30 Days of Colts' Fits: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
The 2023 NFL Draft is officially just under a month away. In order to help you all along until draft day, I decided to start a daily prospect spotlight series to talk about some players that the Colts could target next month.
The players mentioned in this series will be players that I have either heard that the team is really high on or are players that just make way too much sense for the team based on fit/past draft history.
Next up on the countdown to Draftmas is Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo.
Background
Ringo is a former five star recruit that chose to attend Georgia over offers from Alabama and LSU. Ringo began his college career on the mend, as he redshirted during his first year on campus while he recovered from offseason surgery prior to the year.
He bounced back strong the following season for the Bulldogs, starting each of the final 12 games as a redshirt freshman. He amassed 34 total stops, eight pass breakups, and two interceptions on the season -- one of those interceptions being the game-sealing pick in the National Championship game. He was also named to the Coaches' All-SEC Freshman team in 2021.
While Ringo didn't exactly take the massive leap forward that many expected during his sophomore season, he was still the top cornerback on another National Championship team. He finished the season with 42 tackles, two tackles for a loss, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions. He was named Second Team All-SEC for his strong play.
Ringo finished his college career with 27 starts in two seasons. He was a major contributor on back-to-back College Football Championship teams with the Bulldogs.
Another interesting bit of news on Ringo is that he was a world-class junior sprinter in high school. He won state titles in both the 100 meter and the 200 meter events. His career best marks for both events were 10.43 seconds and 21.18 seconds, respectively.
Size/Testing
Height:
6'2"
Weight:
207 pounds
Arm Length:
31.25 inches
Testing Numbers:
40 Time: 4.36 seconds / Vertical Jump: 33.5 inches / Broad Jump: 122 inches
Ability on Film
Kelee Ringo is a fascinating prospect in this draft class. When everything is clicking and he's playing with confidence, he is an easy top ten pick at the position. The problem with his game, at the moment, is that he is far too inconsistent and raw to be considered that type of player.
The flashes are tantalizing, though. Ringo is a height/weight/speed specimen that is explosive and fast on film. He is comfortable playing up in press coverage and looks as smooth as can be in deep thirds. He erases vertical routes to his side of the field with physicality and speed.
His best play from the past season came against Tennessee. He perfectly executes in press on this play, as he pinches the wide receiver to the sideline and gets his head around to make the interception with no help over the top:
Ringo is an efficient player in his side shuffle on the outside. He knows when to open up and get depth, while also understanding how to transition out of the shuffle to come downhill.
He is also a high-level effort player on the football field. He blitzes the quarterback (in the clip below) and then turns back up field and chases down the pass catcher to force a fumble.
Ringo does have a tendency to be a bit grabby (nine penalties against him last year), but the potential is there. He may be the best fit in this draft class for Gus Bradley's style of defense.
Fit with the Colts/Team Interest
The Indianapolis Colts are in desperate need of cornerbacks this offseason. Kenny Moore II will be back for 2023, so the slot position is officially taken care of (for now). Isaiah Rodgers Sr likely slides in as a starter on one side, but after that, it gets a bit ugly. The only other outside cornerback of note on the roster is Dallis Flowers, a 2022 UDFA that primarily played special teams a year ago.
Ringo is an excellent cover three cornerback that fits the Colts' scheme well. He is competitive and athletic, he just needs to find more consistency. He would likely slide in as the Colts' strong side corner, with Isaiah Rodgers Sr seeing more man assignments on the backside (if the Colts select him).
The Colts have been doing extensive research on the talented corner this offseason. They met formally with him at the NFL Combine and Chief Personnel Executive Morocco Brown was on hand to watch him at his pro day a few weeks back. Ringo did have a meeting with the Colts soon after, so Brown was likely involved with that conversation as well.
Overall, there is a lot of smoke with the Colts and Kelee Ringo this offseason. If he is there at pick 35 on draft night, I'd expect the Colts to pull the trigger.
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Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
