Jalen Ramsey, No. 5 overall pick, suffers small meniscus tear

Path To Greatness - Jalen Ramsey: Episode 1 | PS4
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For the second offseason in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars" first-round draft pick went down with a knee injury, but the one that cornerback Jalen Ramsey suffered isn"t as serious as the one that cost defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. his 2015 season.

The Jaguars said Ramsey suffered a small tear to the meniscus in his right knee during Phase 2 of the conditioning program May 6-7. A source told ESPN"s Adam Schefter that Ramsey was hurt during a drill but didn"t know it at the time. Ramsey"s knee was sore after practice, the source said, leading to an MRI the next day that revealed the small tear.

Sources said that Ramsey is being told there are two possible courses of surgical treatment -- one that would keep him out four to six weeks, and one that would keep him out four to six months.

He will have a second opinion next week with Dr. James Andrews, which will help him determine which course to pursue.Depending on that opinion, he could miss some of training camp, but the Jaguars believe he will be ready for Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers, a source said.

Ramsey was the fifth overall pick in last month"s draft.He is still unsigned, but this injury will not be a factor in his new deal, a source told Schefter.

The Jaguars begin organized team activities Monday. Ramsey was expected to start at corner this season opposite Davon House.

This isn"t his first injury to the right knee. Ramsey needed microfracture surgery on it during high school, ending his sophomore season before it even began.

A Florida State football source told ESPN"s Adam Caplan that Ramsey did not have any issues with his right knee during his time with the Seminoles.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, lost Fowler for the 2015 season after he suffered a torn left ACL less than an hour into the first day of the team"s rookie minicamp. The Jaguars scaled back this year"s minicamp -- they instead called it an orientation -- by focusing more on conditioning and position-specific drills, partly because of what happened to Fowler.

Ramsey isn"t the Jaguars" only draft pick with a knee issue.

Linebacker Myles Jack was one of the most talented defensive players in the draft but slid into the second round because of concerns about his surgically repaired right knee. Jack tore his lateral meniscus off the bone in September and missed the rest of the season at UCLA.

Jack told the New York Post the day before the NFL draft that he could potentially need microfracture surgery, and there have been reports that Jack also has a degenerative defect in the knee that may cause the cartilage and bone to separate.

The Jaguars" medical staff thoroughly checked out Jack"s knee, and the team felt confident enough in the medical reports to move up two spots in the second round to draft Jack with the 36th overall pick.

Information from ESPN"s Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano was used in this report.

(Copyright 2016 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.)

Source: http://abc7news.com/sports/jalen-ramsey-no-5-overall-pick-suffers-small-meniscus-tear/1346178/

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FSU coach: Jaguars" top draft pick Jalen Ramsey a special talent

Path To Greatness - Jalen Ramsey: Episode 1 | PS4

Long before he joined the Jaguars and promised to make an instant impact, Jalen Ramsey did the same upon arriving at Florida State before the 2013 season.

He said, Coach, Im going to start from Day One, Seminoles coach Jimbo Fisher said. I said, If youre the best player, you will [start], but realize Deion [Sanders] took four games to start. Jalen said, I dont care.

Ramsey started at cornerback as a freshman before moving to free safety on a Florida State defense that led the nation in fewest points allowed (12.1 per game) and won the national championship.

Twenty-eight years after Sanders was drafted fifth overall by Atlanta, Ramsey, who moved back to cornerback in 2014-15, went No. 5 to the Jaguars.

Fisher (in place of defensive backs coach Charles Kelly) spoke with the Times-Union about Ramsey.

Question: Ramsey was a true freshman playing free safety on a defense laden with future NFL players (Telvin Smith, Lamarcus Joyner, Timmy Jernigan, Terrence Brooks, Ronald Darby and Christian Jones) that eventually won the national title. Was the moment ever too big for him in 2013?

Answer: No, it really wasnt. Theres a difference between arrogance and confidence. He carried himself with a lot of confidence and he believed in his ability. The thing I thought always separated him was his ability to mentally compartmentalize everything that was happening and then learn from it and process it during the game. He did that from the get-go.

The Jaguars coaches have raved about Ramseys football smarts. How rare was that aspect of his game when he arrived at Florida State?

Instincts are something you naturally have. He has the football instincts/IQ, but he also has pure intelligence. Darby was banged up early [in 2013] and that was one of the reasons Jalen got to start at corner, but he would have been on the field somehow anyway. We put him at corner, he starts there and then he moves positions..

After playing free safety as a freshman, what was the reasoning behind moving Ramsey to covering the slot receiver in 2014?

We felt we could use his versatility more [inside]. Sometimes, tall guys [Ramsey is 6-foot-1] have a tough time there, but he had the quickness and agility to cover the little guys. And he was very physical at the point of attack on run plays because he was playing like an outside linebacker and teams liked to run at him. The other thing he was a very dynamic blitzer.

Playing in that new role, did Ramsey pick things up quicker than you and the coaches thought he would?

Yes, he did. But everything hes ever done, hes [adjusted quickly]. He will embarrass guys in practice if theyre not ready.

Ramsey said he got his practice habits from current Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith. Sound right?

Theres no doubt. The way that 2013 team practiced with Telvin, Lamarcus and that whole group of guys on defense and then there was Jameis [Winston], Rashad [Greene], Devonta [Freeman] and [Kelvin] Benjamin on offense practice was crazy.

Ramsey was on the move again as a junior, playing outside corner. Is that his ideal home in the NFL?

It starts there because if you have a true cornerback with his size who can match up against big receivers, thats a huge advantage. Most big guys dont have his strength or agility. And then if you want to match him up in nickel, he can play the little guy. His ability to play corner at this size makes him special.

Wednesday: UCLA linebackers coach Scott White on second-round pick Myles Jack.

Ryan OHalloran: (904) 359-4401

Source: http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2016-05-17/story/jaguars-top-draft-pick-jalen-ramsey-special-talent

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