Cobie Durant

Decobie Durant (born February 9, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina State Bulldogs.

Professional career

Pre-draft

He improved his draft stock after performing well in the 2022 East–West Shrine Bowl. Durant was one of only four HBCU players to attend the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.38s in the 40-yard dash was the fifth best time amongst all defensive backs. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, NFL draft scouts and analysts projected Durant would be selected in the fifth or sixth rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. The NFL Draft Bible had Durant ranked as the ninth best inside cornerback in the draft. Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus listed Durant as the 31st best cornerback prospect (246th overall) on his big board.

2022

The Los Angeles Rams selected Durant in the fourth round (142nd overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. He was the 20th cornerback drafted and the first of two cornerbacks selected by the Rams in 2022, along with sixth-round pick (212th overall) Derion Kendrick.

On June 6, 2022, the Los Angeles Rams signed Durant to a four–year, $4.16 million rookie contract that includes a signing bonus of $504,340.

Throughout training camp, he competed to be the third cornerback on the depth chart and to be the starting nickelback against David Long Jr., Robert Rochell, and Derion Kendrick. Head coach Sean McVay named him a backup and listed him as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starters Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill, as well as primary backup and starting nickelback David Long Jr.

On September 8, 2022, Durant made his professional regular season debut in the Los Angeles Rams' home-opener against the Buffalo Bills, but was limited to 23 snaps on special teams as they lost 10–31. On September 18, 2022, Durant made two combined tackles (one solo), a pass deflection, made his first career sack, and had his first career interception on a pass attempt by Marcus Mariota to Cordarrelle Patterson during a 31–27 victory at the Atlanta Falcons. He entered the game to replace Troy Hill after he sustained a groin injury. Prior to his interception, Durant suffered an injury to his hamstring and was subsequently inactive for the next four games (Weeks 3–6). In Week 15, he earned his first career start at nickelback and recorded four combined tackles (two solo) and made one pass deflection as the Rams lost 12–24 at the Green Bay Packers. On December 25, 2022, Durant made one solo tackle, set a season-high with two pass deflections, set a career-high with two interceptions, and returned one for his first career touchdown during a 51–14 win against the Denver Broncos. His touchdown was on his first career pick-six after intercepting a pass by Brett Rypien to wide receiver Freddie Swain and returning it for an 85–yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. The following week, he set a season-high with seven combined tackles (six solo) as the Rams lost 10–31 at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17. He finished the season with 22 combined tackles (15 solo), five pass deflections, three interceptions, one sack, and one touchdown in 13 games and one start. He received an overall grade of 75.2 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2022.

2023

He entered training camp as a candidate for a role as a starting cornerback following the departures of Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill. He competed against Derion Kendrick, Ahkello Witherspoon, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, and Robert Rochell under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. Head coach Sean McVay named him the starting nickelback and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starters Ahkello Witherspoon and Derion Kendrick.

In Week 3, he earned his first start of the season at nickelback and set a season-high with six solo tackles and made one pass deflection during a 16–19 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 6, Durant made four combined tackles (two solo) and set a season-high with two pass deflections as the Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals 26–9. He was inactive for the Rams' 17–16 win against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 due to a shoulder injury. He finished the season with 39 combined tackles (23 solo) and six pass deflections in 16 games and nine starts. He received an overall grade of 56.9 from Pro Football Focus in 2023.

The Los Angeles Rams finished the 2023 NFL season second in the NFC West with a 10–7 record to earn a playoff berth. On January 14, 2024, Durant started in his first career playoff game and made four combined tackles (three solo) during a 23–24 loss at the Detroit Lions in the NFC Wild-card Game.

2024

During the off-season, the Rams promoted Chris Shula to defensive coordinator after Raheem Morris accepted the head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams signed Tre'Davious White, but he was unable to physically participate in training camp as he recovered from a torn Achilles tendon. This coincided with the departure of Ahkello Witherspoon, a torn ACL to Derion Kendrick, and a Darious Williams injuring his hamstring. Head coach Sean McVay subsequently named Durant the No. 2 starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Tre'Davious White.

On October 20, 2024, Durant made two solo tackles, two pass deflections, one sack, a forced fumble, and made his lone interception of the season after picking off a pass by Gardner Minshew to tight end Brock Bowers during a 20–15 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. His Week 7 performance against the Raiders, earned him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 13, he set a season-high with six solo tackles (five solo) as the Rams won 21–14 at the New Orleans Saints. He was inactive for two games (Weeks 15–16) due to a chest injury. He finished his season with 40 combined tackles (28 solo), eight pass deflections, one sack, a forced fumble, and one interception in 15 games and 15 starts. He received an overall grade of 63.7 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 95th among 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.

The Los Angeles Rams finished the 2024 NFL season atop the NFC West with a 10–7 record. On January 13, 2025, Durant made two combined tackles (one solo), one pass deflection, one sack, and intercepted a pass thrown by Sam Darnold to wide receiver Jordan Addison as the Rams defeated the Minnesota Vikings 27–9 in the NFC Wild-card Game. The following week, he was limited to one solo tackle and one pass deflection in the Divisional Round as the Rams lost 22–28 at the Philadelphia Eagles who went on to win Super Bowl LIX.

References

External links

Los Angeles Rams bio

South Carolina State Bulldogs bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durant, Decobie
1998 births
Living people
Players of American football from South Carolina
American football cornerbacks
South Carolina State Bulldogs football players
Los Angeles Rams players
21st-century American sportsmen