NFL Draft 2023: Why Georgia star Kelee Ringo went undrafted in day two

Let’s try to understand why Georgia legend Kelee Ringo is still available in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Despite making one of the greatest plays in Georgia football history, Bulldogs star defensive back Kelee Ringo remains undrafted entering day three.

Earlier on in the process, Ringo had a first-round grade in the 2023 NFL Draft. His draft stock may have been artificially inflated by playing for the national powerhouse in Athens, but he does have tremendous ball skills. While he certainly had his moments during his redshirt sophomore campaign last season, there is more than meets the eye as to why his draft stock has plummeted.

Let’s discuss why Ringo is still available on Saturday, and why he should go in the fourth round.

NFL Draft 2023: Why Georgia star defensive back Kelee Ringo is still available

I think it really comes down to two things with Ringo: Medicals and positional projectivity. You have to remember that he missed all of his true freshman season with a torn labrum. Although he bounced back from this devastating injury triumphantly, we have seen NFL teams poke and prod with Georgia players’ medicals more than they should (Nakobe Dean, Darnell Washington, etc.).

So yes, there may be some component having to do with Ringo’s surgically repaired labrum. However, I think it is the fact he is mostly a positionless defensive back out there. He played corner mostly at Georgia, but we would often see him get burnt like toast and draw more yellow laundry than anyone in the Dawgs’ defensive backfield. He can run, but he does not exactly fly…

Where Ringo has tremendous value at the next level is his ball skills and instinctive nature in that regard. If you want facsimiles to maybe what he can be, look no further than fellow SEC legends like Eddie Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu. Jackson and Mathieu are kind of safeties or slot corners more than anything. This may be the role Ringo has to play at the next level to sustain stardom.

Overall, I expect the intangibles will play a huge role in him having success at the professional. I have no clue how long or how productive Ringo’s career will be in the NFL, but you would rather have him on your team and in your defensive backfield than not. This will all come down to whichever defensive mind sees a spot for him as a rotational playmaker in their loaded secondary.

Even if Ringo were to somehow fall even further in the draft process, I expected he will be drafted.