Pre-draft Coming out of Florida State, Ramsey was projected a first round pick by
NFL draft experts and scouts. He was considered to be a top 10 pick by NFL media analysts
Daniel Jeremiah,
Charles Davis, and
Mike Mayock. Ramsey received an invitation to the
NFL Combine and completed all the combine and positional drills and tied for the top performance in the
broad jump and
vertical jump. On March 29, 2016, Ramsey chose to participate at Florida State's
pro day, along with
Roberto Aguayo,
Lamarcus Brutus,
Terrance Smith, and 20 other prospects. Team representatives and scouts from 31 NFL teams attended, with the
Cincinnati Bengals opting not to, and among them included general managers
Doug Whaley (
Buffalo Bills),
Kevin Colbert (
Pittsburgh Steelers),
Jason Licht (
Tampa Bay Buccaneers),
Jon Robinson (
Tennessee Titans), and Steelers' head coach
Mike Tomlin. Ramsey chose to stand on his combine numbers and only perform positional drills. Ramsey was ranked as the top
free safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, the top overall defensive back prospect by
Sports Illustrated, and the top cornerback by NFL analyst
Mike Mayock.
Jacksonville Jaguars The
Jacksonville Jaguars selected Ramsey in the first round (fifth overall) of the
2016 NFL draft. He was the first cornerback selected. He surpassed 1999 first round pick
Fernando Bryant (26th overall) to become the highest drafted cornerback in franchise history.
2016 season On May 19, 2016, Ramsey suffered a small
meniscus tear during rookie
training camp. He had
microfracture surgery on the same knee in his sophomore year of high school. Three days later, the Jaguars signed Ramsey to a four-year, $23.35 million rookie contract that included $22.9 million guaranteed and an initial
signing bonus of $15.18 million. On May 24, Ramsey underwent surgery to repair the torn meniscus. Throughout
training camp, he competed against
Davon House,
Prince Amukamara,
Aaron Colvin,
Dwayne Gratz, and
Josh Johnson to be the starting cornerback. Head coach
Gus Bradley named Ramsey the starting cornerback and paired him with Davon House to start the season. On September 11, 2016, Ramsey made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the against the
Green Bay Packers and recorded three combined tackles (two solo) during a 27–23 loss. During Week 8, he tallied eight combined tackles (four solo) in the 36–22 road loss to the
Tennessee Titans. On December 18, 2016, Ramsey made four solo tackles, five pass deflections, forced a fumble, and had his first career interception off a pass thrown by
Brock Osweiler to wide receiver
Will Fuller during a narrow 21–20 road loss to the
Houston Texans. Following the game, the Jaguars fired head coach Gus Bradley after falling to a 2–12 record. Offensive line coach
Doug Marrone was appointed interim head coach for the remainder of the season. On December 24, 2016, Ramsey made four solo tackles, four pass deflections, and returned an interception thrown by
Matt Cassel to wide receiver
Rishard Matthews 30–yards for his first career touchdown during a 38–17 victory over the Titans. Ramsey was named
American Football Conference (AFC) Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Titans. Ramsey finished his rookie season with 65 combined tackles (55 solo), 14 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown in 16 games and starts.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave Ramsey an overall grade of 82.3, which ranked 21st among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2016. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
2017 season Ramsey entered training camp as the
de facto No. 1 starting cornerback. Head coach Doug Marrone named Ramsey the No. 1 starting cornerback and paired him with
A. J. Bouye, as they both led a revamped secondary that included
Aaron Colvin,
Barry Church, and
Tashaun Gipson. NFL analyst
Ike Taylor ranked them the seventh best secondary prior to the season. On September 24, 2017, Ramsey recorded two solo tackles, deflected a pass, and intercepted a pass by
Joe Flacco as the Jaguars routed the
Baltimore Ravens 44–7. On October 8, 2017, Ramsey collected a season-high seven solo tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Ben Roethlisberger to tight end
Vance McDonald during a 30–9 victory at the
Pittsburgh Steelers. On November 5, 2017, Ramsey was ejected during a 23–7 victory over the
Cincinnati Bengals after an altercation that began with him pushing
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
A. J. Green to the ground and ended with several punches thrown. On December 19, 2017, he was named to his first Pro Bowl as a starter alongside teammate Bouye. He started all 16 games in
2017 and made 63 combined tackles (52 solo), 17 pass deflections, and four interceptions. He was named as a First Team All-Pro. The Jacksonville Jaguars finished the
2017 NFL season atop the
AFC South with a 10–6 record. On January 7, 2018, Ramsey started in his first career postseason game and recorded two solo tackles, one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Nathan Peterman to
Deonte Thompson during a 10–3 victory against the
Buffalo Bills in the
Wild Card Round. In the
Divisional Round at the
Pittsburgh Steelers, he finished with four combined tackles (three solo) in the 45–42 road victory at Heinz Field. On January 21, 2018, he recorded two solo tackles in the
AFC Championship at the
New England Patriots during a 24–20 loss. He was ranked 17th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 season Defensive coordinator
Todd Washington retained Ramsey and A. J. Bouye as the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season. On November 18, 2018, Ramsey collected a season-high eight solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and a season-high two interceptions off passes thrown by
Ben Roethlisberger during a 20–16 loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers. Ramsey started all 16 games and had a total of 65 combined tackles (62 solo), 13 pass deflections, and three interceptions as the Jaguars finished with a 5–11 record. He was named to his second Pro Bowl. He was ranked 27th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2019 season On April 25, 2019, the Jaguars exercised the fifth–year option on Ramsey's rookie contract that was guaranteed for one-year, $13.73 million. Head coach Doug Marrone selected Ramsey to be the No. 1 starting cornerback for the third consecutive season and paired him with
A. J. Bouye. On September 15, 2019, Ramsey recorded four solo and a pass deflection, but was involved in a verbal altercation with Jaguars head coach
Doug Marrone, and the player and coach had to be physically restrained from each other as the Jaguars lost 13–12 at the
Houston Texans. The following day, reports surfaced that Ramsey was demanding a trade, but he started the following week in a 20–7 victory over the Titans, the Jaguars' first victory of the season. The following week, Ramsey was placed on the inactive list, with the team announcing that Ramsey would be absent in order to attend the birth of his second child. He remained listed as inactive for the next three games (Weeks 3–6) and never appeared as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars again.
Los Angeles Rams On October 15, 2019, the Jaguars traded Ramsey to the
Los Angeles Rams in exchange for a
2020 first round pick (20th overall) a
2021 first rounder (25th overall), and a 4th rounder (130th overall). The Jaguars went on to use the 2020 first round pick on
K'Lavon Chaisson, the 2021 first round pick on
Travis Etienne, and went on to trade the 2021 fourth round pick back to the Rams. The previous day, the Los Angeles Rams had placed starting cornerback
Aqib Talib on
injured reserve due to a rib injury. Following the trade, the Rams subsequently traded away former starting cornerback
Marcus Peters. Head coach
Sean McVay named Ramsey the No. 1 starting cornerback to replace Marcus Peters and paired him with
Troy Hill. On December 21, 2019, Ramsey recorded four solo tackles, two pass deflections, and had his first interception as a member of the Rams on a pass thrown by
Jimmy Garoppolo to wide receiver
Emmanuel Sanders during a 34–31 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers on
Saturday Night Football. In the final minute on third and 16, he and safety
Taylor Rapp made an error in coverage, resulting in a 46–yard reception to
Emmanuel Sanders, which led to the game-winning field goal which lost the game and subsequently ended the Rams chances for playoff contention. He finished with 50 combined tackles (44 solo), five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and one interception. He earned a third consecutive Pro Bowl nomination. He was ranked 37th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020 season On January 16, 2020, the
Los Angeles Rams hired
Denver Broncos' linebackers coach
Brandon Staley as their new defensive coordinator after they elected not to re-sign
Wade Phillips. Staley retained Ramsey and Troy Hill as the starting cornerbacks as they began the regular season. On September 9, 2020, the Los Angeles Rams signed Ramsey to a five–year, $100 million contract extension that includes $71.2 million guaranteed, $43.7 million guaranteed upon signing, and an initial
signing bonus of $25 million. On September 13, 2020, Ramsey started in the Los Angeles Rams' home-opener against the
Dallas Cowboys and set a season-high with six solo tackles and made one pass deflection during their 20–17 victory. On October 4, 2020, Ramsey recorded five combined tackles (four solo) as the Rams defeated the
New York Giants 17–9. Following the game, it was reported Ramsey was involved in a physical altercation with his ex-girlfriend's brother, Giants' wide receiver
Golden Tate, due in part to Ramsey's comments against Tate's sister Breanna who he had two children with. On October 10, 2020, Ramsey was fined $15,625 for his role in the postgame fight. On October 26, 2020, he had four solo tackles, one pass deflection, and made his only interception of the season on a pass by
Nick Foles intended for tight end
Jimmy Graham during a 24–10 win against the
Chicago Bears. The following week, he was inactive during the Rams' 28-17 loss at the
Miami Dolphins due to an illness not related to
COVID-19. Ramsey finished the 2020 season with 44 combined tackles (36 solo), one interception, and nine passes defensed in 15 games. He earned First Team All-Pro honors and his second Pro Bowl nomination for 2020. He was ranked 13th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 season On June 13, 2021, Ramsey announced during the Rams minicamp that he would change his number to No. 5 per the new NFL jersey number rule. Ramsey entered training camp slated as the
de facto No. 1 starting cornerback. Head coach Sean McVay named Ramsey the starting cornerback to begin the regular season and paired him with
Darious Williams. On September 12, 2021, Ramsey started in the Los Angeles Rams' home-opener against the
Chicago Bears and racked up a season-high nine combined tackles (seven solo) and broke up a pass during a 34–14 victory. In Week 2, he made three combined tackles (one solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass thrown by
Jacob Eason to tight end
Jack Doyle late in the fourth quarter to secure a 27–24 win at the
Indianapolis Colts. On December 13, 2021, the Rams placed him on
COVID-19/reserve list and he subsequently missed their Week 14 win at the
Arizona Cardinals on
Monday Night Football. In Week 18, Ramsey recorded three solo tackles, made one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Jimmy Garoppolo to tight end
George Kittle in the endzone during a 27–24 loss at the
San Francisco 49ers. He finished the 2021 regular season with 77 combined tackles (62 solo), 16 pass deflections, tied a career-high with four interceptions, had a forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 16 games and 16 starts. He finished the season with an overall grade of 84.4 from Pro Football Focus, marking the third highest grade of his career. He earned First Team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl nomination for 2021. He was ranked ninth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022 season On June 21, 2022, it was reported that Ramsey had undergone shoulder surgery. It was revealed that Ramsey had tears in both shoulders during the entire 2021 NFL season. Morris retained Ramsey and Troy Hill as the starting cornerbacks to start the season. In Week 3, he racked up a season-high eight solo tackles and made two pass deflections during a 20–12 win at the
Arizona Cardinals. In Week 9, Ramsey collected a season-high nine combined tackles (six solo) and broke up two passes as the Rams lost 16–13 at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On December 25, 2022, he made five combined tackles (four solo), a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass in the endzone thrown by
Russell Wilson to tight end
Greg Dulcich as the Rams routed the
Denver Broncos 51–14. Two weeks later, Ramsey made five solo tackles, tied his season-high of three pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions off pass attempts thrown by
Geno Smith during a 19-16 overtime loss at the
Seattle Seahawks. Ramsey started in all 17 games during the
2022 NFL season and had a career-high 88 combined tackles (64 solo), 18 passes defended, four interceptions, two sacks, and two forced fumbles. He earned his sixth Pro Bowl nomination and was ranked 36th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2023. Ramsey received an overall grade of 86.4 from
Pro Football Focus, which ranked third among all cornerbacks, only finishing behind
Sauce Gardner and
Patrick Surtain II.
Miami Dolphins 2023 season On March 15, 2023, the
Miami Dolphins traded tight end
Hunter Long and a
2023 third-round pick (77th overall) to the
Los Angeles Rams and in return received Ramsey. During training camp, he suffered a torn meniscus and was ruled out for multiple months. On August 31, the Dolphins placed him on
injured reserve. On October 28, 2023, the Dolphins officially activated Ramsey from injured reserve and added him to their active roster. Head coach
Mike McDaniel immediately inserted him into the role as the No. 1 starting cornerback, supplanting
Eli Apple, and paired him with
Kader Kohou. The next day, Ramsey made his Dolphins debut and recorded one solo tackle, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Mac Jones to wide receiver
Kendrick Bourne during a 31–17 victory over the
New England Patriots. In Week 11, Ramsey had one tackle, two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions off passes thrown by
Aidan O'Connell as the Dolphins defeated the
Las Vegas Raiders 20–13 victory. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 11 and would also receive Pro Bowl honors for the seventh consecutive season. In Week 16, he collected a season-high four solo tackles during a 22–20 victory against the
Dallas Cowboys. Ramsey started in ten games during the
2023 NFL season and recorded 22 combined tackles (18 solo), five pass deflections, and three interceptions. He was ranked 25th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
2024 season The Dolphins hired
Anthony Weaver as their new defensive coordinator after mutually parting ways with
Vic Fangio. Head coach Mike McDaniel retained Ramsey as the No. 1 starting cornerback and he started alongside
Kendall Fuller. On September 6, 2024, the Miami Dolphins signed Ramsey to a three–year, $72.3 million contract extension that includes $24.23 million guaranteed upon signing, making him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL. In Week 10, he racked up six combined tackles (four solo) as the Dolphins defeated his former team in a 23–15 victory at the
Los Angeles Rams. The following week, Ramsey had five solo tackles, had two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Gardner Minshew to wide receiver
Jakobi Meyers during a 34-19 win over the
Las Vegas Raiders on Week 11. He started all 17 games and finished the season with 60 combined tackles (39 solo), 11 passes defended, two interceptions, and one sack. After mutually agreeing to part ways, Dolphins general manager,
Chris Grier, announced that the team and Ramsey would be seeking potential trade partners on April 15, 2025.
Pittsburgh Steelers On June 30, 2025, Ramsey, along with
Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick, was traded to the
Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for
Minkah Fitzpatrick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. The trade to Pittsburgh included a $1.5 million raise, bringing Ramsey's expected earnings to $26.6 million in 2025. During the season opener against the
New York Jets, Ramsey had two tackles and a game-sealing hit on wide receiver
Garrett Wilson with 18 seconds left to give the Steelers a narrow 34–32 victory. In Week 6, Ramsey recorded his first career multi-sack game, putting up two sacks during a 23–9 victory over the
Cleveland Browns. In Week 11, Ramsey punched
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
Ja'Marr Chase after being spit on, and was ejected from the game. Chase was suspended for one game the next day. Ramsey was later fined $14,491 for punching Chase. Chase later apologized after the incident. In the 2025 season, Ramsey finished with three sacks, 88 tackles (53 solo), one interception, and eight passes defended. ==Career statistics==