In the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans selected Kristian Fulton with the 61st-overall selection. It was a selection they had to make at a position they needed to address. The five-foot-eleven, 197-pound rookie made his debut versus the Denver Broncos in the 2020 season opener, making four tackles in the process.
Following the bye in Week 4, he was inactive in Week 5 after being placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list but returned to the lineup in Week 6 to face the rival Houston Texans. A knee injury would force him to the team’s IR (injured reserve) on Halloween, where he would sit until the middle of December.
The Tennesse Titans CB has a roller coaster ride of a rookie season.
Two more weeks on the inactive roster led to an appearance in the regular-season finale and the rookie’s first-ever playoff appearance, where he played 16 percent and nine percent of the snaps in each of those games. That would force some to think that there was a loss of confidence in the former second-rounder, but the better theory is the Titans didn’t want to rush the young man back to where he was and risk further injury.
That’s the part of the story that you know. Here’s what you may not. This young man is the pride of New Orleans Louisiana, a city that picked itself up after being ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, and even if some of its residents were young when it happened (or they moved their following tragedy, the knowledge of how to get back after falling down or stumbling is something these Louisiana natives just know how to do.
Expect a breakout year by this Tennessee Titans young gun in 2021.
Fulton attended Archbishop Rummel High School and ran track in addition to playing football. He was a 247 Sports five-star recruit that received a four-star ranking by Rivals and ESPN. 56 total tackles, two picks, and 20 pass breakups in 24 career games were part of a collegiate career that was punctuated by a College Football Playoff National Championship and a Second Team All-SEC nod in 2019.
Fulton’s first year in the NFL didn’t go according to plan. That’s obvious, but second-round prospects are second-round prospects for a reason. Expect Kristian Fulton to have his breakout one year after we expected but just in time for another Tennessee Titans run.
16 total tackles, a pick, and a sack were the result of year one. The fireworks are on their way in year two. This is a young man that isn’t going to give up on his NFL dreams, and you shouldn’t give up on him either.