Richard Sherman Protege Kelee Ringo: Rams NFL Draft Target at No. 36?
Richard Sherman is working to mentor Kelee Ringo and is comparing him to Patrick Peterson. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams need a replacement for Jalen Ramsey.
As a result, ESPN's Todd McShay has L.A. selecting Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo with the No. 36 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A two-time College Football National Champion at Georgia, Ringo has a winning pedigree and impressive physical gifts McShay projects L.A. will be compelled to invest in, while also noting his room for improvement:
"After they dealt away Jalen Ramsey, there's a gaping hole at cornerback. Ringo has speed for days, but he still has to work on his recognition skills in coverage. He picked off four passes and broke up 18 over two seasons at Georgia."
Ringo sure has speed. He ran a 4.36 second 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. His time was the fifth-fastest among all defensive backs.
At 6-2, 207 pounds, Ringo has an imposing frame to go along with a 33.5 inch vertical jump that will make life difficult for wide receivers especially in deep-ball situations.
Replacing Jalen Ramsey will be no easy feat. Ramsey helped Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021 and has been a First Team All-Pro cornerback twice in the last three seasons. The Rams were tied at No. 5 league-wide with 16 interceptions a season ago with Ramsey accounting for four of those takeaways.
The hope is that a player of Ringo's caliber will step in to the defensive scheme and work his way toward matching or overtaking Ramsey's productivity ... in time.
NFL Rookie Watch reported that Ringo has been training with former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman this offseason and has drawn comparisons from the latter to Patrick Peterson, giving L.A.'s front office more reason to have Ringo high on their radar.
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