Compare him to some of the ILBs coming out and 6' 3" is taller than a lot of them. The kid KC drafted in round 2 for example was around 6' tall. Ernest isn't all muscled up either, rather a regularly built dude, but he's got good core strength. Even though he doesn't look big his size is good for the position and he should put on muscle as the years go on, most LBs do.
The last two games he has played as well as any rookie ILB, of that I have no doubt. I think the Rams hit it out of the park with him in fact. He's a natural. Good instincts, just enough mobility (probably was why he went when he did), but those instincts help him be in the right spot. And tbh you can be athletically gifted but if your instincts are bad or if you dislike contact you're never going to be a top ILB.
Rams really did a good job identifying the right stuff with Ernest IMO. He was a fine pick, at least that's how things are looking right now. And his rise in snaps arriving at the same time as our defense is starting to turn the corner are not coincidences. He and Gaines have changed the look of the interior of our defensive front.
