Buccaneers NFL Draft Target: Georgia Cornerback, Kelee Ringo

The two-time National Champion is taking his talents to the NFL after playing only two seasons of college football.

• Kelee Ringo
• DOB: 6/27/2002
• Height: 6’ 2”
• Weight: 210 pounds
• Position: Cornerback
• Hometown: Tacoma, WA
• High School: Saguaro High School, Scottsdale, AZ
• College: University of Georgia

Combine Results:

• Hands: 8 1/2”
• Arms: 31 1/4”
• Forty: 4.36 seconds
• 10-yard split: 1.54 seconds
• Vertical jump: 33.5”
• Broad jump: 10’2”

High School Achievements: Kelee Ringo was rated a 5-star prospect by ESPN, 247Sports, and Rivals.com. He was the number one cornerback prospect in the country, and received offers from over 25 schools. He was named to the 2019 USA Today All-USA Preseason First Team Defense and played in the prestigious 2020 All-American Bowl. Ringo also won both the 100-meter, and 200-meter, Arizona high school state titles in track and field in 2019. He had a personal best 100-meter time of 10.43 seconds, and a personal best 200-meter time of 21.18, which were both tops in the state of Arizona.

College Career: Ringo redshirted in 2020 after having surgery for a torn labrum. As a redshirt freshman in 2021, he played in 15 games with a total of 797 snaps. He was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team and had a game-sealing 79-yard interception return for a touchdown in the CFP Championship Game vs. Alabama. During his sophomore season in 2022, he played in 13 games with a total of 710 snaps. He was a first-team preseason All-American selection by the Associated Press, the Walter Camp Foundation, and Athlon Sports. He was named to the Associated Press, and Coaches’ All-SEC Second Team at the conclusion of the season.

Strengths:

• Elite athlete, with elite size, who is at his best in man-to-man coverage.
• Is an explosive athlete, with great change-of-direction ability, that enables him to cover slot receivers.
• Stays low and balanced in his backpedal.
• Great tackler who plays the run like a safety and has potential to become a threat as a corner blitzer.
• Able to effectively jam the receiver at the line of scrimmage and has loose enough hips to turn and run with him.
• Has natural ball skills, and athleticism, that give him the ability to be great in press coverage.

Weaknesses:

• Has a lack of patience which leads to early hip declarations and has trouble staying in phase with comeback/back shoulder routes.
• Receivers get behind him too often and he struggles to show the instinct and timing required to turn his head at the right time.
• Is very physical in coverage and won’t be able to get away with this without being penalized in the NFL.
• Only played two years of college football, so he lacks experience.
• Gets too confident in his abilities and takes unnecessary risks that result in big plays for the offense.

How he fits in with the Bucs:

Ringo reminds me of Jamel Dean. Big, fast, physical corner, who is a bit raw with technique, and sometimes gets beat because of it. The Bucs were able to re-sign Dean this offseason, but they did lose Sean Murphy-Bunting. This gives the Bucs the opportunity to bring in Ringo to be the number three corner. I can see Ringo having a career progression similar to Dean’s. Jamel relied too heavily on his athleticism at the beginning of his career, but has improved his technique, and understanding of the game, to become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

Kelee Ringo projects to be drafted at the end of the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft. Would he be a good choice for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 19? Let me know your thoughts below!

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports