The Los Angeles Rams are welcoming Jalen Ramsey to their secondary after acquiring him in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They hope the steep price of two first-round picks will be worth it down the road, and based on his play the last three years, he should continue to be one of the best cornerbacks in football.
Here are five stats to know about Ramsey from his time with the Jaguars, giving fans a glimpse of what to expect from the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback in Los Angeles.
Has allowed third-lowest passer rating since 2017
Ramsey’s peak year came in 2017 when he was widely regarded as the best cornerback in the NFL. His game declined slightly last season, but he’s still among the top cover men in the league. Since 2017, Ramsey has allowed the third-lowest passer rating among all cornerbacks with at least 100 targets, is third in yards after catch allowed per reception and seventh in coverage success.
PFF’s 2nd-best cover corner in 2017
Ramsey was an All-Pro in 2017, locking down opposing receivers each and every week. That year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ second-best cover corner in the NFL with a coverage grade of 91.6. His overall grade of 91.3 was the best on the Jaguars, too, and ranked among the top corners in football.
Targeted 106 times on the year including playoffs, he allowed just 57 receptions for 755 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions, forcing 23 incompletions and allowing a passer rating of only 66.4 — 15th among the 125 qualifying players at the position.
Sixth in Pro Football Reference’s AV from 2016 draft
Pro Football Reference has a metric called Approximate value, which puts a value on a player’s value based on time played, stats and accolades. Of all the players drafted in 2016, Ramsey is No. 6 in AV, behind only Dak Prescott, Tyreek Hill, Ezekiel Elliott, Michael Thomas and Carson Wentz.
Jared Goff is seventh with an AV of 31, one mark shy of Ramsey’s.
Ninth among CBs in INTs, eighth in PBU since 2016
Ramsey isn’t necessarily viewed as a ball hawk the way someone like Marcus Peters is, but that’s largely because he isn’t tried very often in coverage. Still, he has the ninth-most interceptions and eighth-most passes defensed among all cornerbacks since coming into the NFL in 2016.
One of three players to allow sub-80.0 passer rating each year since 2016
Ramsey was spectacular in 2017, but he was very good in his other two full seasons, as well. In each of his three seasons, Ramsey allowed a passer rating under 80.0. He’s only one of three players in the NFL to achieve that feat, which puts him among the best defenders in football.
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