Overview
Position: Safety
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 201 pounds
School: Florida State Seminoles
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.41 seconds
Bench press (225 pounds): 14 reps
Vertical jump: 41.5 inches (best among defensive backs)
Broad jump: 11 feet, 3 inches (best among defensive backs)
Jalen Ramsey 2016 NFL Draft Profile
Every once in a while the high school scouts hit it out of the park with their player evaluations. Jalen Ramsey is as clear-cut an example as you’re going to find. The Nashville, TN native was rated as the top prospect in the state of Tennesse and tenth nationally by Rivals.com in 2013. He was one of two five-star standouts to commit to Jimbo Fisher’s Florida State program that year.
It wasn’t long after his arrival in Tallahassee that he began to make an impact on the field. Ramsey started all 14 games as a true freshman during the Noles 2013 national championship season. He finished fourth on the team with 37 tackles while also intercepting a pass as well as forcing and recovering a fumble. And FSU boasted the nation’s best pass defense that year, allowing just 156.6 yards per game. Ramsey would capture numerous Freshman All-American honors for his play.
As the Garnet and Gold attempted to repeat in 2014, Ramsey played a key role in the secondary. He became particularly effective at disrupting things in opposing backfields. His ten tackles for loss were second on the team. He also finished with 12 pass break-ups on the season which led all FSU players and was second in the ACC. A year later, he would cement himself as one of the top prospects at his position in the draft with a performance worthy of him being named defensive MVP by his teammates.
Ramsey also competed in track and field while at Florida State. His primary specialty was the long jump and proved to be among the nation’s best at the event. In 2015, he won the ACC title at both the indoor and outdoor championships and finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a leap of 26 feet and 1.75 inches.
Strengths
- could be the best pure athlete in this year’s draft class.
- possesses an above-average frame for the position.
- incredible ability to accelerate and change directions.
- fluid and effortless stride at full speed.
- extremely tough for receivers to break away from him on go routes.
- has lengthy arms which should make him effective at neutralizing deep ball receivers.
- high level of instincts in reading the offense in zone coverage.
- versatile player who can play safety as well as corner and also wreak havoc in the backfield on safety blitzes.
Weaknesses
- lacks decisiveness in trying to jam receivers in press coverage.
- hip movement in adjusting to routes a tad on the tight side.
- tended to drop a lot of potential interceptions in college.
- interception numbers in general were abnormally low throughout his college career.
- has a tendency to arm tackle too often.
- questions abound regarding whether or not he can be an every down player intensity-wise.
NFL Comparison: Malcolm Jenkins
Teams with Need at Position: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raider, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: Early first round, potentially top five
Bottom Line
Ramsey’s about as NFL-ready a prospect at the position as you’re going to find. His phenomenal Combine performance only reinforced that notion. Not only did he knock the events like the vertical and broad jump out of the park, he was immensely impressive during the on-field drills. Teams covet both his athleticism and his overall ability as a cover corner. It wouldn’t be surprising if he follows in the footsteps of his former FSU teammate Ronald Darby and makes an immediate impact on whichever team drafts him. Darby was the Buffalo Bills’ first pick in the 2015 draft and started all 16 games. Don’t be surprised if Ramsey does the same next season.
