Steelers Show Up In Athens Looking To Strike Gold Again In 2023

Welcome to the pre-draft season! Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft starting on April 27th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…

Steelers’ Draft Prospect, Kelee Ringo (Cornerback), Georgia, Redshirt Sophomore

OVERVIEW: The Steelers’ secondary is in need of a face lift. In the flurry of free agency moves throughout the week, we’ve seen Cam Sutton leave Pittsburgh in favor of the Detroit Lions and a much deserved pay raise. In turn, the Steelers added former Pro Bowl and future Hall of Fame cornerback Patrick Peterson into the mix for the next two seasons. But with Levi Wallace and Ahkello Witherspoon left on the outside, the Steelers need young, top-tier talent to continue their construction of a strong cornerback group paired with Peterson and Minkah Fitzpatrick on the back end. 

With currently three selections in the first 50 picks of the draft, the Steelers have several chances to land the talent they need. It is a good thing head coach Mike Tomlin and company was in attendance at the University of Georgia’s Pro Day on Wednesday to evaluate the incoming rookies including Kelee Ringo.

PROS: Between his size and athletic ability, Ringo brings a unique skill set to the cornerback position. He thrives on the outside in both press-man and zone coverage. Standing 6’2” and weighing in at 207 pounds, he’s able to match up well against bigger receivers, yet keep up with faster players with his 4.36-second 40-yard dash time. Not to mention, he was a track star in high school where he was also a top-10 high school recruit. Needless to say, his closing speed and make-up ability is one of Ringo’s biggest strengths coming into the draft.

Ringo is effective at knocking receivers off their routes and keep the play in front of him. He’s able to keep his hips low in his backpedal and maintain fluidity in transitioning into his sprint. But even with his speed and technique, he plays the cornerback position like a safety. Ringo isn’t afraid to get up close on the line and cut down the ball carrier. In his two active seasons, Ringo racked up a sack and three tackles for loss. He’s shown he can be just as effective in certain blitz packages as he is in coverage. It is that special blend of physicality and athleticism that is drawing a lot of attention from NFL scouts. 

CONS: Ringo’s physicality and aggressiveness is a double-edged sword. One of the first things scouts are considering is how his skill sets will translate to the rules of the next level. In 2022 alone, Ringo racked up nine penalties on defense. That number is a red flag to a lot of scouts and that alone is forcing his name to drop out of the top-25 conversation. In addition to that, Ringo has had trouble in being overly aggressive on misdirection plays or over-pursuing on scramble plays. His discipline will need to be improved for him to be a multi-year starter in the NFL.

His deep ball ability is also lacking. Although he has the speed to keep up with receivers down field, he has below-average ball skills in high-pointing the ball and making the play. On comeback routes, he tends to run himself off the top of the route and stay at home with the receiver. According to scouts, it is Ringo’s sloppiness and deep ball inabilities that are hurting his draft stock in addition to his lack of discipline. His majority of average game play in college looks to outweigh his better performances in scouts’ eyes.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Late 1st Round to Early 2nd Round

Those nine penalties last year are really hurting Ringo’s stock in comparison to other names in this draft class. With the likes of Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, Cam Smith, and Joey Porter Jr., Ringo may get pushed to waiting for his name to get called. However, each of those names has a good chance of getting called earlier in the opening round, which may leave Ringo being the best cornerback available come the 25th spot and beyond.  

VERDICT: Coach Tomlin and the Steelers seems to have struck gold last year at Georgia’s Pro Day with George Pickens and Tomlin is looking to repeat in 2023. The group was back down in Athens to take a look at Ringo and company knowing they have a strong veteran in Peterson to help develop a rookie defender. But considering the list of priorities for the Steelers’ first three picks, I’d have defensive tackle listed above cornerback. With that said, that’d put the hypothetical cornerback pick at the 32nd overall spot. 

Ironically enough, Ringo has a good chance of being available at that area of the draft, which would be within the first round in a normal scenario. Tomlin has had luck in improving young players’ discipline and he may like what he saw on Wednesday. The Steelers are slated to host Ringo at a Top 30 meeting leading up to the draft. History tells us that prospects who meet with the Steelers formally before the draft have a very good chance of hearing their names called in April.

Where do you see Ringo going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments!

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