Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston knows that the odds of his club landing Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey are extremely slim, given where Tampa Bay is drafting and how early Ramsey is expected to come off the board. However, that didn’t stop Winston from lobbying GM Jason Licht to draft his former Seminoles teammate, as Mark Cook of PewterReport.com details.
“We (FSU) definitely have the best player in the world in Jalen Ramsey,” the Buccaneers quarterback said. “People talk about his position. But Jalen is the best cornerback, safety… I will take a pay cut to play with him again. He has a fierce mentality.”
Of course, Winston’s rookie contract can’t be reworked at this point in his career, and it’s a moot point anyway, but the endorsement from the Bucs QB is the latest signal that Ramsey is one of the very best players in this year’s draft.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s South divisions:
- The Titans, who hold the first overall pick, will certainly consider Ramsey — Peter King of TheMMQB.com hears that the Florida State defensive back is one of Tennessee’s top two targets for that No. 1 pick, along with Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil. However, King also writes that the Titans have received “significant” trade interest in that selection, and he believes there’s a 50-50 chance the team moves down.
- Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler is set to visit the Titans today and the Panthers on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Those two teams hold the 33rd and 30th overall picks, respectively, so they may view Butler as a player who will be available at that point in the draft.
- In addition to his previously-reported visits, Alabama running back Kenyan Drake also has a meeting lined up with the Colts, per Mike Wells and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- The Buccaneers will host North Carolina State offensive lineman Joe Thuney, a probable late-round pick, for a visit next week, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.