Kelee Ringo, CB Georgia: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Ringo was a five-star recruit from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the class of 2020

Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo entered the 2022 season as a consensus first round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Things changed dramatically over the past eight months. Ringo’s spot among the elite prospects in the 2023 class isn’t secure anymore.

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Kelee Ringo, CB Georgia: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt sophomore outside cornerback from Tacoma, Wash.

Background: Ringo was a five-star recruit from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 4 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 7 for Rivals, and No. 4 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 8th in the nation with a 91 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, Ringo led Saguaro High School to the No. 3 ranking in the state and an 11-2 record. The team finished as the runner-up in the state’s 2019 AIA Open Division. Ringo played defensive back and running back. As a senior, he amassed 32 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions, and three passes defensed on defense, plus 52 carries for 712 yards and 13 touchdowns on offense. As a junior, Ringo led Saguaro High School to its sixth consecutive state championship. He tallied 31 tackles, an interception, and four passes defensed along the way. Ringo also contributed 24 tackles, an interception, and six passes defensed to the 2017 state championship team. He was selected to play in the 2020 All-American Bowl. Ringo earned spots on the 2019 USA Today All-USA High School Football Defensive First Team and Sports Illustrated’s All-American team. He was also an elite high school sprinter, clocking a 10.43 100-meter dash and a 21.18 200-meter dash as a junior. He won AIA Division III state titles in both of those events in 2019. Ringo committed to Georgia over offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Cal, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Iowa State, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA, USC, and Washington.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed all of 2020 recovering from surgery on a torn labrum

Awards: 2021 Freshman All-SEC Team, 2022 Second-Team All-SEC

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, excellent size and bulk, elite linear speed at his size, recovery speed, upper body strength, upside in press coverage, no concerns carrying receivers vertically in man, awareness in zone, closes on and contests short routes from zone, reads routes and shows anticipation in zone, flashes of high-level run support

Cons: Nine penalties in 2022, change of direction skills are lacking, really struggles to gear down and change directions, unbalanced when attempting to come to a stop, struggles to stop his momentum quickly, lacks the footwork and agility to mirror sudden and sharp routes, lacks the twitch and suddenness to guard smaller receivers, can’t match quick footwork, visible tightness in his frame, allows significant separation on comeback routes, allows separation on deep over routes, grabby into sharp cuts, can’t mirror complex routes, becomes vulnerable on extended plays, gets caught with his head turned around, press punches are soft and not thrown with purpose, allows wide receivers to swat his hands at the line of scrimmage, allows wide receivers into his chest, not consistently aggressive in run support, complacent on wide receiver blocks, doesn’t consistently wrap up as a tackler, Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State, 2022) had him totally lost several times

Overview: Ringo took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6016 and weighs 207 lbs. He has 8 4/8-inch hands, 31 2/8-inch arms, and a 74 1/8-inch wingspan. Ringo predominantly lined up on the left side of the defensive formation for Georgia in 2022. He carries significant special teams experience from Georgia’s kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units to the NFL. Ringo has excellent size and bulk for a cornerback. His linear speed is elite for a player his size. The former five-star recruit has the recovery speed to regain leverage from a trail position and make up for mistakes near the line of scrimmage. He has impressive upper body strength that offers upside in press coverage. Ringo is at his best carrying receivers vertically in man coverage. He displays ideal awareness in zone coverage to transition between threats and anticipate underneath throws. He shows flashes of high-level play in run support but is often not aggressive enough in this area. Ringo is complacent sitting on wide receiver blocks and doesn’t consistently wrap up ball carriers. The Washington native’s agility, change of direction skills, tight frame, and unbalanced transitions pose significant problems for his projection to the next level. He struggles to gear down and change directions, allowing several yards of separation on quick cuts and comeback routes. Ringo becomes grabby in these situations, which led to him committing nine penalties in 2022. The redshirt sophomore becomes unbalanced when attempting to come to a stop. He lacks the footwork and agility to mirror sudden and sharp routes and doesn’t have the twitch and suddenness to guard smaller receivers. Ringo can’t mirror complex routes or releases. He becomes vulnerable on extended plays and sometimes gets caught with his head turned around, allowing the receiver to break for open space. Ringo’s punches in press are soft and not thrown with purpose. He allows receivers to swat his hands at the line of scrimmage and get into his chest. Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. (2022) had Ringo completely lost on several routes.

Overall, Ringo is a big, physical cornerback with excellent linear speed to carry receivers of all sizes vertically, but he lacks the agility, change of direction skills, and fluidity to be an all-purpose player. Ringo’s significant physical limitations prevent him from earning a first round grade. The All-SEC selection might benefit from a transition to safety.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside corner in a zone-dominant scheme

Round Projection: Mid Second to Late Second

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-19-23