Jalen Ramsey Declares for 2016 NFL Draft: Latest Comments and Reaction

Florida State Seminoles defensive back Jalen Ramsey surprised no one in announcing his decision to enter the 2016 NFL draft on Tuesday.

"Today, after having in-depth discussions with my parents, my coaches and others whom I hold dear to my heart, I am announcing my decision to pursue my dream, forgo my senior year of football at Florida State and declare for the 2016 NFL draft," said Ramsey through a statement on Seminoles.com.

Tuesday's news release also featured comments from Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher:

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I'm extremely happy for Jalen and his family. I think it is a very smart decision by him. He will be a tremendous pro. He was an outstanding player and leader for us. I cannot say enough good things about him. I wish him nothing but the best, and he will always be a part of the Florida State family.

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After three extremely productive seasons in Tallahassee, including a national championship triumph and success at numerous positions, Ramsey proved himself to be NFL-ready.

Ramsey is rated as the seventh-best overall prospect on Bleacher Report expert Matt Miller's big board.

Practicing against FSU's pro-style offense is only bound to help Ramsey make an immediate impact in the pros. In addition to excelling on the inside and outside as a cornerback, the 21-year-old has also proved capable of playing safety and even a safety-linebacker hybrid position in college.

The latter spot may seem unrealistic for someone of Ramsey's stature (6'1", 202 lbs), but a recent trend in the NFL has seen safeties or other DBs play in the box as linebackers more often. Arizona Cardinals playmaker Deone Bucannon is a prime example of this phenomenon.

That's the great thing about Ramsey as a prospect and what makes him among the most compelling in recent history: He can fit into any system and may well be a "best player available" type of draft pick.

A team could either bulk him up a bit to play the safety-LB hybrid or keep him as he is to play free safety or cornerback as more of a coverage specialist. The latter route seems to be the best use of Ramsey's skill set at the NFL level.

Ramsey also has an apparent desire to be great. Seminoles quarterback Sean Maguire shared an interesting story about just how competitive Ramsey is, via Ryan S. Clark of Rivals:

His versatility, football smarts and intangibles should provide further credence for Ramsey's marketability as a top-10 pick. With strong workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine and a prospective Florida State pro day, there's even a chance Ramsey could ascend into the top three or five in the 2016 draft.

It will be fascinating to see which DB from a Sunshine State school is the first chosen. Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III has entered the draft as well and has been similarly dominant to Ramsey, though he is without the experience at safety and linebacker.

Those two are bound to be compared for their whole careers, but Ramsey has all the tools to be a Week 1 starter for whichever fortunate NFL franchise winds up with him.