Top-20 Rams of 2022: No cornerback is nearly as good as Jalen Ramsey since 2016

This is going to be an easy article to write because when you think about it, no cornerback in the last six years is anywhere near the quality, consistency, and ability of Jalen Ramsey.

Drafted as the number five pick in 2016, I don’t think there has been a better cornerback prospect in the last 10 years than Ramsey and that includes Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley, Jr. this past April. Ramsey had a better all-around resume than either of them and the Dallas Cowboys will forever regret the fact that they took Ezekiel Elliott when everyone was expecting them to go with the cornerback out of Florida State.

Ramsey was then an immediate star for the Jacksonville Jaguars and should have at least been a rookie Pro Bowler, if not on the All-Pro roster.

He was one of the main catalysts towards the Jaguars’ run to the AFC Championship in 2017. He demanded to be paid like the best cornerback in the game and even when he was traded to the LA Rams for a steal at only two mid-to-late first round picks, Ramsey only got better in a new situation.

For all those who hope to compete for his title as the NFL’s best cornerback since 2016, whether that be Stephon Gilmore, Xavien Howard, Darius Slay, Marlon Humphrey, Marshon Lattimore, and even Marcus Peters, the player who was essentially pushed out of L.A. to make room for Ramsey, they all have had bumps in the road that prevent them from being that guy.

Jalen Ramsey so far has no bumps and he is that guy.

Ranked as the number one cornerback by most people, Ramsey has given us no reason to think that he will be any less of a star during his age-28 season in 2022. On many rosters, he would be a top-three player. On this one, he didn’t quite crack that list, but only because the Rams are coming off of a Super Bowl championship with two of the other greatest players in the NFL and a more-than-decent quarterback.

#4 - CB Jalen Ramsey

In 2021, Ramsey tied his career-high with four interceptions, but he also added nine tackles for a loss. Ramsey had only posted eight tackles for a loss over his first five years in the league, so stepping up to stop the run is clearly another new added dimension to his game, though he’s always been a strong run defender.

Ramsey allowed only 6.4 yards per target and he’s usually tasked with covering your best weapon, so even if there are always a few “bad moments” that skeptics can clip out of context, there’s no better cornerback in the NFL right now. They all have bad moments, but Ramsey has a lot less of them than most and he also has a lot more great plays than the average cornerback.

The Rams will also be super reliant on Ramsey in 2022 because even having returned Troy Hill, the team is losing Darious Williams and must rely on the inexperienced duo of Robert Rochell and David Long, Jr. to fill in the gaps at cornerback. There’s also been a bit of a rotating door at safety, so that’s all the more ground to cover in the secondary.

It’s hard to believe that Jalen Ramsey would be number four or lower on any roster. It just so happens that the Rams are not “any roster.”

Previous:

First one out - CB Robert Rochell

#20 - QB John Wolford

#19 - CB Troy Hill

#18 - C Brian Allen

#17 - ILB Ernest Jones

#16 - WR Van Jefferson

#15 - S Jordan Fuller

#14 - LG David Edwards

#13 - RB Cam Akers

#12 - DT Greg Gaines

#11 - RT Rob Havenstein

#10 - DL A’Shawn Robinson

#9 - TE Tyler Higbee

#8 - ILB Bobby Wagner

#7 - WR Allen Robinson II

#6 - OLB Leonard Floyd

#5 - LT Joe Noteboom