2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State

Can the versatile Ransom add to the Giants’ defense?

Could the New York Giants continue to build their secondary in the 2025 NFL Draft?

They’ve spent very significant resources over the last couple years, but could be rewarded with one of the best young secondaries in the NFL. If some of their recent draftees continue to develop, they could be at least good at each of the five positions in the secondary.

Ohio State defensive back Lathan Ransom is a highly versatile safety who could fit in a wide variety of roles in a defense. He played all over the Buckeye’s championship defense, and was a factor in pass coverage and run defense.

Could that versatility and upside allow him to make the Giants’ defense even better?

Prospect: Lathan Ransom (8)
Games Watched: vs. Iowa (2024), vs. Oregon (2024), vs. Penn State (2024), vs. Indiana (2024)
Red Flags: Lisfranc injury (2023)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Instincts
• Football IQ
• Competitive toughness
• Versatility

Lathan Ransom is a good-sized, productive, and highly instinctive safety prospect.

Ransom played multiple roles for the Buckeyes, lining up as a free safety in Cover 2 or Cover 4, a deep safety in Cover 1 or Cover 3, a box safety, and a nickel defender. His versatility is due to his sky-high football intelligence and understanding of the coverage scheme from multiple positions. Ransom is a very active communicator in the pre and post-snap phases and does an excellent job of executing from every position in which he’s aligned.

He’s particularly good at executing post-snap coverage rotations, easily shifting the coverage look and quickly getting into position. His play was a large part of how Ohio State was able to disguise coverages and pressures to disrupt quarterbacks.

Ransom has great short-area quickness and a hair trigger when coming downhill from his coverage zone. He flies to the football and is fearless when it comes to taking on contact or delivering hits. He isn’t a big player, but he’s a big hitter as well as a secure tackler. He also shows a knack for identifying – and knifing through – lanes in the running game.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Long speed
• Occasional over-aggression

Ransom is a very well-rounded safety and doesn’t have many – if any – weaknesses in his game.

His biggest true weakness is an occasional tendency toward over-aggression, particularly in how he chooses his angles and paths to the ball. Ransom can occasionally be prone to over-running the play or creating opportunities for ball carriers to escape contain.

His biggest limitation is in his long speed, which could play into his angle choices. While Ransom has great burst and short-area quickness, his top speed is modest. That limits his range in coverage and could prevent him from being a true center fielder at the next level. He also consistently tries to choose the most efficient angle to the ball possible.

That isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, however there are times when a safer, but slower, angle would limit yards.

Game Tape

(Ransom is the Ohio State DB wearing number 8 and bands on his arms.)

Projection

Lathan Ransom projects as a starting safety at the NFL level. He has positional and schematic versatility, but is an excellent fit for the split-field coverages which have come to dominate professional defenses.

Ransom can allow an aggressive defense to disguise coverages as well as pressure packages, and is a very capable run defender from the second or third level. He might not have great ball skills, however his ability to anticipate the play and arrive with bad intentions makes him a disruptor at the catch point.

He doesn’t have eye-catching stats or highlight reel turnovers, but Ransom is the type of player who allows coaches to expand their playbook. The team that drafts him will quickly come to appreciate his play.

Does he fit the Giants?
Yes, though finding a place for him could be a problem

Final Word: A Day 2 Talent