Jalen Ramsey says he’s “best player” in NFL draft, but No. 1 pick?
For months now, people have been slotting Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil with the first pick in the draft. Almost out of habit at this point.
Could it happen? Yes. The Tennessee Titans, owners of No. 1, sent a big contingent to his pro day this week. But that same crew of Titans heavy hitters also was on hand for the pro day of Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey.
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It’s clear no choice has been made on the pick yet, but it’s obvious Ramsey is in consideration to go first. And he said he believes he should be that guy.
“It’s what I’ve always dreamed of,” Ramsey said via ESPN.com. “It’s what I’ve worked for, and I want them to pick me because they know I’m the best player in this year’s draft [and] not because I’m a guy from Tennessee. That’s just icing on the cake.”
That’s right: The 6-1, 209-pound Ramsey, who could be a star at corner or safety, is from Nashville. The Titans have myriad needs; the only spot they wouldn’t consider taking first would be a quarterback, with Marcus Mariota in tow. So why not a defensive back?
“I want them to really feel like I’m the best player in this draft,” he said. “I definitely feel like I am and I feel like I continue to show it throughout my combine, throughout out my pro day, and whatever else they want me to show or need me to show, I’ll continue to show it.”
The last time a cornerback went in the top three picks: Shawn Springs, No. 3 overall in 1997. Safety? That would be 1991, with the late Eric Turner going second overall to the Cleveland Browns. It’s assumed — wrongly — that offensive tackles are safe picks that high, but recent history shows that to be anything but the truth with recent top-five OL picks such as Greg Robinson, Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel and Matt Kalil failing to meet expectations to date.
As for Ramsey, he wasn’t a huge playmaker in college (three interceptions in three years) but was the first true freshman to start at FSU since Deion Sanders and was the Seminoles MVP last season. Ramsey truly is a world-class athlete with long arms, incredible speed and explosion. He can play safety, outside corner and nickel, and Ramsey could be a good NFL returner despite limited experience.
“Everybody talked about all these offenses and how you stop the big receiver, the little receiver, the big tight end,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He can play all the positions. He can play corner. He can match the big receiver. He can play the field [corner] and play off. He can play a little guy. He can play a tight end. He can tackle. He can play out of the backfield.”
Oh, and blitz, too.
“You’re talking about a guy who’s a tremendous blitzer off the edge and the way the game is played now on defense you can’t find enough of those guys,” Fisher said.
All Ramsey did on Tuesday was defensive back drills, and he didn’t need to do anything else after turning in an exceptional NFL scouting combine. Sitting those same drills out at his pro day won’t, or shouldn’t, hurt his chances of going first overall.
The Titans are choosing between two elite athletes relative to their positions, or they could opt to trade down. It’s going to be a fascinating decision, and we could have some real mystery with the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in a few years. Ramsey stated his case to go first overall, and the Titans might very well be listening hard. They’d be fools not to.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
