Jalen Ramsey

It's rare to see defensive backs mentioned as worthy of the No. 1 overall selection in the NFL Draft, but Ramsey deserves it with his natural playmaking skills. He can play cornerback (inside or outside), but his best NFL fit is in a nickel or safety role. As a true sophomore in 2014, he led the Seminoles with 14 passes defended and finished second on the team with 9.5 tackles for loss, adding 79 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. Ramsey occasionally lined up as Florida State's starting free safety in 2014, also moving inside as the "big" nickel defender and showing his versatility as a cornerback and hybrid safety/linebacker. Ramsey moved to boundary cornerback as a junior in 2015 and although he didn't record an interception, Ramsey led the Seminoles in passes defended (10) for the second straight season, earning First Team All-ACC honors. "Today, after having in depth discussions with my parents, my coaches and others whom I hold dear to my heart, I am announcing my decision to pursue my dream, forgo my senior year of football at Florida State and declare for the 2016 NFL Draft," Ramsey said in a statement Jan. 5 announcing he would enter this year's draft.

if you combined a cornerback and safety into one prospect, the result would look something like ramsey, who was blessed with the inherent instincts and intuition along with the size/athletic profile to be a difference-maker.

While versatile, his 2014 game film as a hybrid safety was better than his 2015 game film at boundary cornerback due to his long, easy strides to cover a lot of ground, but he can do everything you want in the secondary and is also an impact player on special teams coverages.

it's rare to see defensive backs mentioned as worthy of the no. 1 overall selection in the nfl draft, but ramsey deserves it with his natural playmaking skills. he can play cornerback (inside or outside), but his best nfl fit is in a nickel or safety role.

COMPARES TO

playmaker with the ball in his hands, but questionable hands and needs to be a better finisher at the catch point, dropping several interceptions on his game film.

IN OUR VIEW

tyrann mathieu, arizona cardinals - while some teams will like him better as a cornerback and others as a safety, like mathieu, ramsey is better categorized as a playmaking defensive back due to his rangy skill-set and versatility.

--Dane Brugler (2/10/16)

standout track career at florida state, winning the acc long jump title (26-1.5) at the 2015 outdoor and indoor championships. also finished seventh in the 100-meters (10.61) and ran lead-off leg in 4x100 relay (39.28). locked-in competitor with a fearless alpha-male personality. offers versatility with starting experience at both safety, cornerback and hybrid versions of both. very durable and didn't miss a start in his three collegiate seasons (40 career starts).

WEAKNESSES

fluid change of direction skills, collecting himself with the natural flexibility to break down on the move. drops his hips and goes from 0-to-60 quickly. nfl-level eyes, vision and spatial awareness, seeing the field very well with astute patience and anticipation.

Uses his length exceptionally to press, get his hands on the ball, wrap tackle and shed blocks. Effective dip and bend as an edge blitzer. Extensive special teams experience as a gunner, playing on both kickoff and punt coverages. Playmaker with the ball in his hands, averaging 23.4 yards per return (5/117/2) on turnovers.

strengths

Tall, long-armed athlete with adequate muscle tone. Long-striding athlete with terrific range, acceleration and closing speed. Light feet and lateral agility to mirror at the line of scrimmage or stay in phase with receivers down the field.

room to add bulk and needs to develop his functional strength to better finish off-balance tackles and disengage blocks. room to clean up his tackling technique, patience and pad level. will get run over in the nfl if he doesn't use better lower body bend.

Loves to bait throws, but will allow his eyes to spend too much time in the backfield, surrendering completions. Needs to improve his discipline and timing in coverage. Upright backpedal and lacks easy transitional movements due to his leggy athleticism.

Ranked as one of the top athletes in the nation at either wide receiver or corner

rated a five star prospect by both Rivals and Scout and a four-star recruit according to ESPN and 247Sports

US Army All-American

.invited to "The Opening" on the Nike campus

ranked No. 10 on the Rivals 100, No. 14 on the ESPN 150 and No. 39 on the Top247

consensus top 5 selection at CB

listed No. 2 by Scout, No. 3 by Rivals, No. 4 by ESPN and No. 5 by 247Sports

the consensus top recruit coming out of Tennessee in 2013

sat out his sophomore season due to transfer rules but put up big numbers on offense and defense in 2011 and 2012

registered 95 tackles, four TFL, three INT, 10 PBU, two fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles

in 2012 he hauled in 31 passes for 676 yards and nine TDs

also rushed five times for 85 yards

ESPN lists Ramsey with a 4.54 time in the 40, a 40.9-inch vertical and a 130.32 SPARQ rating

committed to USC but chose FSU over the Trojans, Florida, Alabama, Oregon, Miami and more than 20 other schools.

2015

kickReturns
LONG	YDS	NO	TD	AVG
37.0	54.0	2.0	0.0	27.0

puntReturns
AVG	NO	TD	LONG	YDS
6.0	1.0	0.0	6.0	6.0