ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has the Pittsburgh Steelers slotted at 6th overall in this mock draft exercise and has them adding to the cornerback room by selecting Georgia CB Kelee Ringo.
“With rookie first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett on the roster, the Steelers could look to improve in other places. Ringo had eight pass breakups and two interceptions on a loaded defense last season, and you might remember his clinching pick-six in the title game. If the 6-foot-2 corner can make plays without 10 future NFL starters around him, his coverage ability and physical traits will put him in the running for CB1 in this class.”
Ringo has the athleticism and pedigree you look for in a shutdown cover corner in the league. He was the #1 CB recruit coming out of high school back in 2020. Ringo redshirted his first season on campus, recovering from off-season surgery to repair a torn labrum that caused him missed the entire 2020 season. However, Ringo managed to make a full recovery and supplanted current Los Angeles Rams CB Derion Kendrick as CB1 for the Dawgs. Last season, Ringo, who reportedly measures in at 6015, 205-pounds, recorded 34 total tackles with one resulting in lost yardage. He had one sack, two interceptions, and eight passes defensed. His performance warranted Freshman All-SEC Team honors and the moment that sealed a National Championship for the Bulldogs.
From a size and athleticism standpoint, it will be tough to find a better prospect in this draft class than Ringo. He is a capable cover corner that can run with most receivers stride-for-stride in man coverage that he will face in college as well as has the instincts to play in zone coverage and come downhill to break up passes underneath. He also is a physical tackler, having the frame and tenacity to be an asset in run defense and on the occasional CB blitz.
He will have to stay healthy and build off his impressive 2021 campaign to capture the status of CB1 next spring, but Ringo short be on the short list along with Alabama CB Eli Ricks to be the top CB chosen in the 2023 NFL Draft. For Pittsburgh’s sake, I hope that they aren’t in position to take Ringo in the top ten, as this would mean that the season went horribly wrong. Still, Ringo is a talented player that Pittsburgh will almost certainly have interest in should he declare early. I will plan to have a Summer Scouting profile on Ringo completed for Steelers Depot later this summer.
What are your thoughts on the Steelers selecting Kelee Ringo in Matt Miller’s Mock Draft? Do you think that it matches a need on the roster? Do you think Pittsburgh will target CB early, or do you see then honing in on another position in the first round? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below and thanks again for reading!
