Is Georgia CB Kelee Ringo too risky for Baltimore Ravens in round one?

The Baltimore Ravens need secondary help. One name that could be in their range in the 2023 NFL draft is Kelee Ringo. Would he fit the Ravens, and how does he project to the NFL?

Baltimore Ravens Draft Profile: Kelee Ringo, Georgia CB

Kelee Ringo is one of the younger players to enter the NFL draft this year, and he is a redshirt sophomore. Still, he does have two full seasons of starting work and 1,620 snaps. He has 1,061 snaps in coverage entering the NFL. Almost all of his snaps have come on the outside, and he played man about 30% of the time in his career.

Ringo saw his touchdowns allowed drop from three to one, and his pass defensed go up from four to five. However, by most accounts, he was better as a redshirt freshman. He had nine penalties compared to three the year before. Ringo allowed 552 yards in 2022 after allowing just 346 the year prior, which was a jump from 0.67 yards per coverage snap up to 0.99.

Below is his athletic profile from the NFL combine.

Ringo is known for his blazing speed and he has shown it. He also has a strong combination of height and weight. He is not the longest cornerback, but he has most of the traits needed to transfer to the NFL.

So, was his redshirt sophomore year a bump in the road, or serious concerns for his profile?

How Kelee Ringo projects in the NFL

You can see that Ringo has what you need in the NFL, the question will be if he can get a better feel for things. Most of the plays he made were in recovery and utilizing his size and speed to catch up with force. However, too often he was out of whack because he did not have a strong understanding of what was happening.

Teams started to pick on him with curl routes, and comebacks. He played off coverage and would react to what he saw rather than anticipate. So, teams just took the quick simple yards and asked Ringo to make plays after the catch. He struggled to catch on without then giving up too much ground deep.

With Ringo, you have to bet on the person and talent. His zone ability can be impressive because he can make up ground quickly, but he has to develop better awareness, and it may take longer for him to iron out his game. He is the classic high-risk of cornerback who may get torched by the intricacies of the NFL, but also has the high upside of a player who can physically match up with anyone in the NFL.

NFL Comparison for Kelee Ringo

The best NFL comparison for Georgia CB Kelee Ringo is Prince Amukamara. They compare well physically.

For Amukamara, he was a first-round pick and his physical traits were expected to turn him into a shutdown cornerback. He still struggled with a lot of the intricacies of routes and never became that player, but had a long career as a solid NFL number two cornerback. This would not be a surprising path for Ringo to take.

Should Baltimore Ravens draft Kelee Ringo?

Prince Amukamara went in the first round, and Ringo has shown similar traits in his profile. Teams just like to take shots on guys with that type of upside. However, Amukamara did not live up to that billing despite a long career. In the second round, Ringo feels like a great pick, but there is a lot of risk with making him the center of your draft. You have to expect to get beat here and there, but you can live with it when he comes into the screen from out of nowhere to break a pass up.

Considering the Ravens do not have a second round pick, and he may be too rich for the 22nd pick, the team may miss out on adding Kelee Ringo unless they trade back.