There are few cornerbacks in the NFL who can truly be left on an island against a No. 1 receiver and have success. Jalen Ramsey is unquestionably one of those cornerbacks, and you need not look further than the stats put up by top receivers when covered by the Rams’ All-Pro DB.
Ramsey has gone up against the likes of Amari Cooper, DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Evans, among other players who are considered top-15 wideouts. Yet not a single one of them had more than 57 yards in a game when Ramsey was covering them.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com shared a table of what some of the best wide receivers did against Ramsey this season, according to Pro Football Focus’ charting. The numbers are hard to believe, but they’re also an indication of the skill level of Ramsey in coverage.
— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) January 13, 2021
Each of those seven wide receivers put up 1,000 yards receiving this season, yet none of them topped even 57 yards against Ramsey. And all of them except for McLaurin have been Pro Bowlers at some point in their careers, so they’re well-established players.
So in 10 games against these wideouts, Ramsey allowed 22 catches for 235 yards and one touchdown combined. It’s no wonder the Rams traded two first-round picks for him.
But as good as they are, none were better than Davante Adams this season. He’s next on Ramsey’s shadow schedule, presumably, with the Packers and Rams squaring off on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley said Tuesday that they’re not sure yet whether Ramsey will shadow Adams, but it’s expected that he will. It’s not every day that an All-Pro corner goes up against an All-Pro wide receiver, especially in the playoffs, but we’ll be treated to that this weekend.
