*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Scouts Prefer Jalen Ramsey at Safety
Updated Aug. 30, 2015By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
While NFL evaluators haven’t been able to see Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey play any games as a junior at cornerback, they’ve already been to Seminole practices and are gauging how Ramsey is handling his new position. As a sophomore, Ramsey was one of the best safeties in college football and was perhaps the best player on Florida State’s defense, which was comprised of tons of NFL talent.
In the wake of Florida State losing starting cornerbacks Ronald Darby and P.J. Williams to the NFL, Ramsey has moved to cornerback. After watching Ramsey in training camp practices, our sources prefer him at safety for the NFL, but that could change over the course of the 2015 season.
As a safety, scouts think that Ramsey is a special athlete and a very good NFL prospect. They say that he is about 6-foot tall but has the arm length of a player who is 6-4 or 6-5. They say that makes him a valuable commodity to matchup against receiving tight ends. Scouts also love his awareness and instincts as a safety with the ability to make big plays in pass coverage or as a blitzer. They like Ramsey’s ball skills and ability to tackle. Overall, Ramsey’s 2014 tape was very impressive, and they love his potential as a starting safety in the NFL.
In terms of the cornerback position, they feel Ramsay would have an appeal to teams like the Seahawks or teams wanting to copycat Seattle’s style of corners. Sources say that at cornerback, Ramsey isn’t as rare or as special of an athlete as he is at safety. They will be watching him closely to see how he fares in coverage on receivers, and perhaps then, Ramsey can win over some skeptics.
The secondary was the strength of Florida State’s defense in 2014, and the Seminoles are counting on Ramsey to be adequately replace Darby or Williams. The Florida State staff moved offensive lineman Cameron Erving from left tackle to center midway through the season, so Ramsey going back to safety is always a possibility. One shouldn’t be surprised if there is a significant amount of NFL teams that prefer him at safety.
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