St. Louis Rams: Janoris Jenkins Gets Big Props from Jeff Fisher

Janoris Jenkins was probably the most controversial player in the 2012 NFL draft. Depending on whom you talked to, Jenkins was either a can't-miss prospect, or a bust waiting to happen.

First-round talent. Seventh-round off-the-field problems.

That is Janoris Jenkins in a nutshell.

The St. Louis Rams rolled the dice, selecting Jenkins in the second round (No. 39 overall). Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said the team did their due diligence, leaving no stone unturned when they conducted their background check.

Now, Rams fans just have to sit back and see if Jenkins will be the All-Pro, shutdown corner that he was drafted to be, or if he will follow in the footsteps of other high-risk, high-reward draft picks.

In this story by Michael David Smith (NBC Sports), it sounds like Jenkins is impressing with his performance on the field so far.

Jeff Fisher is impressed, and that has to be an encouraging sign for Rams fans.

Fisher had this to say about Jenkins recent performance at rookie minicamp:

“He’s very talented—obviously we knew that, and that has shown just in the last couple days,"Fisher said. “He’s got excellent football intelligence and he carries things from the classroom to the field. He’s going to be a really good player really soon for us.”

Translation: Fisher sees Jenkins teaming up with Cortland Finnegan, who the Rams signed in free agency, to form one of the best secondaries in football.

At least that's what I interpreted, but hey, I'm like most Rams fans—desperate for anything that sounds like good news right now.

After the last five seasons, the worst five-season stretch by any franchise in NFL history, we need a little good news around here.

So let's hope that Jenkins keeps working hard and that he stays out of trouble. If he can do that, we will probably look back at this draft and say the Rams got the steal of the draft with the No. 39 pick.