Tulane Head Coach Sounds Off on Jaguars' Caleb Ransaw

Two weeks ago, Caleb Ransaw’s hay was in the barn. Less than a week before the draft, there was nothing more he could do to move up or down NFL boards.

But instead of hitting the town, the Tulane defensive back spent the evening on a campus practice field mentoring a younger defensive back, and improving himself.

“And he's working on footwork and movement and pattern stuff that a DB needs to have,” Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall told the Hacker After Dark show on 1010 XL Tuesday night. “At 7 o’clock on a Friday night, alright? And so, I don't know how many guys at 7 o’clock on a Friday night in college are practicing a week ahead of getting drafted, but that just shows you how much he loves football and loves his development.”

Jacksonville clearly saw those qualities in Ransaw, making him the 88th overall choice on Friday. Ransaw, the Jaguars’ second choice in the draft after they traded up in the first round to take Travis Hunter, has more than speed. And in addition to his high football IQ, Sumrall added, he’d been preparing to hear his name called at that Green Bay podium for a long time.

“A year ago,” Sumrall recalled, “he had a little infection. He had to have an overnight stay in the hospital just to take an antibiotic to clear up an infection quick. I walk in to go check on him one night, and he's got his iPad out, and he's watching every draftable DB for this draft on PFF. He's watching all their clips and all the guys that got high rankings. He is a football junkie.”

Another football junkie, Jaguars general manager James Gladstone, said what impressed him most about Ransaw is an endless list.

“Our coaches did such a good job articulating the vision for his usage, opened my eyes to a lot of elements that he possesses,” Gladstone said Friday night. “One of the things that really jumps out more than anything is the versatility. As we look at that defensive back room, obviously the capacity to play corner, play safety, he showcased the post work at the All-Star circuit that really jumped out.”