Jacksonville Jaguars add DB Jalen Ramsey to defensive overhaul

CHICAGO -- The Jacksonville Jaguars masqueraded as an outside threat for the 2015 playoffs until reality set in and general manager Dave Caldwell found himself drafting in the top five for the fifth year in a row.

On Thursday, the Jaguars' overhaul reached an achievement stage with the addition of Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, a likely cornerback in Gus Bradley's defense and the eighth homegrown player on the Jacksonville roster drafted by the franchise in the top 40.

Ramsey was the fifth overall pick, but many scouts regarded him as the top defensive player in the draft.

He has size, speed, long arms and playmaking skills to be a star in a defense known for making the plays in the secondary. Recall Bradley's previous stop was with the Seattle Seahawks, where the Legion of Boom was founded.

Caldwell has had a home run offseason to cap the slow play toward making a run at the AFC South favorites, the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.

With free agent free safety Tashaun Gipson coming aboard in March, Ramsey's best immediate fit is as a cornerback.

"Shutdown corner," Ramsey said Thursday night at Auditorium Theater.

Davon House and Aaron Colvin are the top two corners on the roster, and Prince Amukamara also was added. The pieces in place up front, including big-ticket free agent defensive tackle Malik Jackson and returning 2015 first-round pick Dante Fowler at defensive end, can only help shore up Jacksonville's fragile pass defense.

There is more than one way to fix the 29th-ranked pass defense in the NFL, and Caldwell seems to have hit them all.

Ramsey's build and Olympic-level athleticism give Bradley a cornerback who can roll into one-on-one coverage against the likes of Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Needless to say, Bradley didn't have that luxury last season.

Hopkins caught 17 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars in 2015. Colts No. 1 receiver T.Y. Hilton caught 11 passes for 199 yards in two meetings.

Ramsey's 42-inch vertical won't turn the Jaguars into a force of nature overnight. The Jaguars lost 11 games last season and 50 in the past four seasons.

However, after the overhaul orchestrated by Caldwell, contending is no longer a mirage.