The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t hidden their desire to improve at the cornerback position this offseason as they have thoroughly scouted plenty of the top names in this year’s draft class. It appears like they are doing their homework on at least one CB in particular, as they had a private dinner with Georgia CB Kelee Ringo according to The Draft network’s Ryan Fowler.
Ringo has been a prospect that the Steelers have shown a fair amount of interest in during the pre-draft process. He has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the Steelers and had a formal meeting with the team at the NFL Combine. The Steelers brass also sent the heavyweights to Georgia’s Pro Day on March 15, including Head Coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan. Given the Pro Day visit, the formal interview at the Combine, the pre-draft visit, and now a reported private dinner (may have happened during his Pro Day), Ringo could be squarely in Pittsburgh’s sights with either #17 or #32 come draft time.
When looking at Ringo at first glance, he matches exactly what interests the Steelers at CB. Ringo checked in at the 2023 NFL Combine at 6016, 207 pounds with 31 1/4-inch arms, 8 1/2-inch hands, and a 74 1/8-inch wingspan. Ringo clocked a 4.36 40-yard dash with a 33.5-inch vertical and a 10’2″ broad jump, showing off his impressive athleticism that made him a top recruit coming out of high school. He has the pedigree and hearts and smarts Pittsburgh looks for in its top draft picks, playing on a two-time national championship team.
Still, Ringo is extremely raw with his athletic traits surpassing his technical skill at the moment. He can get lost in coverage and appears tight in his transitions, something I noted while writing his draft profile for the site. Still, his upside is immense, and given the state of Pittsburgh’s CB room with a veteran like Patrick Peterson to potentially mentor him, Ringo wouldn’t have to take the field until he is ready with Peterson, Levi Wallace, and Ahkello Witherspoon all capable of starting outside. Once considered a top-1p lock, Ringo could be the CB Pittsburgh has its eyes on come draft day.
