Maurice Alexander (born February 16, 1991) is a former American football linebacker and safety. He played college football at Arizona Western College and Utah State and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. 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 St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams The St. Louis Rams selected Alexander in the fourth round (110th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. Alexander was the eighth safety drafted in 2014. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was cited as one of the top contributing factors in the selection of Alexander and claimed he would take awhile to develop, but would be comparable to Sean Taylor after doing so. 2014 On June 23, 2014, the St. Louis