Former Tulane Green Wave Football Star Revealed as New GM's NFL Draft ‘Crush'

This former Tulane Green Wave defensive star embodied all the traits of a top NFL draft target that his new team couldn't pass up.

BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The dream for college football players entering into the NFL draft only grows when they’re a top target of the general manager selecting them.

For former Tulane Green Wave football defensive star Caleb Ransaw, that was precisely what unfolded on the second day of the process.

Ransaw was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars No. 88 overall in the third round and the second player taken by new general manager James Gladstone as he looks to make an impact in his first season with the club.

The Athletic’s Mike Silver (subscription required) went inside the Jaguars war room during the NFL draft and detailed an evaluation process that hinged on what prospects embodied “Jaguars DNA.”

As NFL teams build and stack draft boards, the evaluation process involves a set of traits or attributes that players must possess, and that’s how the “DNA” measurement was created on a score from one to nine, “that gave weight to qualities such as competitiveness, mental and physical toughness, and love of football.”

The team displayed those scores on each player’s card on their digital draft board.

“We highlight it for a reason,” Gladstone said. “That’s where we all start the conversation. It’s the driving force for any dialogue. Not everyone’s built for this place.”

Gladstone also had a small, laminated cheat sheet that had 31 players he coveted most.

Ransaw was undoubtedly on the list, as it was revealed that he was Gladstone’s “draft crush" that he zeroed in on for the No. 88 pick. 

“Throughout the scouting process, as talent evaluators, coaches, and executives pore over game film and other data and engage in a seemingly endless succession of meetings, it’s common for them to develop what are known in NFL circles as draft crushes,” Silver wrote. “In Gladstone’s case, Tulane defensive back Caleb Ransaw was such a player.”

That’s an impressive feat for a player who Gladstone admits he wasn’t too familiar with when joining the organization, as reported by Jaguars On SI.

"I don't know how much time we got, but he was somebody who really sparked my interest once I got on the job here,” Gladstone said. Not a player that I had enough familiarity with walking in the door, but our coaches did such a good job articulating the vision for his usage, opening my eyes to a lot of elements that he possesses."

That vision is taking Ransaw on a new journey to safety after spending his one season with the Green Wave at nickel.

In a position that he only got the chance to showcase at the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Ransaw made an impression that led to him being seen as a crucial piece of Gladstone’s vision.