JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dreams do come true. That was the case for the Jaguars when Jalen Ramsey was still on the board at pick No. 5 of the 2016 NFL Draft. For weeks the Jaguars front office has coveted the former Florida State defensive back and they didn’t think they would have the opportunity to select him.
“We are very happy and we didn’t think that when this all started picking at five, early on before the quarterback swaps, that he [Jalen Ramsey] would get to us,” said Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell. “You know once the quarterback thing started happening we had three defensive players we liked better and he was obviously at the top of the list.”
At FSU Ramsey played all over the Seminoles secondary. At times he lined up as a cornerback, slot corner, safety and even linebacker. In Ramsey’s eyes he’s a cornerback who can also play safety and the Jaguars know exactly how they plan to utilize him.
“Yeah, I mean that’s our whole plan was to have him play corner, said Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley. “Now you may see him play a little nickel, he has that versatility for us, but really give him the opportunity to lock in there (at cornerback).”
When you add Ramsey to Davon House, Prince Amukamara, and Aaron Colvin the Jaguars have four solid corners.
I’ve always said that I was a corner who could play those other positions and I’m glad that he (Head Coach Gus Bradley) agrees with me,” said Ramsey. “Being a press corner, I feel like I fit in their (Jaguars) system perfectly. At the end of the day, whatever position they want me to play at, later on if they want to switch me from corner to anywhere else, I’ll be more than happy to.”
The learning curve from playing college to playing in the NFL is a steep one and the Jaguars want to make sure they don’t put too much on Ramsey to soon.
“It helps, and part of the situation on versatility we have to be careful and get really good at one spot first,” said Caldwell. “It is nice to have guys that have versatility, but we do not want him to be the “jack of all trades.” We like them to master one position first and then all of a sudden go and dive into another position.”