Takeaways from Jalen Ramsey's Introductory Press Conference

If there's one thing that really stood out about Jalen Ramsey's introductory South Florida media session Thursday is the guy has some flair and a healthy dose of confidence to go with it.

The new Miami Dolphins cornerback was introduced to the South Florida one day after his trade for tight end Hunter Long and a 2023 third-round pick became official and touched on a variety of topics, including why Miami was so enticing to him, his long relationship with new cornerback partner Xavien Howard, the potential of the defense and secondary, and what else he wants to accomplish in his NFL career.

RAMSEY NOT SHORT ON CONFIDENCE

Ramsey has been among the best cornerbacks in the NFL since he entered the NFL as the fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft, and he's also rarely been shy about expressing that, on the field or off.

There was some of that Thursday, particularly when he was asked about some folks on social media suggesting that maybe he's past his prime and his reply was simply to ask the reporter if he had watched his tape from last season.

Ramsey also said one of his goals for the remainder of his career is to solidify his standing as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, after saying he already feels he's got Hall of Fame credentials.

Whether that's true is debatable, but it's undeniable he's well on his way.

RAMSEY LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING IN VIC FANGIO'S DEFENSE

Having come over from the Rams, Ramsey is well versed in the Vic Fangio scheme and he says the biggest issue for him in learning the new Miami system will be terminology.

Ramsey also made it clear he's fine with any role Fangio has in mind for him after being used as an outside cornerback and also as a "star," a variation of a slot corner.

He's also not worried about who'll get to cover the top receiver, either in games or at practice.

WHY RAMSEY WANTED TO JOIN THE DOLPHINS

Ramsey never made it a secret that he wanted to come to Miami once it became clear the Rams were looking to trade him, and he explained the reasons.

Ramsey mentioned the Dolphins defense, the lack of a state income tax in Florida, being closer to his family (he played at Florida State) and the direction of the team.

"That's a good young team on the up and up," Ramsey said. "I feel like I can bring something to help them, just be another piece to that puzzle here. And there's a lot that went to me thinking about Miami and a lot of praying that went into it, mom and grandma praying over me. But super excited. I didn't necessarily think like, 'Oh, I'll be traded,' but once it kind of started to be reality, me and my team we sat down and we kind of wrote pros and cons of different situations going on.

"We wrote down teams and pros and cons, like which teams may be in need of a corner, which teams may be interested, which teams do I like as well, which teams will I fit whatever they got going on. And I remember writing down Miami and Miami stayed at the top of my list from the jump. And I started praying about it and it all started to visualize for me. I'm ready. I hope it's everything that I dreamed up and prayed about and I'm sure it is, so I'm excited."

RAMSEY FEELING THE LOVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA

Ramsey has been welcome with open arms in South Florida this week, as he got a standing ovation at Miami-Dade Arena on Wednesday night when he attended a Miami Heat game with Xavien Howard.

Ending @jalenramsey’s first day in Miami with some 🔥🔥🔥

s/o @MiamiHEAT 🙌 pic.twitter.com/acCzwpT0X8
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) March 16, 2023

Ramsey called his reception "crazy love" and joked it surprised him a bit because of his success against the University of Miami when he played at Florida State.

Ramsey pointed out that he had planned to go to the game with Howard all along, as the two have been friends for 7-8 eight years through former Baylor (and Cleveland Browns) wide receiver Corey Coleman, who played with Howard in college.

While both have being great cornerbacks in common, their personalities are very different.

Ramsey is brash and outspoken, but he says he doesn't want to change the more low-key Howard.

Ramsey indicated the two had dinner in Southern California last year when the Dolphins spent a week there between their road games against the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers.

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