Lathan Ransom

Carolina Panthers

Pos S

Updated October 8, 2026

Compare Lathan Ransom S rankings →

Model Score

76.9 MODEL

2025

74.6

2026

76.9

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Rookie tier 7 (#55) for a 101st overall 3rd-round pick with the 2024 Ohio State CFP National Championship pedigree is on the year-one band for 3rd-round S prospects. The Ohio State Big Ten 3rd-round origin plus the structural Panthers anchor role gives him real college foundation. The 2026 question is whether Ransom crosses into tier 5-6 territory in his year-two jump or whether the role compresses to swing depth.

Ransom came out of Ohio State as the Carolina Panthers' 3rd-round pick (101st overall) in 2025 after winning the 2024 CFP National Championship with the Buckeyes. The Panthers used him in the safety rotation as a rookie. His first STTM appearance comes in 2025 at tier 7 (#55), the year-one developmental band for 3rd-round S prospects.

Strengths

Ohio State 2024 CFP National Championship pedigree plus the 101st overall draft slot establishes real championship-pedigree college foundation.
Year-one rotational reps for the Panthers at age 22 gives him the developmental runway.

Concerns

Rookie tier 7 (#55) is on the year-one band for 3rd-round S picks but below the breakout-tier expectations.
Carolina's broader defensive identity instability plus the multi-year rebuild compresses the structural support around Ransom.

What to watch: Whether Ransom crosses into tier 5 (top 40) in 2026, the standard year-two threshold for 3rd-round S picks on stable-starter trajectories.