It didn’t take long for Jalen Ramsey to establish himself as one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL after he was drafted fifth overall in 2016, earning a Pro Bowl selection and first-team All-Pro nod in just his second season.
However, he was primarily an outside cornerback early in his career with the Jaguars before moving around more as he gained experience. With the Rams last season, he was a chess piece for Brandon Staley in the secondary.
Ramsey played on the left and right sides, as well as in the slot, doing everything from shadowing No. 1 receivers to blitzing off the edge and defending the run. His versatility was on full display, and it earned him recognition as one of the best slot defenders in football from Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire.
Ramsey landed at No. 5 in Farrar’s rankings, behind only Tyrann Mathieu, Bryce Callahan, Kenny Moore and Mike Hilton, who were 1-4, respectively.
When Ramsey wasn’t locking opponents down as an outside cornerback, he was playing the “STAR” position in Brandon Staley’s defense last season, revisiting what he did at Florida State, and allowing him to use his athleticism and field acumen all over the field. From the slot last season, Ramsey allowed six catches on 12 targets for 40 yards, 42 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 57.6. It will be interesting to see if new Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will have Ramsey in that similar multi-tiered role.
There are no limitations or weaknesses to Ramsey’s game. He might be the best tackling cornerback in football, he has the size and speed to match up with any type of receiver and whether he’s in man or zone, he’s going to make plays on the ball.
Raheem Morris shouldn’t have any trouble maximizing the talent of Ramsey, whether he’s sticking the corner on someone like DK Metcalf or having him take away the middle of the field as a slot defender.
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