NFL Draft: 5 reasons Jalen Ramsey should go No. 1
By John Buhler
2. High-end NFL comparisons
While there is no guarantee that Ramsey will become either of these two amazing NFL defensive backs, his two best NFL comparisons are the Arizona Cardinals’ Tyrann Mathieu and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
Ramsey is a cross between both Mathieu and Sanders. He has Mathieu’s ability to play several positions in the secondary and could hold his own as a dynamic playmaker in the middle of the gridiron either as a high-end safety or an elite press coverage cornerback in nickel packages.
While Ramsey doesn’t have the elite ball skills of Mathieu, few if any can play as many positions as Mathieu does in the Cardinals secondary. Ramsey could essentially be that type of player for the Titans if he goes No. 1 overall to them in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Like Sanders, Ramsey was a standout track star for the Seminoles at Florida State in addition to starring on the gridiron. Ramsey could kick outside and become an elite shutdown corner like Sanders was in his prime with the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys. Ramsey tackles infinitely better than Sanders did, but doesn’t have the wheels that Sanders possessed. To be fair, very few do.
It’s rare to see a defensive back enter the NFL that could realistically star at all cornerback roles, dominate at free safety, and hold his own at strong safety. Ramsey has the potentially to be an elite catalyst in an NFL secondary for a very long time. Tennessee has to think long and hard about passing up on Ramsey’s high-end versatility at No. 1 this spring in the 2016 NFL Draft.
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