It’s not often that a player is ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the NFL draft at two different positions. And if they are, they are generally viewed as a lock to go in the top five picks of the draft. At that point, they are simply a football player capable of doing just about anything at the highest level. That’s exactly how Mike Tomlin views new Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey.
“He’s a football player first and a positional player second. When he came out in the draft, I think he was the number one safety on our board as well as the number one corner on our board,” Tomlin said at his press conference to open training camp via the team website. “That speaks to his versatility. His tape has done nothing but solidify that perspective that we had on him.”
The Steelers were seriously considering defensive backs that year, with multiple needs in their secondary. They ended up reaching for CB Artie Burns in the first round and followed it up with S Sean Davis in the second. They clearly had a well-informed opinion of Ramsey and how he stacked up against the other defensive backs in the class.
They even hosted him for dinner during the pre-draft process to get to know him, knowing full well that he wouldn’t fall within their range in the first round. He ended up going fifth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was sent to the Miami Dolphins as part of the trade to acquire Ramsey, so his versatility might become a crucial piece of the puzzle for what they want to accomplish on defense.
“Over the course of his career, you’ve seen him do a variety of things, play inside and play out. All the components of the game,” Tomlin said. “Man-to-man coverage, run support, he has an appetite for it all, and I think that’s why we were excited about him when he came out, and that’s why we continue to have that level of excitement about him.”
With Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. already on the roster, Slay will play some outside corner, some slot corner, and maybe even some safety to help supplement the loss of Fitzpatrick. It sounds like all three of their top corners should expect to be on the field at the same time in the vast majority of situations. And that could come in any number of different configurations.
The Steelers are rarely able to acquire blue-chip talent as they consistently pick outside the top 15 picks. They either have to get lucky with one falling to them or make a trade. Ramsey may be approaching the tail end of his career at nearly 31 years old, but the Steelers still view him as the same blue-chip talent they coveted in 2016.