Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Kamari Ramsey Catches Indianapolis Colts Defense Up to Trend

Starting point is 00:00:00 With limited resources in the NFL draft, we're going to tell you about a player today who could fill multiple roles for the Colts. Let's get to it. You are Locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. All right, welcome to Locked on Colts, part of the Locked on podcast network. Now the number one sports podcast network out there. I am Jake Arthur, your Indianapolis Colts beat. writer for Roundtable Sports, joined, as always, by the vivacious Zach Hicks, the ringleader of

Starting point is 00:00:43 all things Colts draft related in these parts. And we are continuing our prospect spotlight series today with a guy who really caught Zach's eye. The Colts have a little bit of a history, going to USC and plucking guys from that defense. And Zach's going to tell us about a young guy today who can line up in a whole lot of different spots. Yeah, so the guy that I'm highlighting today for today's prospect spotlight is USC safety, Camari Ramsey, similar to Josiah Trotter that we did earlier this week. This is a guy who might go higher than the Colts pick, but I think he's right in that draft range for the Indianapolis Colts. He could probably go as high as 20, but as low as, you know, in the 60s or 70s.

Starting point is 00:01:27 So I think there's a chance he could be available for the Colts. But Camarie Ramsey, he's 511, 1099 pounds, 21 years old out of USC. He started his career at UCLA, transferred to USC these last two years. And like Jake mentioned, he has played all over the place on defense for the Trojans and also for the Bruins as well. Before that, 700 snaps at free safety, 527 at slot, 418 in the box, and then even 20 outside at corner as well. So a versatile chess piece, Swiss Army knife, whoever you want to call him.

Starting point is 00:01:59 But yeah, he's a guy who caught my eye when I was watching Northwestern's offense for their offensive tackle. the other night. And, you know, there's nothing about his game that's flashy to me. I wasn't looking at it being like, oh, wow, he had 10 interceptions and all these force fumbles and all that. But he just seems like a really reliable player that was just legitimately all over the defense. From one snap, he was a single high free safety. The next they were in a three safety look and he was playing linebacker to another

Starting point is 00:02:26 where he's in the slot playing corner, really fun player that could just line up all over the defense. And with him, you get this reliable player. who like I mentioned can play these multiple spots, doesn't really miss tackles either one of the lower mistackle rates among safeties in this draft class. And then also a couple takeaways as well, a handful of interceptions the last few seasons.

Starting point is 00:02:47 So I think he's just a really cool, interesting, like reliable young player that you can plug in here. And for me, I've been so intrigued by the potential of like with this new like run dominant NFL, not really like run dominant NFL, but run heavier focus NFL that we've seen the last couple years. I'm really intrigued by having a safety playing. your nickel corner spot with Kenny Moore going into the last year of his contract and his future

Starting point is 00:03:10 being up in the air. We don't even know if he'll survive the offseason with the Colts. I think a player like Ramsey being a safety to Nickel Corner similar to a Jalen Petrie, similar to like how Quentin Lake played last year with the Los Angeles Rams. I think Ramsey is kind of that next guy who could step in and be that role in the NFL. So very intrigued by his potential. I think he has really fluid hips, a really good mover, good long speed. Like you mentioned, in the game you watch where he ran down the top running back in the class on a super long run. So I think that there's a lot of potential there for him to be the next very good safety to nickel corner conversion in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:03:47 And even if you keep Kenny Moore for one more season for one last hurrah, I think a player like Ramsey could seamlessly like just sub in as that third safety could even play some box safety as well for you. I don't think he's as imposing as Nick Cross, but I think he can certainly do it for a season. But yeah, I'm very intrigued by his upside and his potential. and just, again, getting a young, reliable player, especially when to play more man coverage, a 21-year-old with his fluidity, and also his ability to play the run in your nickel corner or as a strong safety, I think could fit really well. So Camarie Ramsey out of USC should be one of the

Starting point is 00:04:20 three or four top safeties in this class by most draft experts. If he's there at 47, I'd be pretty intrigued at just adding this kind of chess piece to the Colts defense. Yeah, he's really interesting to me because normally when you get these players who already have like good instincts in the high football IQ and you know they don't have like that dominant physical trait whether it's their size or their athleticism like I think he'll test fine he'll probably run under four fives and he'll be fine um but those guys you you usually say they have a high floor but a low ceiling and everything I see him and I just he's a very responsible player like you said he doesn't flash or pop really, but he's very responsible.

Starting point is 00:05:04 He knows what he's doing at all times. He knows what the offense is doing, but there's nothing he's aggressive at yet. Like he doesn't necessarily want all the smoke in the run game. He'll get down there, but he's not going to try and like lay the load on you. And then he doesn't like play the ball a ton either. Like he just wants to be in the right spot a lot. So I think of a guy like that and I'm like, if you put him in a defense surrounded by like other very smart players who are going to be where they are, that's how you unlock his whatever

Starting point is 00:05:36 aggressive chip he might have. I think that's how you get it. Because when you trust what's around you, you trust the players around you, it gives you the freedom to kind of turn that on a bit. So I do see plenty of upside with him. Again, I always really like a safety that is one of the smarter guys on the field. I don't care as much about like the crazy athletic attributes with safeties. But I was very, very intrigued by him. And like you mentioned, the whole kind of new age thing where you take a safety and you play him at nickel a whole lot. We've seen a lot of success with it in the NFL. I like that idea a good bit when it comes to when it comes to Ramsey. So he's someone who I already watched a couple games, but I didn't watch the one you did as

Starting point is 00:06:20 well. So I'm going to have to throw that one on too because he's definitely someone I want to watch more of going into the combine. Yeah. And then for pro comp, I think acquit in Lake one makes the most sense for me. I don't think he's as aggressive in the run game as Jalen Petrie or Abuta Baker. But I think in terms of height, weight speed, in terms of fluidity and the way that he can play the ball, I think Quentin Lake is a very good comp for him. And Quentin Lake just got paid pretty big by the Rams. Very good player there with the Rams. So that's what I have for Kamari, Ramsey. But coming up, we're going to talk about how he could fit with this colds defense. I kind of alluded to it talking about him playing some nickel corner and some safety, but I can go

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Starting point is 00:09:19 Just don't call them late for dinner, Zach. But so you talked about it a little bit here. the Colts, if they want to get them, if they're like dead set on it, they'll probably have to use pick 47 on them or, you know, whatever that winds up being there in the second round. Because he could go anywhere from, you know, late first to the third round. His stock is kind of all over the place. But when you look at his fit with the Colts, what would he do for the Colts? And when would they have to get him?

Starting point is 00:09:49 Yeah, obviously I think 47 would be the pick and play. Or I guess if you trade back, like he could be an option or trade up could be an option there but again you guys are going to see this every time we talk about a prospect in these spotlights this draft is so wide open after like pick 10 that any player that from like pick 11 to 50 could could just seamlessly fit in there you know this this draft is it's kind of crazy when it comes to a lot of like talent across the board you kind of get in the second round talents from pick 11 to like 70 but yeah so i i think ramsie i think you'd have to take him in like the second round wherever that pick may lie and i think he would be worth it like like

Starting point is 00:10:25 I said, say you move on from Kenny Moore this offseason. I think he slots in really well to be your day one nickel corner. In a nickel corner we are seeing as a very valuable position. Look at the nickel corner play from the Seahawks when they won the Super Bowl with Devon Witherspoon. They used the top 10 pick on him and he was one of the most impactful players in that game. I think he was top three for Super Bowl MVP. Probably would have won it if defense was cooler than offense. But yeah, like I think it's a very valuable position. And even if you do keep Kenny Moore for one last season, I think he can slot in well as a strong safety. And even if you get another strong safety this offseason,

Starting point is 00:11:01 you can still have a versatile chess piece back there that can be your third safety, that can be out there for some situations where you go two nickels on the field. I don't even think that's outside the realm of possibility. And even though, like, even then, Kenny more missed games last year with an Achilles injury. Like a backup corner could be very valuable for you, even in this win now season, a guy that can just play a good chunk of snaps.

Starting point is 00:11:27 So regardless of where he slots in in year one, I think the long-term outlook is as a starting nickel corner in this league. Maybe on base downs, you could have him at strong safety. But, you know, a nickel or dying, you're going to have him as your starting nickel corner. And I think he projects exceptionally well. I think he's going to be a good longtime starter in this league. I think he's got good mind, good hips, good athleticism. And I think that he plays the run pretty well as well.

Starting point is 00:11:51 I mean, you get a, like Kenny Moore has been such a great run. defending corner for a long time. But we have seen some issues in the past where, look, when you have a 180 pound slot corner out there, you can be susceptible against the run. And that's why the Colts had to go to their five defensive line looks every now and then to kind of counter teams coming out there in 12 and 13 personnel to run it at their undersized corner. When you have your slot corner being nearly 200 pounds, and again, he's only 21, there

Starting point is 00:12:19 could still be some room to put on some more weight for him and get up to like 210 or so and still keep the athleticism. It helps your run defense. It helps you be more sturdy up front. It helps you stay more in nickel personnel rather than going to base down defense where the Colts and pretty much every team in the NFL gets killed by the pass in base down defense.

Starting point is 00:12:38 So to keep that nickel corner on the field as much as possible, you want to have some bulk there. That's why we're seeing this trend of safeties playing in the nickel a little bit more. And I think it can work really well for the Colts. So, yeah, I think I really like his projection. That's really where I'm at with this. Like I think he can have a pretty big, big role in year one regardless of what the personnel looks like.

Starting point is 00:12:58 But really after year one, like we're looking into year two, your three, year four, I think you're going to have really good surplus value on that rookie contract. Yeah, I see a lot of avenues for him to get playing time. Like, I think it's very worst. He could be your Rodney Thomas. And I think Thomas got like 150 snaps from that deep safety position. You could put him there. I know Justin Walley kind of factors into this as well.

Starting point is 00:13:21 Kenny Moore is that ultimate X factor. like, are you going to keep them around? You know, if you are, then you probably keep Justin Wally on the outside. Is Mooney Ward going to be? Like, there's just a lot of moving parts. So with that being said, having another guy kind of cut from that Justin Wally cloth where you're able to play inside and out, you're a very smart, heady player, you can pretty much be trusted to execute wherever you're asked.

Starting point is 00:13:47 There should be no shortage of that. And I think we're very much starting to understand with Louie. Arumo. Smarts is probably, I mean, there's physical traits, obviously, they want you to have, but smarts above all else. You're just not going to see the field whatsoever. And this is one of the more responsible defenders I've seen so far in this class. Very, you know, he's not going to, he's not going to blow your coverage by any means.

Starting point is 00:14:12 You're not going to lose anything because of him. So, again, I think the Colts have that supporting cast around him that I kind of mentioned at the top where he surround him with sauce gardener and cam bind him like i really like that a lot like he could trust the guys around him if the colts can get a better pass rush in front of that that helps defensive backs obviously trust what's going to happen with the quarterback even even more so but yeah i i think he would fit pretty well with the colts just because there's so many different ways they could use him right now like they have a safety that might be going out the door they have a corner that might be going out maybe two you know when kannie more

Starting point is 00:14:52 was hurt last year. They had to rely on Chris LeMond's and Mike Hilton. Those guys aren't coming back. So, yeah, there's a lot of avenues for Ramsey to be able to come in and play pretty quickly. Yeah, no, for sure. And I think one thing, too, with Lou Anuramo's defense is I think he wants to be a little bit more positionless with how he coaches his defensive backs. But last year, they had to be a bit rigid with it because Nick Cross is not the best free safety. So they had to have very traditional safety roles. I think when you look at the cornerback roles, it's tough to put Kenny inside and out. so he had to really primarily play on the slot. So I think adding a player who could be kind of positionless type of defensive back would add to just how they play on the back end and in their aggressiveness that they play

Starting point is 00:15:35 on that backside of the field as well. So I'm a big fan of him. I think the long-term projection is really good. And I even think short-term you could get a good, reliable young player in there that produced pretty well in the, I guess in the Big Ten, the last two seasons. It's still weird to say USC in the Big Ten. but yeah i think ramsie projects exceptionally well to the nflb and you could have him play a variety of spots but thank you guys for tuning in to this bonus episode of locked on colts we're back yet

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Kamari Ramsey Catches Indianapolis Colts Defense Up to Trend

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