Sheldon Rankins

Sheldon Rankins
No. 98 – New Orleans Saints
Position: Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1994-04-02) April 2, 1994
Covington, Georgia
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight: 305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school: Eastside (Covington, Georgia)
College: Louisville
NFL Draft: 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2018
Total tackles: 54
Sacks: 7.0
Forced fumbles: 2
Fumble recoveries: 0
Interceptions: 1
Player stats at NFL.com

Sheldon Taylor Rankins (born April 2, 1994) is an American football defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Louisville.

Early years

Rankins attended Eastside High School in Covington, Georgia. He committed to the University of Louisville to play college football.[1]

College career

At Louisville, Rankins was mostly a backup during his freshman and sophomore years, recording 22 tackles and four sacks. As a junior, in 2013, Rankins started in all 13 games and had 53 tackles, eight sacks, and two interceptions.[2][3][4] As a senior, in 2015, he had 58 tackles, six sacks, and a fumble return touchdown.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 299 lb
(136 kg)		 33 3⁄8 in
(0.85 m)		 9 3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 5.03 s 1.73 s 2.89 s 4.59 s 7.44 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)		 28 reps
All values from NFL Combine,[5]

On April 28, 2016, Rankins was drafted as the 12th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. On May 9, 2016, the Saints signed Rankins to a four-year, 12.8 million dollar contract.[6]

On August 16, 2016, Rankins suffered a broken fibula during practice. The injury required surgery with up to 6 weeks to recover.[7] On September 6, 2016, he was placed on injured/designated for return list. He was activated off injured reserve on November 5, 2016 prior to Week 9.[8] During his rookie year, he played 9 games and finished with 20 tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble.

During his second season, Rankins started all 16 regular season games to help a scoring defense go from 31st in the NFL to tenth in the league. Rankins recorded 16 solo tackles (26 total), one forced fumble, one interception, and one pass defensed.

References

  1. ↑ "Sheldon Rankins commits to Louisville". ESPN.com.
  2. ↑ "Louisville Cardinals' Sheldon Rankins wants to 'wreak havoc' in final season". The Courier-Journal. 20 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Louisville's Sheldon Rankins praises Auburn offense, but hopes to 'wreak havoc'". AL.com.
  4. ↑ "Breakdown: Louisville DE Sheldon Rankins one to watch tonight".
  5. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Sheldon Rankins". National Football League.
  6. ↑ "NFL draft: Results, analysis for every Round 1 pick". ESPN.com. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Sheldon Rankins breaks fibula, will have surgery". NFL. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Saints put linebacker James Laurinaitis on injured reserve, ending his season". NOLA.com. November 5, 2016.
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