When Will Rackley graduated from Riverdale High as a 6-foot-2, 260-pound offensive lineman in 2007, major college football recruiters were not ringing his doorbell.
Rackley didn’t have any shoe boxes full of letters from Georgia or Georgia Tech. There was one scholarship offer and another major opportunity.
Because he was a strong student with a 3.4 GPA and a high aptitude-test score, he didn’t have all of his hopes riding on an athletic scholarship.
“I had a general offer to Tulane,” Rackley said.
But, when Lehigh called, he decided to take a visit to the prestigious school in Pennsylvania.
“It was just really a great school,” Rackley said. “I fit in. It’s been a pretty busy four years academic-wise, but it’s working out.”
It certainly has worked out rather nicely for Rackley, who’s set to graduate May 23 with a degree in product design. After high school, he also grew and went on to terrorize Patriot League teams as a 6-foot-3, 309-pound offensive tackle for three seasons and one season as a guard.
He’s projected as a second- or third-round pick in the NFL draft, which will be held April 28-30.
Rackley participated in the NFL scouting combine. Eight teams sent their offensive-line coaches to Lehigh’s Pro Day. Also, he has visited the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns.
“He’s a player,” said Gil Brandt, nfl.com’s senior draft analyst and a former longtime personnel executive with the Cowboys. “I think I’ve got him in my 50s category.”
Brandt ranks players in tiers of 10, and a ranking in the 50s would put Rackley near the back of the second round.
Making the jump to the NFL will be a major adjustment for Rackley.
“He has a chance,” Brandt said. “I think he will be a starter in his second year. I think he will make a pretty good offensive lineman. He’s come a long way for a guy who basically wasn’t recruited out of Atlanta.”
Rackley came off as more of a well-rounded player than most of the prospects at the scouting combine. He spoke eloquently and with authority about the photography contest that he won, his love of the arts and his desire to annihilate defensive linemen.
Rackley’s winning photograph was a class assignment. He took some poignant pictures of a defunct steel mill in Bethlehem, Pa.
“The steel mills were so huge and a center of attention for years around here,” Rackley said by phone Monday night. “I tried to capture it in a way that nobody has seen it before. I got really close to the actual steel mill. ... I got some parts that people have never really seen before.”
A passion for the arts runs in his family. His older brother, Brandon, is a writer and producer for Atlanta-based Grand Hustle records. He had a hit song titled “All the Above” by the artist Maino that featured Grammy winner T-Pain.
The teams wanted to know about his intriguing past and love for the arts.
“They asked me about my hobbies and what I liked to do outside of football,” Rackley said. “Definitely the arts, music, drawing; all of those types of things.”
The highlight of Rackley’s college football career was beating rival Lafayette three years in a row and capturing the Patriot League championship last season.
He knows that he’s facing a pretty big jump from the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) to the NFL.
“I would just say going against veterans in the NFL that have been there for a long time and know the system [is going to be tough],” Rackley said. “Coming from a smaller school that is probably going to be the biggest adjustment.”
The Philadelphia Eagles hold their training camp at Lehigh, so Rackley got to see the NFL up close.
“I used to go out there every morning and watch them, watch the [offensive] linemen practice,” Rackley said.
Rackley’s intelligence and ability to play two positions should help his draft status.
“The more versatility you have, the more you stand out and make yourself more attractive when your turn comes up in the draft,” Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said.
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At a glance
Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter will analyze a different position each day heading into the NFL draft April 28-30 in New York:
Monday: Quarterbacks
Tuesday: Linebackers
Wednesday: Offensive line
Thursday: Wide receivers
Friday: Tight ends
Sunday: Secondary
April 25: Running backs
April 26: Defensive line
April 27: Special teams
Draft schedule
Round 1: April 28, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: April 29, 6 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: April 30, noon
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