL.