SmashMouth

The New Orleans Saints selected Louisville defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

A 6-foot-1, 299-pound lineman who cited versatility as his biggest strength, Rankins had six sacks and 13 tackles for loss in his final year with Louisville.

He declined an invitation to watch the draft in Chicago, instead opting to stay home in Covington, Ga., where he could enjoy the moment with friends and family. They "screamed" when his name was called.



"I come from a hard-working family," he said in a conference call with New Orleans media.. "My mom's a teacher, my grandparents work hard. That's just what I've been built on: Work hard and good things will follow. That's pretty much how I was raised."

Rankins said he's been to New Orleans only once in his life, a freshman year trip to the Sugar Bowl with the Cardinals. But he said the team was largely cloistered in its hotel and didn't see much other than Bourbon Street.

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