HOUSTON – The Texans drafted USC safety Kamari Ramsey in the fifth round, adding depth to an absolutely loaded secondary.
Ramsey will compete for a roster spot behind starters Calen Bullock and Reed Blankenship. He can also play nickel and could back up Jalen Pitre.
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“Just very versatile, I played nickel, played both safeties,” Ramsey said. “I could do anything that the team needs me to do. Just being physical, playing fast and then a high football IQ player, knowing what everybody’s job responsibility is and job description is on the field.”
Ramsey (6-foot, 200) is a UCLA transfer who recorded 40 tackles, 2 1/2 for losses, five pass deflections and interception before transferring to USC.
Last season, he had 27 tackles and two passes defensed.
He intercepted two career passes and had two forced fumbles and two sacks.
Ramsey ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds and had a 36-inch vertical leap, a 10-foot broad jump and bench pressed 225 pounds 16 times.
“Whether that’s special teams, whether that’s starter, backup, scout team player,” Ramsey said. “Just being a great teammate is the main focus for me and just being an asset to the organization.”
He originally committed to Stanford before enrolling at UCLA.
Ramsey grew up in Palmdale, California, the same hometown as Texans corner and USC alum Jaylin Smith. He’s also friends with Texans Pro Bowl safety and USC alum Calen Bullock.
“I met him when we were kids playing Pop Warner football,” Ramsey said of Smith. “He ends up going to my rival high school. They was like down the street from my high school. He went to USC, and I ended up transferring to USC. So, he was my teammate. It’s kind of crazy how this all comes back in full circle.
“I have spoken with Calen going through him when he was going through his process. Just seeing some familiar faces and having some people that have been through this process and went through this transition would be great for me just to get feedback and information and knowledge from them. I think it will make my transition a lot more smoother and allow me to catch up to speed very quickly.”
Ramsey’s parents decided to have him change school districts along with his siblings seeking a greater challenge. They traveled to Los Angeles driving nearly two hours in traffic, leaving home at 4:30 a.m. to get to school.
“That just showed me, seeing that from my parents, they’d make that type of decision for us just to put us in a better situation to better our life,” Ramsey said. “Just showed me that with hard work, sacrifice, anything is possible. I’ve kind of been an underdog most of my life. Don’t want it easy. Let the good come easy. Everything was earned and not given. That’s kind of my mindset and how I approach everything.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com