Jalen Ramsey has been a true shutdown corner for a while, consistently matching up with the opponent’s No. 1 receiver on a weekly basis. Brandon Staley gave him that role last season with the Rams and all Ramsey did was go out and not only make the Pro Bowl, but also earn first-team All-Pro honors.
He covered the likes of DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins, Allen Robinson, Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs and Amari Cooper, holding each of them to 57 yards or less. On a new episode of the “Serendipity Podcast” with Inky Johnson, Ramsey discussed his toughest WR matchups in the NFL.
He unsurprisingly named Hopkins as the toughest wideout he’s had to cover, having faced him twice a year in just about every season he’s been in the NFL. But he also mentioned Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr., Robinson and Cooper as receivers who he has “a ton of respect for,” but Hopkins topped his list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN82UQAbAHw
Among other topics, Ramsey was asked what he would tell his younger self when he came into the NFL. He would’ve told himself to blaze his own trail as a pro and not necessarily try to follow in the path of others.
“What I would tell that Jalen is, ‘Yes you can take advice from people here and there. That’s cool, especially if they’ve been in your shoes, if they’ve been where you’re trying to go. But at the end of the day, embrace your journey. Whatever that may be because your journey is definitely going to be different than somebody else’s. The way you go through situations is going to be different than how somebody else may have went through situations. The way you may perceive being a pro will be different than how somebody else perceives being a pro. … Be authentic to yourself. Truly,’” Ramsey said.