2025 NFL Draft

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ohio State S Lathan Ransom

Lathan Ransom Scouting Report

From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom.

#8 LATHAN RANSOM/S OHIO STATE – 6002, 206 POUNDS. (RS SENIOR)

Measurements

Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Lathan Ransom 6002/206 8 1/2 30 1/2 75 1/8
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A

THE GOOD

– Physically strong, tough player who comes to play with aggressive mentality
– Frame and length to be a box safety
– Plays with a lot of energy and has infectious enthusiasm for teammates
– Excellent in run support with stout point-of-attack skills
– Has good closing burst to fly at runners and receivers
– Not afraid to get his hands dirty in the run game and take on blockers
– Understands run fits for gaps and boundary plays
– Doesn’t allow much YAC for short and underneath routes
– Does a nice job of mirroring and matching tight ends off the line
– Knows how to punch the ball out well
– Quick to recognize and trigger downhill from depth
– Instincts and awareness to not get beat over the top often
– Loose hips to make breaks with receivers
– Special teams dynamo who can return, block punts, and works well in coverage units

THE BAD

– Doesn’t appear to have great top-end speed
– Lacks sideline-to-sideline range to cover the deep middle part of the field
– Quarterbacks can manipulate him with their eye movement
– Tends to bite on play action
– Too loose with receivers in deep zone coverage
– Allows for too much separation at the top of the route in off-man coverage
– Difficulty with faster receivers on slants and crossers to show transition ability
– Lacks the agility to mirror sharp routes and adjust on the fly
– Reckless with his tackling and struggles to stay balanced consistently
– Doesn’t wrap up the runner often enough that causes too many breakaways
– Struggles much more out of the slot than when he can be allowed to roam as a safety
– Not a lot of ball production to break up or intercept passes

BIO

– Birth date: 6/16/02 (22 years old)
– Born in Tuczon, AR and attended Salpointe Catholic HS
– 2,420 total snaps (1,113 FS, 711 SS, 632 slot CB, 40 outside CB)
– 428 special teams snaps (156 punt return, 116 FG block, 67 punt coverage, 64 kick coverage, 25 kick return)
– Appeared in 40 games with 22 starts in 5 years at Ohio State
– Career: 218 total tackles (135 solo, 83 assisted), 15 TFLs, 63 run stops, 2 sacks, 46 missed tackles, 65.8% comp. allowed, 5 TDs allowed, 3 INTs, 15 PDs, 6 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 punt blocks, 93.9 passer rating against, 7 penalties
– 2024-25 season: 76 total tackles (46 solo, 30 assisted), 25 run stops, 1 sack, 14 missed tackles, 70% comp. allowed, 1 TD allowed, 1 INT, 3 PDs, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 95.4 passer rating against, 1 penalty
– Lengthy injury history: broken left leg during the 2021-22 Rose Bowl, missed the 2022 Wisconsin game with an undisclosed injury, missed the last five games of the 2023 season after an injury
– 2023 Graduated in December with his degree in communications (working on a certificate in diversity and inclusion)
– Four-star recruit (#5 ranked safety) by 247Sports out of high school
– Selected to play in the US Army All-American Game in San Antonio
– Played safety, running back, wide receiver, and returned kicks and punts in HS

TAPE BREAKDOWN

Lathan Ransom wore many hats in his 5-year career at Ohio State University, which gained him a lot of great experience. He’s best known as their do-it-all safety who can lay the boom on opponents. He is a nasty tackler who looks to be able to carve out a specific role at the NFL level as a box safety. He’s excellent at playing the run from depth, playing as your hover zone coverage guy, lining up with tight ends in 11 personnel, and hovering near the line of scrimmage to be a menace. He plays with instincts and decisiveness to trigger and intimidate guys that get in his space. He is just the kind of safety every team needs as an enforcer that allows his teammates who are more adept in man coverage to make plays on the ball and stay with receivers.

Ransom is a physically imposing safety who is a tone-setter in the secondary and is often hyping up his teammates while he’s at it. He has modest length on his frame to play into the receiver’s catch radius and also take on blocks near the line of scrimmage. He can line up deep at safety in Cover 1 and Cover 3 single-high looks. He also showed the capability to play that robber role in the middle of the field. He’s definitely not someone you want in man coverage due to his lack of agility, change-of-direction skills, and top-end speed. Vertical receivers will give him trouble if he’s tasked to run stride-for-stride with them. He is really good at closing quickly from depth in zone and moves really well in space to cover short areas.

He is #8 for Ohio State in all of the following clips:

He shows good eye discipline when it comes to not getting beat deep and funnels everything in front of him. This can also allow for fewer opportunities to make plays on the ball, but he does a nice job when he does decide to break on a ball. He quickly recognizes and triggers on underneath and flat routes. Ransom can sniff a screen out as well as anyone to fly down and make the tackle. He allows limited yards after the catch.

As a run defender, Ransom’s fits are excellent, and he instinctively locates the ball when operating in the box. He takes good angles to the football and isn’t afraid to take on tight ends and linemen.

A big nuisance is that he leaves his feet too often to make ankle tackles. He has the strength to drive through guys but has to show that he can do it consistently. He slides off too many tackles because of this. His good instincts and visual-spatial awareness allow him to find run fits and plug gaps quickly. He also lets the running backs make their cuts and doesn’t get too overaggressive to trigger and run through the play.

He is a really good special teams player. He can run down punts and kicks, return, and even get some blocks (2 in his career). This is where he can earn himself a roster spot and showcase his play personality.

CONCLUSION

Lathan Ransom projects as a strong safety who can play in different coverage schemes to align as a single-high safety and give you some snaps in the slot. His instincts, intelligence, motor, and physicality make him an asset in run-heavy defensive schemes or situations where he can play closer to the line of scrimmage. His limitations in coverage may not permit him to be an every-down safety at first, but there isn’t much Ransom can’t do from the safety position.

Kitan Oladapo, a draft prospect from last year out of Oregon State, is similar to Ransom in that he can give a defense a nice chess piece to add as a rotational player at first who can work his way to becoming a full-time starter. His run support skills and special teams ability should get him on the field sooner rather than later.

Projection: Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.5 – Third Round (Potential Starter/Good Backup)
Games Watched: at Penn State (2024), at Texas (2024), at Notre Dame (2023), vs Penn State (2023)

Previous 2025 NFL Draft Player Profiles
CB Jahdae Barron DL Derrick Harmon QB Quinn Ewers RB Omarion Hampton
RB RJ Harvey EDGE Kyle Kennard WR Luther Burden III RB Ollie Gordon II
WR Tre Harris DL Shemar Stewart DL Walter Nolen OT Will Campbell
WR Tetairoa McMillan DL Rylie Mills WR Jayden Higgins WR Emeka Egbuka
QB Jalen Milroe WR Matthew Golden RB Ashton Jeanty EDGE Nic Scourton
DE Jared Ivey CB Denzel Burke DT Deone Walker WR Isaiah Bond
RB Bhayshul Tuten DT Tyleik Williams WR Xavier Restrepo DT Kenneth Grant
TE Colston Loveland QB Jaxson Dart CB Zy Alexander LB Jalon Walker
TE Tyler Warren QB Kyle McCord RB Tahj Brooks QB Cam Ward
CB Benjamin Morrison OT Josh Simmons CB Azareye’h Thomas RB Kaleb Johnson
EDGE Landon Jackson CB Shavon Revel Jr. DL Ty Robinson QB Will Howard
DL T.J. Sanders CB Trey Amos EDGE Ashton Gillotte DL Darius Alexander
WR Tez Johnson RB Devin Neal OT Emery Jones WR Tai Felton
CB Darien Porter OT Hollin Pierce CB Maxwell Hairston DL Omarr Norman-Lott
WR Ricky White III OG Tate Ratledge S Jaylen Reed RB Cam Skattebo
WR Kyle Williams DL Vernon Broughton WR Jake Bech EDGE Josaiah Stewart
EDGE Abdul Carter RB TreVeyon Henderson QB Riley Leonard RB Damien Martinez
RB Quinshon Judkins WR Jalen Royals OT Kelvin Banks Jr. DL Joshua Farmer
DB Malachi Moore DL Jordan Burch WR Savion Williams DL Alfred Collins
LB Jay Higgins TE Elijah Arroyo DL Shemar Turner OT Josh Conerly
CB Quincy Riley TE Gunnar Helm DB Sebastian Castro WR/CB Travis Hunter
iOL Jack Conley RB Raheim Sanders CB Will Johnson CB Cobee Bryant
WR Pat Bryant OT Anthony Belton EDGE Mykel Williams TE Harold Fannin Jr.
WR Arian Smith DL JJ Pegues RB Trevor Etienne S Xavier Watts
OT Charles Grant DL Nazir Stackhouse CB Tommi Hill OL Donovan Jackson
OT Aireontae Ersery S Malaki Starks EDGE James Pearce Jr. TE Jalin Conyers
WR Jaylin Noel DL Mason Graham WR Elic Ayomanor EDGE Elijah Roberts
CB Upton Stout RB Dylan Sampson DL Tim Smith OG Dylan Fairchild
WR Theo Wease Jr. EDGE Mike Green CB Mello Dotson OT Armand Membou
RB LeQuint Allen EDGE Princely Umanmielen OG Tyler Booker RB DJ Giddens
S Craig Woodson LB Jacob Kiser WR Zakhari Franklin S Nick Emmanwori
TE CJ Dippre LB Danny Stutsman CB Jabbar Muhammad TE Mason Taylor
DT Jordan Phillips LB Kobe King DL Cam Horsley DL Cam’Ron Jackson
DL Jamaree Caldwell LB Jihaad Campbell RB Jordan James OL Wyatt Milum
C Jake Majors DE Jack Sawyer DE Donovan Ezeiruaku WR Chimere Dike
DL Howard Cross III OL Marcus Mbow RB Kalel Mullings S Andrew Mukuba
OG Luke Kandra QB Tyler Shough C Grey Zabel OT Cameron Williams
LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson EDGE Tyler Baron OL Jalen Rivers EDGE JT Tuimoloau
OG Jonah Savaiinaea S Shilo Sanders WR Ja’Corey Brooks CB Jacob Parrish
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt EDGE Jah Joyner S Kevin Winston Jr. EDGE Oluwafemi Oladejo
LB Teddye Buchanan  LB Cody Simon C Jared Wilson OT Ozzy Trapilo
RB Jaydon Blue LB Carson Schewsinger LB Chris Paul Jr. DT Thor Griffith
WR Antwane Wells Jr. LB Jeffrey Bassa CB Alijah Huzzie DT Jared Harrison-Hunte
EDGE Antwaun Powell-Ryland CB Dorian Strong EDGE Fadil Diggs QB Shedeur Sanders
TE Terrance Ferguson LB Carson Bruener WR Jordan Watkins RB Donovan Edwards
DL CJ West CB Jaylin Smith CB Mac McWilliams OG Miles Frazier
S Hunter Wohler EDGE Ahmed Hassanein WR Elijhah Badger TE Jake Briningstool
QB Brady Cook RET Jacquez Stuart S Jonas Sanker WR Jimmy Horn Jr.
CB Jason Marshall Jr. RB Kyle Monangai DT Aeneas Peebles DL Warren Brinson
EDGE Bradyn Swinson S Billy Bowman Jr. QB Dillon Gabriel EDGE Barryn Sorrell
S Malik Verdon WR Dont’e Thornton RB Breshard Smith OT Chase Lundt
TE Jackson Hawes

 

To Top