He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a three-time consensus All-American and won numerous awards.

[1][2][3] He was raised in a family of athletes; his father Joe, a WWE Hall of Famer also known as "Road Warrior Animal", and two uncles (John and Marcus) were professional wrestlers.

That season, he helped lead his high school football team to the state championship game in Class 5A with 193 tackles, including 28 for loss and five sacks.

He recorded a career-high 130 tackles (52 solos) that included four sacks, seven stops for losses and one quarterback pressure, caused a fumble, deflected four passes and picked off two others.

[13] He made his professional regular season debut and his first career start in the St. Louis Rams' season-opener at the Seattle Seahawks and recorded 14 combined tackles (ten solo) in their 28–0 loss.

On October 9, 2009, Laurinaitis recorded six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception during a 38–10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5.

Laurinaitis made his first career interception off a pass by Vikings' quarterback Brett Favre, that was originally intended for wide receiver Bernard Berrian, and returned it for a seven-yard gain in the second quarter.

[15] He started in all 16 games during his rookie season in 2009 and recorded 120 combined tackles (107 solo), five pass deflections, two interceptions, two sacks, and a forced fumble.

Head coach Steve Spagnuolo officially named him the starter to begin the regular season, alongside outside linebackers Larry Grant and Na'il Diggs.

[17] On October 31, 2010, he collected eight combined tackles, deflected a pass, made a sack, and recorded an interception during a 20–10 victory against the Carolina Panthers.

Laurinaitis intercepted a pass by quarterback Matt Moore, that was originally a flea flicker intended for wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. on the Panthers' first offensive play of the game.

On December 19, 2010, Laurinaitis made a season-high 11 combined tackles (ten solo) and broke up one pass in the Rams' 27–13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15.

[23] On January 2, 2012, the Rams fired head coach Steve Spagnuolo and general manager Billy Devaney after they finished with a 2–14 record and did not qualify for the playoffs in their third consecutive season.

[24] Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was suspended for the entire season due to his involvement on the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.

Head coach Jeff Fisher officially named Laurinaitis the starter to begin the regular season, along with outside linebackers Rocky McIntosh and Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

[27][12][28] On October 21, 2012, Laurinaitis collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (13 solo) in the Rams' 30–20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.

In Week 12, he tied his season-high of 14 combined tackles (seven solo), deflected a pass, and made his first interception of the season during a 31–17 win at the Arizona Cardinals.

Laurinaitis intercepted a pass by Cardinals' quarterback Ryan Lindley, that was intended for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and returned it for an 18-yard gain in the fourth quarter.

[30] He started in all 16 games in 2012 and recorded a career-high 142 combined tackles (117 solo), five pass deflections, two interceptions, and was credited with half a sack.

[33] In Week 16, he recorded six combined tackles and was credited with a season-high 1.5 sacks on quarterback Mike Glennon in the Rams' 23–13 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

[37] On November 16, 2014, Laurinaitis recorded a season-high 11 combined tackles (seven solo) and made one sack during a 22–7 win against the Denver Broncos in Week 7.

In Week 14, he collected six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and was credited with a season-high 1.5 sacks in the Rams' 24–0 win at the Washington Redskins.

[44] On November 1, 2015, Laurinaitis recorded seven combined tackles and made the first safety of his career in the Rams' 27–6 win against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8.

[51] He started in the New Orleans Saints' season-opener against the Oakland Raiders and collected a season-high seven combined tackles and deflected a pass in their 35–34 loss.