Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Jalen Ramsey doesn’t carry himself like your typical NFL star, because, well, he’s not.
Aside from twisting tape around his fingers in lieu of gloves and hanging on to reporters’ questions for a beat, thinking before crafting an answer, the veteran Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back is a defensive puzzle piece that can morph into different spots — bringing with him a reputation, a wealth of knowledge and tenacious nature unlike his peers’.
Steelers associate head coach/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. previously worked alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Charles Woodson when in Green Bay, and said last week that Ramsey “has a similar skillset, similar size, similar speed.”
Head coach Mike McCarthy dove deeper into the comparison before Wednesday’s minicamp practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
“I think, for me, first impressions are always important,” McCarthy said. “When you see a player live, and my first up close and personal look was, I’ve seen Jalen in games, but when we practiced against the Rams. Just to watch him play nickel, the way they moved him around, and then feature him as a nickel pressure player in the contest that we played against him.
“Charles was an All-Pro corner, but when we moved him into nickel inside, his ability to pressure, and I think just the common sense of taking a Hall of Fame-level player and putting them in closer to the football, they’re going to make more plays, and I think that’s what Joe was hitting on when he said that.”
Woodson collected the Associated Press’ Defensive Player of the Year award in 2009 — his second season with the Packers — after ripping down nine interceptions, forcing four fumbles and recovering another. If Ramsey can pin up even somewhat similar numbers, Patrick Graham’s defense will be ecstatic.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: How Alike Are Jalen Ramsey and Charles Woodson? Steelers HC Mike McCarthy Weighs In
