Ravens Draft Focus: Ramsey vs Hargreaves

In my last article, I highlighted two possible pass-rushers that the Ravens could take at #6 overall. The pass-rush is extremely important for any defense in today’s pass-happy NFL, but there are other ways to slow down an offense’s passing attack and it starts with the secondary. The Ravens have had numerous issues at CB in recent seasons, and with Lardarius Webb reportedly making a permanent move to safety, they could use an injection of young talent at the position.

By most accounts the top two defensive backs in this year’s draft class are Jalen Ramsey of Florida State and Vernon Hargreaves III of Florida. I will take a look at how these two prospects compare, contrast, and stack up to the other DBs in the class like Mackensie Alexander of Clemson and Tre’Davious White of LSU who Mike Randall highlighted earlier. What would Ramsey or Hargreaves mean to the Ravens defense and are both or perhaps neither worthy of the #6 overall pick in the upcoming draft?

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It’s easy to see why both Ramsey and Hargreaves are held in such high regard by many draft evaluators. They both started playing as soon as they got to their respective schools and have been extremely productive players who are certainly ready to take their talents to the next level. Hargreaves has 10 INTs in his 3 seasons playing CB at Florida including 4 this past season. While Ramsey has not notched as many picks, he has shown his versatility playing both safety and CB, allowing him to be much more of a playmaker around the LOS, where he has made 15.5 TFLs and 5 sacks in addition to 3 INTs in his 3 years at Florida State.

Vernon Hargreaves checks a lot of boxes for what scouts will be looking for in a CB. He is exceptionally fluid and he flips his hips effortlessly to turn and run with receivers. He mirrors receivers well and has good quickness to break on the ball. Here, you can see Hargreaves in man coverage on Amari Cooper on 3^rd and short. His technique is textbook in this situation, driving on the ball and making a sound tackle to keep the WR from converting the first down.

He displays good instincts in both man and zone coverage, and has exceptional ball-skills as evidenced by his 10 career interceptions at Florida with the below clip as a textbook example of how to read the QB in off-man. His playmaking ability when he has the ball in his hands is on full display here as well.

These are all very good qualities in a CB, but there are some areas of concern I have with him. I have watched a somewhat limited sample size of 5 games, but the number of times he was used in press coverage I can probably count on one hand. He isn’t “undersized” necessarily at 5’11”, but he doesn’t possess elite length that a lot of teams are looking for in CB prospects, and I would describe his game as finesse instead of physical. In 2015, he was beat deep more frequently than I would like to see for a top CB prospect. In this play, the WR gets a free release off the LOS and Hargreaves is not able to recover to break up the pass even though it is slightly underthrown.

Against the run, Hargreaves flashes playmaking ability when he is unblocked like this play below, but I don’t see him fighting through blocks or giving extra effort to make tackles. Once again, the lack of physicality shows up at times.

Overall, there is a lot to like with Hargreaves, but he may have some limitations at the next level.

Jalen Ramsey’s versatility and playmaking prowess are a big reason why he is such an intriguing prospect, but before I delve into this aspect of his game I want to address how he stacks up as a CB. At 6’1”, 202 lbs, Ramsey possesses excellent size for the position and while he looks a bit lanky, his easy and explosive movement skills quickly erase any concerns about stiffness. Ramsey is very physical at the LOS and can effortlessly control WRs with a strong jam as seen in the below clip.

While Ramsey looks the part and has all the physical tools, he does have lapses in technique at times. Below, you can see him miss the jam at the LOS allowing the WR get open on the fly route down the sideline.

He wasn’t targeted here, but if this happens in the NFL against a quality QB and WR it likely results in a TD. These technique issues may surface at the next level, but the overall package as a CB is impressive. The only other concern I have would be his ball-skills, which may surprise because he is regarded as a very instinctual playmaker, but I have seen him drop a number of should-be INTs like this play below. I’ll give him credit for being in position to make plays, but if he caught a few more balls he had clean looks at his interception numbers would be a lot more impressive.

As a Sophomore at Florida State, Ramsey played a hybrid DB/LB position called the Star, and he excelled in this role where he had lots of responsibility around the LOS. One of the main responsibilities of the Star is to cover slot receivers and he certainly held his own in this role. He also excelled as a blitzer coming off the edge or from the slot. He shows off elite burst and demonstrates impressive bend that some edge-rushers would be jealous of.

He is also a strong run defender, capable of setting the edge and shedding blocks to make plays. He tends to tackle high at times, leading to some missed tackles, but overall I would say he is a positive run defender. The way Ramsey excelled in this role demonstrates that he is a very intelligent football player with great instincts, capable of doing any number of things on the field. The one thing I would have liked to see more of was time spent as a FS asked to patrol a deep third or half the field. The Star role was more of a box safety or slot CB, so it is difficult to say for sure if he has the range and coverage instincts to start at safety in the NFL, especially for a team like the Ravens who ask their safeties to have interchangeable roles in coverage. 

Ramsey will likely struggle at times like most rookie CBs, but in a couple seasons I believe he will be regarded as one of the better DBs in the NFL, and if he can turn more of the pass-deflections into interceptions, his stock will only rise further. At the very worst, Ramsey will be a playmaking in the box safety who can do well playing in the slot. Given the athletic traits and instincts, I believe he also has an extremely high ceiling as an outside CB and could likely play FS as well. He is going to be a player that teams covet, and could go as high as #1 overall in my opinion. He would undoubtedly be a great fit for the Ravens secondary.

I have more questions about Hargreaves’ future in the NFL, although he has certainly demonstrated playmaking ability throughout his collegiate career and he has the skill-set to be a quality NFL CB. Hargreaves possess some exceptional traits including great instincts and fluidity, but his lack of size and physicality may limit his upside. He may have to start off his career playing as a slot CB. Given the propensity of the Ravens defense to play a lot of zone and off-man coverages, he may be a better fit in Baltimore than with some other teams that ask their CBs to play more press. I think the #6 overall pick could be better spent elsewhere, and I would certainly rate Ramsey considerably higher than Hargreaves. That said, Hargreaves is still most likely a top 15-20 pick and could be a player the Ravens target if they trade back.