Lathan Ransom, S Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Ransom was a four-star recruit from Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Ariz. in the class of 2020

Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom is instinctive near the line of scrimmage and fits the run well. The senior projects as a borderline top 100 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Lathan Ransom, S Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior safety from Tucson, Ariz.

Background: Ransom was a four-star recruit from Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson, Ariz. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 167 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 160 for On3.com. Ransom was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals. ESPN ranked him 162nd in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. He was the AllSportsTucson.com Athlete of the Year and the 4A Kino Region Defensive Player of the Year as a high school senior. Random made the Arizona Republic All-Arizona Team as a junior because he produced 82 tackles, two sacks, six interceptions, and eight passes defensed. That year, he led Salpointe Catholic to a 13-1 record and an appearance in the 4A state final. Per MaxPreps, Ransom finished his high school career with 194 rushing yards, 1,293 receiving yards on 56 receptions, 429 kick return yards on 18 returns, 685 punt return yards on 39 attempts, and 27 total touchdowns. He amassed 48 tackles, including three for loss, a sack, five interceptions, three passes defensed, a forced fumble, and a blocked punt as a sophomore. Ransom earned a spot in the US Army All-American Game. At various The Open events in 2019, Ransom ran a 4.67 40-yard dash and a 4.2 in their shuttle. He jumped 37.3 inches in the vertical.

Injuries & Off-Field: Broke his left leg during the 2021-22 Rose Bowl, missed 2022 Wisconsin game

Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, blocked punt vs. Maryland (2022), NFL-caliber arm length, physical and amped up to make big plays, hips appear mostly fluid, closing burst, natural mover in space, allows nobody behind him when in deep zone, ball tracking seems positive, quick downhill trigger, willing to come downhill and makes stops vs. short passes and the run game, quick to recognize and trigger on underneath and flat routes, allows limited YAC, instincts near the line of scrimmage, superb help in run defense, good run fits when working in the box, instinctive and automatic run defender, takes proper angles to the ball, excels at tracking the ball carrier, makes tackles against much larger players, occasional big hits, comes to balance before making the tackle

Cons: Committed three penalties in 2022, lean frame, top speed will be questioned, lacks sideline-to-sideline range, falls for eye manipulation, sucked upfield by play action, too loose with receivers in deep zone, bumped around mid-route by tight ends, allows separation at the top of the stem in man coverage, allows separation on crossers in man, lacks the agility and experience to mirror sharp routes, stacked in off-man coverage, lacks power to handle pulling guards, pancaked by blockers several times vs. Penn State (2022), dives low and sometimes misses open field tackles, wish he warped up and drove through ball carriers more often, slides off too many tackles, unfinished plays against the run at the LOS vs. Georgia (2022)

Overview: Ransom is a diverse special teams player with experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He even blocked a punt against Maryland in 2022. Ransom is a physical and amped up safety who frequently hypes up teammates and celebrates the defense’s top plays. He has NFL-caliber arm length and is mostly fluid through his hips. The senior lines up deep at safety in Cover 1 and Cover 3 single-high looks. He sometimes plays bracket coverage up the seam. Ohio State occasionally lines Ransom up in two-high pre-snap looks and has him rotate to play either deep centerfield or the low safety role. He has a little experience playing cloud coverage as an outside corner. Ransom gets some opportunities to play press coverage against slot and in-line tight ends. He has impressive closing burst and looks like a natural mover in space. The Arizona native is disciplined in zone, allowing nothing over his head. He doesn’t have much ball production but shows off good ball skills when given the chance. He quickly triggers downhill and is eager to stick his nose into short passes and the run game. Ransom quickly recognizes and triggers on underneath and flat routes. He allows limited yards after the catch. Ransom’s run fits are excellent, and he instinctively locates the ball when operating in the box. He takes good angles to the football. The safety makes tackles against much larger players and occasionally lands a big hit. However, he dives low and sometimes misses open field tackles. Ransom needs to wrap up and drive through tacklers more, but he might not have the play strength to pull that off safely. He slides off too many tackles and left several unfinished plays on the table against Georgia (2022). The former four-star recruit lacks the power to handle pulling or climbing linemen and was pancaked by blockers several times against Penn State (2022). Ransom’s frame is lean and might not have the space to add much more mass. His top speed is questionable, and he lacks sideline-to-sideline range. Ransom bites on eye manipulation and is sucked upfield by play action. He is too loose with receivers in deep zone and is bumped around mid-route by tight ends. The All-Big Ten honorable mention allows separation at the top of the stem and on crossers in man coverage and is stacked in off-man coverage. He lacks the agility and experience to mirror sharp routes.

Overall, Ransom’s coverage profile outside of deep zone is limited, but it’s impossible to ignore his run fits and instinctive play working in the box. Ransom will begin his career on a special teams unit before working his way into a normal rotation. His versatility in college won’t translate completely, but he has enough athletic tools to handle multiple roles and alignments.

Role & Scheme Fit: Safety in two-high looks with significant box opportunities  

Round Projection: Fourth Round

Size: 6'1", 210 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 09-06-23