WATCH: Jalen Ramsey talks about how Cowboys snubbed him for Ezekiel Elliott in 2016 NFL Draft
Los Angeles Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey revealed that while he was preparing for the 2016 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys told him that they would select him.
The 27-year-old was a guest on Ryan Clark's podcast, The Pivot. He explained that he originally wanted to be selected by the Los Angeles Chargers as the first overall pick.
However, being a Cowboys fan, he wasn't opposed to Dallas choosing him fourth overall. As things turned out, he was selected fifth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Cowboys selected Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth pick.
Ramsey explained what Dallas told him:
“I always grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan, so if I go four, that’s like for real dream come true. I remember when I was on my visit to Dallas, they told me straight up to my face like, if you there at four, we taking you. But we don’t think you will be there at four, we think they gonna get you at three, but if you there at four, if you’re on that board, we taking you.”
Jalen Ramsey says the #Cowboys told him they would draft him at #4 in the 2016 NFL draft if he was still there
He was, but they opted to draft RB Ezekiel Elliott instead https://t.co/EPnCf8Wnfv
Jalen Ramsey now a Super Bowl champion
The star cornerback won the Super Bowl last season with the Rams in a year that saw him record a career-high four interceptions. The 27-year-old made his name as a ball-hawking corner during his time in Jacksonville.
His ability to break up pass plays and snatch interceptions was so exceptional that some teams would avoid throwing the ball in his direction. This was similar to how teams treated Richard Sherman during his Legion of Boom days with the Seattle Seahawks.
In 2019, Ramsey swapped Jacksonville for LA and instantly gave Sean McVay's defense a boost. Despite only having one interception to his name in nine games in 2019 and only one interception in 2020, the star corner was often not even targeted.
In his six years in the NFL, the 27-year-old is a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro and a Super Bowl champion.
Given the Cowboys' defensive struggles, particularly at cornerback, one can only imagine how things could have turned out differently had Dallas selected the Florida State star in 2016.