Position: Safety Name Maurice (American Height 1.88 m | High school: Eureka (MO) Weight 96 kg Roster status: Active | |
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Date of birth: (1991-02-16) February 16, 1991 (age 24) NFL draft: 2014 / Round: 4 / Pick: 110 Role American football defensive back College Utah State Aggies football Current teams St. Louis Rams (#31 / Safety), Utah State Aggies football (#5 / Defensive back) Parents Lynette McAlpine, Maurice Alexander | ||
Place of birth: St. Louis, Missouri | ||
Maurice Alexander (born February 16, 1991) is an American football safety for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona Western College and Utah State.
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Early life
Alexander attended Eureka High School in Eureka, Missouri where he was a three-sport athlete. In football, he was a two-time all-state football selection. He also participated in track and all-city wrestling, finishing third in the Missouri wrestling championships. He committed to Utah State to play college football.
College career
Alexander attended Arizona Western College. In two seasons at Arizona Western, Alexander registered 179 tackles, 15 sacks, and four interceptions. He was a two-time all-conference selection in the Western States Football League and he was a first-team all-region honoree.
Though he had played defensive end since high school, Alexander switched to linebacker when he transferred to Utah State University. In early 2012, he got into a fight with a teammate after a party. The teammate, running back Joseph DeMartino, was knocked unconscious and required surgery for injuries to the face and eye. Alexander was dismissed from the team. Facing a year in jail, he entered a guilty plea to reduced charges, receiving a one-year sentence with all but 45 days of it suspended.
During his year away from college football, Alexander worked as a janitor at the Edward Jones Dome. He returned to the team in 2013, moving to safety. Utah State coach Matt Wells said, "In Maurice’s situation, he did everything from the legal standpoint and from the university standpoint, and internally, what we asked him to do. He fulfilled all those obligations and we've allowed him back in." Upon his return, Alexander said, "I'm starving. I'm starving to get out there, I'm starving to make plays. I want to make every play. I'm greedy right now." He started 13 games. He received All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention honors.
Professional career
He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in 2014, where he ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round, (110th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. Sportswriter Nick Wagoner said, "Were it not for the team's seventh-round choice of defensive end Michael Sam, Alexander's story might have been the best story of the draft's final day."
In the second week of the 2014 season, Alexander made his NFL debut by playing on special teams. He did not earn any tackles or other statistics. Overall, during his rookie season in 2014, Alexander played 9 games with 4 tackles. In 2015, Alexander played 14 games with 34 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 pass defended, and 1 fumble recovery.
