Georgia Bulldogs cornerback Kelee Ringo was once viewed as a top prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft class but now no longer appears to be among the very best at his position in the eyes of some talent evaluators. Yet, the outlook on Ringo is a bit all over the place, with his draft range a bit of a question mark ahead of draft day.
From a traits standpoint, Ringo has everything NFL teams seek from a No. 1 cornerback. He’s big, lengthy, and plenty fast. Plus, he comes from one of the better defenses in the nation, with the Bulldogs regularly putting the clamps on offenses as they won back-to-back National Championships with Ringo as their top corner. Yet, Ringo’s draft stock has only seemingly slipped since.
So what’s up with Ringo? Why isn’t a player who looks like a top-five pick actually in consideration to go in the first ten selections? We’ll do our best to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the cornerback with possibly the highest ceiling in the draft class.
Kelee Ringo measurables
- Kelee Ringo height: 6-foot-2
- Kelee Ringo weight: 207 pounds
- Kelee Ringo 40 time: 4.36 seconds
Let’s dive into our Kelee Ringo scouting report and NFL projection.
Kelee Ringo stats and background
As mentioned, on paper, Kelee Ringo has all the measurables NFL scouts dream about. Cornerbacks built like this don’t grow on trees, and it was known from the very beginning where Ringo was graded as a five-star recruit by 247 Sports out of Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The nation’s top-ranked cornerback even ran track in high school, further exemplifying his world-class speed.
Related: 2023 NFL defense rankings
This incredible athletic profile allowed Ringo to be recognized by Kirby Smart’s staff at Georgia, where he’d suffer an early labrum injury and miss his entire freshman season. By the next year, Ringo had already earned a starting role in a top-ranked Bulldogs defense, which he held down for each of the past two seasons, before deciding to turn pro.
| Kelee Ringo stats | Tackles | Interceptions | Pass deflections |
| 2021 | 34 | 2 | 8 |
| 2022 | 42 | 2 | 7 |
What’s not seen on the stat sheet above was Ringo’s game-sealing pick-six in the National Championship, intercepting a Bryce Young pass, showing he has the ability to show up in clutch situations. While Ringo had a lot of great games, he also had moments where he got in trouble, committing nine penalties during his final season. It’s just one area he’ll have to continue improving with more guidance.
Statistics courtesy of College Football Reference, ESPN, and Pro Football Focus
Kelee Ringo scouting report
Unlike some corners who are ideal for covering the slot, Kelee Ringo isn’t pigeonholed into playing just one position on defense. He’s actually more equipped to take on No. 1 receivers and other outside targets along the sideline.
Ringo can do it all when shadowing receivers, whether it’s pressing them at the line of scrimmage or playing softer coverage as he takes advantage of his excellent closing speed once the ball is released. Consistency could be another question, but being that he’s set to turn just 21 in June, we’ll take how advanced his coverage skills are already, knowing there’s plenty of room for growth.
Another skill coaches will love is Ringo’s physicality that shows up in run defense, where he isn’t afraid to lower his shoulder to deliver a blow in the backfield. There’s even some belief that Ringo could handle himself just fine at safety thanks to his size and sometimes questionable cover skills.
For example, Ringo allowed 13 catches of over 15 yards in 2022, the second-most among cornerbacks in the SEC. While Ringo’s straight-line speed is nearly unmatched, he’s not the best at changing directions or flipping his hips in a hurry. Combine that with just average anticipation skills, and you can see how he didn’t make more of an impact when it comes to generating turnovers and disrupting passing lanes.
But again, how many players have a sprint speed of over 23 mph? The answer is very few, or no one, according to last season’s NFL data where not a single ballcarrier had a sprint speed that topped 22 mph. Ringo is big, fast, and has experience playing in a shutdown defense. We’re just curious how much more consistent he can become.
All the tools are there for Ringo to develop into a top cornerback in the NFL, but he could just as easily get exposed as a stiff defender in coverage who gets burned by the shiftiest receivers. We didn’t see that in college, where Ringo allowed just one touchdown last season, but it will be up to his next coaching staff to continue getting the most out of an impressive yet partially flawed skillset.
- Kelee Ringo draft grade: 77/100
- Kelee Ringo draft projection: First or second-round pick
NFL projection for Kelee Ringo
Kelee Ringo is the ultimate boom-or-bust cornerback prospect. In past years, it would be hard to see how a player with his athletic profile could possibly fail. He dominated the Scouting Combine, didn’t get exposed at Georgia, and put together a solid career with the Bulldogs. So why isn’t Ringo the top cornerback in the NFL Draft?
It’s from scouts picking apart the finer details of coverage. Ringo has always gotten by thanks to being bigger, faster, and stronger than 95% of his opponents. That simply won’t be the case at the next level. Ringo will have to continue developing his game, just like every other rookie in the draft class.
Yet, he has so many traits that cannot be taught, which is why he’s a strong bet to come off the board at some point in the first or second round. Finding a No. 1 cornerback is no easy task, and teams can never have enough capable defenders.
Ringo’s potential is as high, if not higher than any other cornerback, and we’re sure to come across a few defensive minds who fall in love with this natural ability while believing there’s another level of play contained within his game.
Ringo shouldn’t have any trouble seeing the field early on in his career. How much his coaches and coordinators trust him on an island will be another question, but rookies are rarely given too much leeway, so chances are he’ll be just fine.
There’s reason to believe he could become a strong fit in any defense simply because there are few players built like him who play cornerback.
As far as his NFL career? Kelee Ringo could quickly become a Pro Bowl talent and possibly one of the best at his position. Or, he could be forced to transition to safety thanks to a lack of man coverage skills. Either way, if you’re adding Ringo on draft day, it’s hard not to be excited about his potential.