Jalen Ramsey is a shutdown cornerback and was the best at his position last season. But he views himself as more than just a corner. He’s a true defensive back capable of playing anywhere in the secondary.
The Rams moved him around last season, allowing him to play corner, nickel and even some box safety, using him as a chess piece on defense. His versatility is what makes him so valuable, doing things a lot of other cornerbacks don’t.
And at some point in his career, he would like to move to safety.
Many cornerbacks have made that switch late in their careers, with Charles Woodson being the most notable and successful. Ramsey considers Woodson to be the best defensive back in NFL history, while Deion Sanders is the best corner, in his mind.
Ramsey said on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast that he would want to be like Woodson and play a variety of positions in the secondary.
“I like Charles because even though I say Deion is the best corner to play the game, Charles is the best defensive back to play the game because he played multiple positions in the secondary. He played corner, he played safety, he played nickel. He did a bunch of different stuff and he affected the game in so many different ways,” Ramsey said. “Me coming to L.A., that’s kind of the role that I started to be in. I’m still on the edges, on the corner the majority of the time, but here and there, they’re starting to let me be me a little bit more. Mix it in, playing a little bit of nickel. And then at some point in my career, if it takes me there to safety, I would want to do that as well. I want to have a mix of all.”
Ramsey loves where he’s at right now as a shutdown corner, but he doesn’t think he’d have any trouble moving to safety down the road. As a strong tackler, a big defender and a guy with plenty of speed, he has the perfect skill set for the position.
And let’s not forget, he played some safety at Florida State before moving to corner full-time.
“I wouldn’t have no problems moving to safety. I love corner right now. The corner money’s better. I’m cool where I’m at,” he said.
There’s no reason for Ramsey to move to safety right now because he’s the best corner in football, but if he can lengthen his career by making that switch years from now, you can bet he’d be very willing to make it happen.
[vertical-gallery id=649886]