Don’t Put Georgia Corner Kelee Ringo Top 10 Just Yet

Georgia’s Kelee Ringo has just about everything an NFL team would want…

Key phrase, just about.

He’s good, but not great.

A prospect needs to show elite characteristics on game film to be considered top-10.

While I believe Ringo has what it takes to go first-round, he is not showing a couple of required physical traits to be considered an elite lock-down, shut-down corner.

What are those two missing traits?

Is Ringo showing short-area burst to the ball?

No.

In the three-game block of studied game film, Ringo gave up catches when receivers made a move and established route leverage.

In those situations, Ringo did not show that coveted short-area burst to the ball that great corners have that allow them to make a play on the ball.

Sure, he made the tackle after the fact, but that’s too late. The damage has already been done.

Another tell-tale sign that Ringo lacks this physical characteristic is he tended to give up cushion underneath and he wanted to keep the game in front of him.

Time and time again when covering routes, receivers showed they could gain a step or two and Ringo could not make up the difference.

Tell me about Ringo’s speed

He has good straight line speed, but he does not have top-shelf straight line speed.

He does a nice job staying tight with receivers on vertical routes, but Alabama’s Jameson Williams torched him deep and exposed his lack of burning speed.

The other thing that showed up on that play, is Ringo lacks the ability to recover when he falls behind.

What is Ringo in the NFL?

He’s a solid starting corner who looks better in zone coverage than man given those two limitations.

Ringo has a lot of positives to his game, and I certainly don’t want to make it sound all negative, because it’s not.

Ringo is what he is, and while he is not Sauce Gardner, he’s a better bet than Derek Stingley Jr. (both taken first-round 2021)

He reminds me of Clemson’s Andrew Booth Jr. in terms of his playing style, but Ringo changes direction dramatically better. Booth went second-round to Minnesota (No. 42)

I like a lot about Ringo’s game.

#5 Kelee Ringo 6-foot-2, 210 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Grade: First-Round (late) – Early Fall 2022 Report

First Round Mock Big Board: TBD

Projected by 91.3% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 2, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2021 game film reviewed: Kentucky and Alabama (click to view games viewed to form this evaluation)

2022 game film reviewed: Oregon

Level of competition: High

2021 stats: 34 tackles (26 solo, 8 assists), 8 passes defended, 2 INT, 1 sack

NFL comparable: Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Tall muscular corner with good athletic ability, technique and can change direction quickly. Can play man or zone. Spent a lot of time in zone. Imposing and brings a physical presence and edge to the field. Will come in tight press and uses hands well. Can impede routes. Tough to shake as he is able to keep up often. Excellent ability to change direction for a corner his size or any size. Active and gives good effort. Able to match inside slants. Tends to give up too much cushion as he lacks short-area burst. Can flip hips, turn and run. Good straight-line speed. Lacks second-gear. Excels in zone coming in and blowing up running back screens. Solid tackler, who is not afraid to provide support. Has upside blitzing off the edge (Kentucky). Willing to provide run support, or at the very least end up by the pile. Will struggle matched up against elite receivers who can change direction quickly or those who have burning home-run speed.

What to watch for during the 2022 college football season:

1. Does he show short-area burst?
2. Does he show make-up speed?
3. Giving up a lot of cushion underneath?
4. How does he look blitzing?

Ringo moves the meter more with his imposing presence he brings to the field rather than his playmaking ability.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.