Jose Ramirez, EDGE Eastern Michigan: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Ramirez was a three-star recruit from Auburndale High School in Auburndale, Fla. in the class of 2017

The MAC had some outstanding defensive linemen this past year, including Karl Brooks, Thomas Incoom, and Desjuan Johnson. However, Eastern Michigan’s Jose Ramirez was the conference defensive player of the year. Ramirez and all of the other star MAC linemen should hear their names called in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Jose Ramirez, EDGE Eastern Michigan: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Graduate student left defensive end from Lake Alfred, Fla.

Background: Ramirez was a three-star recruit from Auburndale High School in Auburndale, Fla. in the class of 2017. He was the No. 1,676 recruit according to 247Sports. Ramirez was an unranked two-star recruit for Rivals. He did not receive a star ranking or national ranking from On3.com or ESPN. Ramirez originally committed to South Alabama before flipping to Arizona. He spent 2017 with the Wildcats but didn’t see game action. He departed for Riverside City College after the season and spent a year at the JUCO level. Ramirez emerged from the 2018 season as a two-star JUCO recruit according to 247Sports and enrolled at Eastern Michigan. In high school, Ramirez lettered four times, taking snaps at cornerback, linebacker, safety, and wide receiver. He served as a team captain as a senior and earned All-State honors. That season, he totaled 114 tackles, a blocked kick, and a forced fumble.

2022 Production: 12 games, 66 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 50 pressures, 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 2 passes defensed

2021 Production: 13 games, 62 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 36 pressures, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 passes defensed

2020 Production: 6 games, 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 13 pressures, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass defensed

2019 Production: 4 games

2018 Production: 12 games, 44 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

2017 Production: (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: 2020 Third-Team All-MAC, 2021 Third-Team All-MAC, 2022 First-Team All-MAC, 2022 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 Third-Team All-American (Associated Press)

Pros: Motor runs hot, nose for poking the ball out, good quickness off the line, speed to threaten tackles’ outside shoulders, reduces surface area for tackles to target, swipes to disarm the tackle’s hands, hands remain active throughout the rush with a combination of rips, swipes, and swims, gets into the tackle’s chest, rip move, spin move, long arm move, quality bend, bend allows him to flatten his rush angle, dips under tackles at his rush apex, works back inside when pressing too far upfield, plays with ideal leverage, powerful arms to shove and create displacement against linemen and tight ends, consistent and powerful leg drive, maintains good momentum and speed on stunts, decent but not elite agility to break down and redirect in space, easily separates from blocks and redirects to the ball, works down the line to the football, teams ran away from his side of the field

Cons: Age, competition level, committed six penalties in 2022, limited special teams experience at EMU, benefited from many wide alignments, room to improve pad level, lacks elite linear speed, some size concerns, lean lower half limits his ability to win with power, clear power disadvantage against Arizona State’s (2022) Des Holmes, rush angle easily widened by offensive linemen, rush plan disrupted by blocking tight ends and running backs, doesn’t attack inside rush lanes, lacks impressive pursuit speed, displaced against vertical rushing attacks, struggles to deconstruct the blocks of climbing or pulling linemen, focus on working upfield sometimes opens rushing holes, gap integrity, doesn’t set hard edges against the run

Overview: Ramirez took official measurements at the Shrine Bowl. He’s 6017 and weighs 249 lbs. He has nine-inch hands, 33 1/4-inch arms, and a 79 1/2-inch wingspan. Eastern Michigan gave Ramirez snaps in a three-point stance at 5-tech, but he also took a considerable number of reps from wider alignments as a 7 and 9-tech. The All-MAC pass rusher also occasionally took snaps in a two-point stance. He commanded a lot of respect from opposing offenses. Most opponents avoided running the ball to his side or frequently added an extra tight end or running back in pass protection to deter Ramirez. The former three-star recruit is a high-effort player who displays quickness off the line and the speed to stress the tackle’s outside shoulder. He reduces his surface area at the top of the rush and has enough bend to flatten his angle to the quarterback. There are also examples of Ramirez dipping under tackles at the apex of his rush. As a pass rusher, he uses spin moves, a long arm, and rip moves to win on his initial rush and deploys an array of counters, including rips, swipes, and swims. His hands remain active, swiping at the tackle’s hands and working into the lineman’s frame. Ramirez shows flashes of power, tossing or shoving linemen and running backs aside. He plays with consistent leg drive and maintains good momentum and speed on stunts. Ramirez uses good leverage and possesses decent but not elite agility to break down and redirect in space. He struggles to break free from climbing or pulling linemen but otherwise easily separates from blocks and redirects to the ball. The former Arizona Wildcat is an older prospect with limited experience against Power Five competition. He didn’t play a ton of special teams snaps at Eastern Michigan, and his production benefited from wide alignments that created more direct angles to the quarterback. Despite his undersized frame, there’s room for Ramirez to improve his pad level. He lacks elite linear speed and has a lean lower half that limits his ability to win with power. He was at a clear power disadvantage against Arizona State’s Des Holmes this past season. Ramirez’s rush angles are easily widened by offensive linemen and disrupted by blocking tight ends and running backs. He doesn’t attack inside rush lanes enough. Ramirez is easily displayed by vertical rushing attacks and struggles to deconstruct the blocks of climbing linemen. He frequently surrenders gap integrity because his rush plan carries him too far upfield.

Overall, Ramirez offers a nice blend of initial quickness, pass rush moves, and bend, but his special teams profile and ability to anchor against the run are underwhelming. Ramirez should hear his name called in the draft and open his career as a rotational pass rusher who primarily plays in passing down situations.

Role & Scheme Fit: Designated pass rush linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Late Fifth to Mid Sixth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 02-19-23