The Kansas City Chiefs selected Jaden Hicks in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft to give themselves depth behind veteran safety Justin Reid, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
Given the Chiefs’ rotating cast of safeties over the past few seasons, fans should expect general manager Brett Veach to continue adding talent at the position in the event that Reid decides to sign with another team.
Despite the first-string talent that Kansas City possesses at safety, the Chiefs’ depth at the position may be a liability if Reid leaves Western Missouri. the
Bryan Cook, Hicks, and Reid are the only true safeties on Kansas City’s roster, and while Chamarri Conner spent some time in the role during his final years in college, the Chiefs seem keen to use him mostly as a nickelback.
The 2025 NFL draft lacks depth and top-end talent at safety but, fortunately, several prospects are talented enough to warrant top 100 selections, including USC Trojans prospect Kamari Ramsey.
Ramsey explodes downhill to attack screens and short routes. His anticipation and closing speed prevent offenses from gaining yards after the catch. Despite playing limited snaps before 2024, Ramsey showcased the vision and processing to work through route combinations and key on the correct receiver.
He lacks the elite speed and range necessary to operate in single-high coverage but possesses the athletic traits needed to play man-to-man against tight ends. Ramsey successfully covered some shiftier slot receivers in off-man coverage while at UCLA in 2023. With USC, Ramsey has demonstrated that he can stay tightly connected to receiving threats at the top of the stem and that he can accelerate quickly to match their breaks.
At times, Ramsey falls for eye manipulation and gets drawn downhill by play-action. He takes some poor angles to the ball when coming downhill in run defense and hasn’t yet developed an effective block-shedding technique.
These are all correctable issues that experience and good coaching can fix.
Keep your eye on Ramsey when USC travels to Ann Arbor to play Michigan on September 21.