2023 NFL Draft: Does Kelee Ringo Make Sense For the Jaguars?
The 2023 NFL Draft season is upon us.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold nine picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 24 overall pick.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
Overview
Ringo entered his college career with considerable hype after being ranked as one of the top recruits in the country in 2020. The Scottsdale, AZ. native was ranked a five-star recruit by 247Sports and tabbed the No. 4 recruit in the country and the top cornerback in the 2020 class.
Ringo received offers from Alabama, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Florida, Florid State, Clemson, Cal, Michigan, LSU, Ohio State, and a dozen other Power 5 programs. Ringo ultimately decided on Georgia, setting up a productive career with the Bulldogs.
After being redshirted as a true freshman, Ringo appeared in 15 games and started 12 during Georgia's National Title run. Named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team, Ringo recorded 34 tackles, eight pass breakups, and two interceptions.
After starting each game for Georgia in 2022, Ringo was named to the Associated Press and Coaches' All-SEC Second Team list. He recorded seven pass breakups, two interceptions, and forced fumble in 15 starts.
What Kelee Ringo Does Well
It isn't hard to picture what Ringo does best when one just takes a first glance at him. Standing at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds with plenty of length, Ringo almost looks closer to a weakside linebacker or rocked-up strong safety than a cornerback. He isn't a smaller, loose technician corner by any means necessary; he is a pure height/weight/speed press man prospect, and his play shows plenty of self-awareness in this regard.
As a press corner, Ringo thrives at making first contact and re-routing receivers off the line. He has solid aiming points with his punch and is able to control a receiver's frame throughout the route, keeping him in phase downfield and on curls and comebacks. Ringo does a fantastic job of carrying vertical routes downfield thanks to his track background and speed. He has the pure speed and recovery ability to take chances early on in the route because he is able to correct himself late in the play thanks to his rare athleticism.
Because of Ringo's speed, he is an exceptional cover man when he is forced to trail in coverage. Whether this is on drags, crossers, or slants, Ringo is able to put his foot in the ground and explode to undercut passes and use his speed to disrupt underneath routes. He is a difficult corner to get horizontal or vertical on, making him a unique defender.
Ringo has flashed the ball skills to suggest he can be more than the four-interception player he was at Georgia, just like other past Georgia corners. Ringo was rarely asked to play with his eyes to the quarterback, but when he did he was able to consistently use his athleticism to disrupt passes, showing the ball skills and leaping ability to snag passes at all levels of the field.
How Kelee Ringo Would Fit With the Jaguars
Jacksonville has big needs in the cornerback room entering 2023. The Jaguars are likely to release former free-agent addition Shaquill Griffin and also have 2022's No. 3 cornerback, Tre Herndon, set to be a free agent. Even if the Jaguars were returning both cornerbacks, they would likely need to add to the position. With the pair likely gone, the need for a cornerback is even direr.
Jacksonville's situation and fit with Ringo is a bit iffy on the surface, but there are enough reasons to look past some early awkwardness. Jacksonville already has two outside cornerbacks in Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams, so there is a greater need in the slot for 2023. Ringo, though, is an outside-only corner. He is simply too stiff to play in the slot, even more so than Campbell was when he was coming out of Georgia.
With that said, the Jaguars have drafted like a team that doesn't care much for immediate needs under Trent Baalke. They took two inside linebackers in the first three rounds last year after signing one in free agency, while they have used premium assets on an outside-only cornerback in each of the last two offseasons despite having bigger needs in the slot.
Plus, Williams is set to be a free agent after 2024 and his salary suggests he is a potential/likely release after 2023. With Williams aging and potentially entering the final year of his deal, it makes sense for the Jaguars to look for a future answer on the outside across from Campbell.
Verdict
Ringo is a cornerback who is likely going to cause a ton of debate this offseason, both inside war rooms and scouting departments and in draft media circles. He has all of the traits one looks for in a shutdown press corner, but he also has some of the biggest lows of any of the top cornerbacks in the class and had some rough moments in his final two games.
With that said, there are a lot of aspects to his game that are eerily similar to Tyson Campbell when he left Georgia. He has track speed and the size, length, and strength to shut down receivers at all levels of the field in Cover 3 and Man. If you are looking for a corner who can glove receivers up at the line and then keep up with them 50 yards downfield, Ringo fits the bill.
The Jaguars moved to more of a zone-coverages scheme toward the end of last season, but man coverage is still in the DNA of Mike Caldwell's scheme, especially Cover 1. The Jaguars love to blitz, so they need corners who can live on an island.
That can be Ringo, albeit not against all types of receivers. And because of that, it makes sense for the Jaguars to consider Ringo in the top-50. His tape doesn't scream No. 24 overall, but the traits as an outside man coverage corner give him the chance to land in the first and justify it.
