Sheldon Rankins was a three-start recruit with modest all-state recognition while at Eastside High in Covington. He wasn’t an unknown prospect in the class of 2012, but SEC schools passed on him and he wound up at Louisville.
Today, Rankins is generally regarded as the No. 1 defensive-tackle prospect in the NFL Draft, an almost certain first-round pick on Thursday, and the highest-rated former Georgia high school football player in the draft.
‘’I find it funny that Todd Grantham [Louisville’s defensive coordinator] says that he is the best pure D-lineman he has ever coached, but Sheldon was not good enough to play at UGA when Todd was [defensive coordinator] there,’’ said Rick Hurst, Rankins’ head coach at Eastside. ‘’He was and still is a beast on the defensive line. The thing that everyone likes about him is his versatility. He can play anywhere up there and at a high level.’’
Expect no more than 20 Georgia players to be chosen in the three-day draft that begins Thursday. That's above average for the state, although well short of the state record of 30 in 2015. Georgia had four first-round picks last year led by Vic Beasley of Adairsville High and Clemson, who went No. 8 overall to the Falcons.
Below is a closer look at Georgia's top-10 prospects, using CBSsports.com as a guide. They include four former Atlanta Journal-Constitution Super 11 picks and several others that were household names among those who followed recruiting closely.
The exceptions were Appalachian State’s Ronald Blair from Greene County and Middle Tennessee’s Kevin Byard of M.L. King. Both were all-state high school players but not top college prospects.
Now, all are household names to NFL Draft gurus and followers. And they’re still heroes in their hometowns.
‘’I am so excited for Sheldon and his family,’’ said Hurst, now head coach at Pepperell. “His mom is a teacher at the middle school that feeds Eastside. I taught his sister, and he has a special needs brother that worships him. I am smiling from ear to ear just thinking about him and what Thursday will mean to the whole Eastside community.’’
Here are 10 that can add to those numbers.
Sheldon Rankins, Eastside (Louisville) – Rankins was a solid college prospect – No. 63 in Georgia, top-750 nationally – but not what you’d call a blue-chipper. Neither Georgia nor Georgia Tech, both about an hour drive from Covington, made him an offer. Rankins got all-state recognition, but was never a first-team pick. Now, he’s rated the No. 14 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Leonard Floyd, Dodge County (Georgia) – Floyd was rated Georgia’s No. 12 overall prospect in 2011 coming off a unanimous first-team all-state season. He played a lot of tight end at Dodge County and more on the defensive line at Dodge County, which never had a winning season while Floyd played there. He spent a season at Hargrave Military Academy before becoming a three-year starter at Georgia. Floyd is rated the No. 18 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Robert Nkemdiche, Grayson (Ole Miss) – Nkemdiche was the consensus No. 1 college recruit in the country in 2012 and probably the most celebrated defensive lineman in Georgia high school history. He was Georgia’s all-classification player of the year in 2011, when he led Grayson to a state championship in his junior season. He was a defensive end in high school but moved inside at Ole Miss and made several All-America teams, although never was a consensus pick. He’s rated the No. 23 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Vonn Bell, Ridgeland (Ohio State) – Bell, an AJC Super 11 pick in 2012, was a consensus All-America safety this past season. He was perhaps the state’s best two-way player while at Ridgeland, where he had over 140 tackles and 1,700 all-purpose yards and scored 21 touchdowns for surprising Class AAAA runner-up (lost to Sandy Creek in the final). Bell can become the first Georgia player taken in the draft from northwest of Calhoun since Stacy Searles of Trion in 1988. [And Calhoun has had only one, Kris Durham in 2011. Dalton has had none.] Bell, who would be Ridgeland’s first NFL player, rated the No. 52 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Jordan Jenkins, Harris County (Georgia) – Jenkins was the state’s No. 2 prospect in 2012 behind Josh Harvey-Clemons. Both signed with Georgia, but only Jenkins made it four years. Jenkins also was a 2011 AJC Super 11 pick. He started 42 of 52 games at Georgia and had 40 career tackles for losses. Much like his Georgia teammate Leonard Floyd, Jenkins did not play for good high school teams. Harris County never won more than six games while he was there. Jenkins, who would be Harris County’s first NFL player, is rated the No. 86 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Kevin Byard, M.L. King (Middle Tennessee) – Byard was a first-team all-state defensive back in 2010 and his team’s best all-around player, but not considered a major-Division I prospect, and overshadowed on a record-setting passing team. [Demarco Robinson set a state record for receiving yards in a season with 1,655. Byard caught 35 passes as the No. 3 receiver.] Byard red-shirted as a freshman at Middle Tennessee but became a four-year started and holds the school record for interceptions (19). He’s rated the No. 105 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Vadal Alexander, Buford (LSU) – Alexander was Georgia’s No. 15 prospect in 2012, the No. 9 guard nationally. He was a two-time first-team all-state player. What is surprising is that Alexander stands to become the first Buford player drafted since P.K. Sam in 2004. That’s remarkable for a program with 10 state championships and dozens of D-I recruits since 2001. Alexander is rated the No. 114 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Ronald Blair, Greene County (Appalachian State) – Blair, a defensive end, made three all-state teams at Greene County in 2010. He was a three-year two-way starter but never played on a playoff team. ‘’He was about all we had on the worst defensive I have ever had,’’ Greene County coach Charlie Winslette said at the time. He started as a true freshman at App State and was the Sun Belt Conference defensive player of the year last season. He’s rated the No. 121 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Kenyan Drake, Hillgrove (Alabama) – Another 2011 Super 11 pick, Drake was the No. 11 prospect in the state, the No. 5 all-purpose back in the country. He played behind Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry at Alabama but was a valuable player on a national-championship team with more than 1,000 all-purpose yards. At Hillgrove, he rushed for over 1,600 yards for an 11-1 team. [The top-rated Georgia running back that year was Stephenson’s Mike Davis, who starred at South Carolina and now plays for the 49ers.] Drake is rated the No. 124 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Malcolm Mitchell, Valdosta (Georgia) – Mitchell, a wide receiver, was the consensus No. 4 prospect in Georgia and No. 33 prospect nationally in 2011. He should’ve been a Super 11 pick but was bypassed for his teammate, tight end Jay Rome. Mitchell was part of the University of Georgia’s so-called ‘’dream team’’ recruiting class that included Rome, Isaiah Crowell, Nick Marshall, Ray Drew, Damian Swann and Chris Conley. Mitchell had a solid career at Georgia with 129 receptions for more than 1,685, but lost his 2013 season to a knee injury. Mitchell is rated the No. 124 overall prospect in the NFL Draft, according to CBSsports.com.
Here are Georgia players invited to the NFL scouting combine in February:
OT Vadal Alexander, Buford (LSU)
DL Sterling Bailey, East Hall (Georgia)
RB Peyton Barber, Milton (Auburn)
CB Vonn Bell, Ridgeland (Ohio State)
DT Ronald Blair, Greene County (Appalachian State)
RB Kenyan Drake, Hillgrove (Alabama)
OLB Leonard Floyd, Dodge County (Georgia)
FB Ouayvon Hicks, Pierce County (Georgia)
SLB Jordan Jenkins, Harris County (Georgia)
DB Jonathan Jones, Carrollton (Auburn)
DT Ufomba Kamalu, Starr’s Mill (Miami)
LB Raphael Kirby, Stephenson (Miami)
DL Chris Mayes, Spalding (Georgia)
WR Malcolm Mitchell, Valdosta (Georgia)
P Will Monday, Flowery Branch (Duke)
DL Robert Nkemdiche, Grayson (Mississippi)
DL Sheldon Rankins, Eastside (Louisville)
WR DeMarcus Robinson, Peach County (Florida)
LB Terrance Smith, Southwest DeKalb (Florida State)
RB Shad Thornton, Liberty County (N.C. State)
OLB Stephen Weatherly, Shiloh (Vanderbilt)
CB D.J. White, Union Grove (Georgia Tech)
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