Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo is considered one of the top corners in the 2023 NFL draft.
Ringo’s size and athleticism was on full display at the NFL combine and UGA’s pro day. The Tacoma, Wa., native checked in at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds and clocked a blazing 4.36 40-yard dash in Indianapolis.
Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon recently ranked the top-20 corners in this year’s draft with Ringo coming in at No. 9.
There are times Ringo looks like the best-in-class, and he’s got the athletic profile to back it up. There are also more than a few times when he looks like he’s never played football before, and the maddening fluctuations make him a very high-risk/reward outside CB prospect.
ESPN’s Matt Miller also released his top ranked cornerback prospects in the draft, where he placed Ringo at No. 6.
“If we had done this exercise last summer, Ringo would have been higher. He was one of the top prospects in the entire class before the 2022 season began, but Ringo struggled last year as teams picked on him with breaking routes that challenged his change-of-direction skills. At 6-2 and 207 pounds, he has fantastic size and legitimate 4.3 speed (4.36 at the combine), but final appearances against LSU (six catches allowed for 104 yards) and then Ohio State in the College Football Playoff (five catches allowed for 75 yards) have stuck in evaluators’ minds. And against the Buckeyes, it wasn’t all just Marvin Harrison Jr.”
According to Miller, Ringo’s measurements are impressive, but there is a concern in man coverage ability.
“One defensive backs coach thinks a position change might help, though: ‘I almost think you move him to free safety if you run a man defense. It’s that bad.’
Ringo has impressive metrics and did record four career interceptions. He also broke up 10 passes last season and had 42 tackles. There’s no doubting the elite size, tackling ability and recovery speed, but the man coverage traits need developing if he stays at cornerback. He’s probably safely a Round 2 guy, but I think he has to play in Cover 3 or make a position change,” said an AFC area scout.”
Miller projects Ringo as a best fit for the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets.
The draft will kickoff on April 27 televised on the NFL Network.
