Sheldon Rankins has never been an All-American or All-ACC first-team selection, but missing out on accolades like that is easy to shrug off when something bigger awaits.
Rankins is expected to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft Thursday night in Chicago. It is not as if Rankins was underrated as a defensive tackle/defensive end at Louisville. Rankins did his job so effectively, it went unnoticed because his stats were not as gaudy as some might expect out of the position (six sacks, 13 tackles for loss).
But just ask Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham how valuable Rankins was over the last two seasons.