Jalen Ramsey Made A Special Exception For The Steelers Which May Have Played A Role In Him Joining The Franchise

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to bring in players during the 2025 offseason that nobody ever thought would play for the organization. This includes the four-time league MVP in Aaron Rodgers, star wide receiver DK Metcalf, and future Hall of Famer Jalen Ramsey. It is shocking to see them all donning the black and gold, and fans are anxious to see the newcomers on the field when the season kicks off at the beginning of September. 

Ramsey has carved out an extremely impressive career for himself since being drafted back in 2016. He was originally selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the fifth overall pick in the event, and it was known that he was one of the best cornerback prospects the league had seen in years. He came in and dominated immediately as he was First Team All-Pro in just his second season in the NFL, and he has continued that dominance ever since. 

Ramsey recently appeared on the Not Just Football podcast with his teammate Cam Heyward, and he spoke about his draft process.

"I'm trying to say this very humbly," Ramsey said. "I knew I was going top five. I swear I didn't want to say it. So, I didn't take any visits outside of the first five teams, but I took my meeting with the Steelers. I just had a lot of respect for them. They asked for a visit, wanted to come to Tallahassee, sit down, have dinner and everything with the staff. I remember taking that. Everybody else I kind of told no because I'm not into wasting time. But for the Steelers, I wanted to meet Mike [Tomlin]."

Going into the 2016 NFL Draft, everyone knew that Ramsey was going to be picked high, and most probably assumed that would come within the first five selections. The Steelers had the 25th pick in the event, so the franchise really had no business even thinking about Ramsey. However, the organization likes to do its homework on players coming into the league in case there is ever a chance of that player coming to Pittsburgh later on in their career.

That meeting back in 2016 could have played a role in the organization being interested in acquiring the defender during the 2025 offseason. The bigger factor was probably the quality of Ramsey's play since entering the league, but the meeting definitely helped. It allowed the organization to get comfortable with Ramsey and a younger version of the cornerback to respect Pittsburgh.

Ramsey spoke about the main reason he accepted the meeting being to meet Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Now he gets to suit up for the heavily respected coach. His level of respect for Tomlin has probably kept the thought of potentially playing for the Steelers in the back of his mind, and now he gets to do so in 2025.

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Is Expecting Jalen Ramsey To Contribute Heavily On Defense

The Steelers' defense has been reworked some, especially in the secondary. It is the highest-paid defense in the league for the fourth consecutive season, and fans want to see results. In recent years, the defense has not been as good as it looks on paper, especially as the seasons have worn on later into the year. This is also due to the inconsistent and sometimes incompetent offenses that have been present in Pittsburgh, but the defense could also perform better.

Tomlin has stated that he expects his defense to be able to be historic, especially when it comes to the secondary locking up any opposing group of wide receivers. Those are some high expectations, but Tomlin believes his unit has what it takes to be one of the best defenses in the league.

What do you think about Ramsey's story about his draft process and wanting to meet Tomlin? Let us know in the comments below!

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