Martinas Rankin Explained

Martinas Rankin
Number:74, 75, 77
Position:Offensive tackle
Birth Date:20 October 1994
Birth Place:Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lb:311
High School:Mendenhall
(Mendenhall, Mississippi)
College:Mississippi State
Draftyear:2018
Draftround:3
Draftpick:80
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statlabel1:Games played
Statvalue1:23
Statlabel2:Games started
Statvalue2:10
Pfr:RankMa00

Martinas Orlando Rankin[1] (born October 20, 1994) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at Mississippi State and was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Early life

After playing at Mendenhall High School in Mendenhall, Mississippi, Rankin spent two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston, Mississippi. He was rated as the ninth best junior college recruit by 247 Sports[2] and committed to play at Mississippi State over offers from Oklahoma, Florida, Louisville, Missouri, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas, and others.[3]

College career

Rankin redshirted in 2015 and earned a starting job as a junior in 2016. He had a breakout year in 2017, winning the Kent Hull Trophy[4] and being named to the 2017 All-SEC football team.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Before his senior season, Rankin was projected as a first round pick in the 2018 NFL draft by several writers.[5] Rankin's draft stock began to slide after he sustained an ankle injury during the season and also had mediocre performances against LSU and Auburn.[6] On November 16, 2017, it was announced that Rankin had accepted his invitation to play in the 2018 Senior Bowl.[7] On January 20, 2018, it was reported that Rankin would be unable to play in the Senior Bowl due to an ankle injury he sustained in the TaxSlayer Bowl. Rankin attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but did not perform any drills due to the foot injury he sustained. On March 28, 2018, he attended Mississippi State's pro day, but chose to only perform the broad jump and vertical jump. Rankin also attended a private meetings with representatives from the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos.[8] [9] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Rankin was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the fourth best offensive tackle by Scouts Inc. and was ranked the seventh best offensive tackle in the draft by DraftScout.com and Sports Illustrated.[10] [11] [12]

Houston Texans

The Houston Texas selected Rankin in the third round with the 80th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Rankins was the eighth offensive tackle drafted in 2018.[13] The pick used to draft Rankin was acquired in a trade that sent Duane Brown to the Seattle Seahawks.[14] On May 10, 2018, the Texans signed Rankin to a four-year, $3.54 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $901,268.[15]

The Texans stated they drafted Rankin to play offensive tackle although many scouts and draft experts viewed him as an interior offensive lineman in the NFL. During rookie minicamp, Rankin sustained a foot injury which required surgery and was sidelined for the entire training camp.[16]

Kansas City Chiefs

On August 31, 2019, Rankin was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for running back Carlos Hyde.[17] He started five games at left guard before suffering a knee injury in Week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on November 11, 2019.[18] During his absence, the Chiefs went on to win Super Bowl LIV, their first championship in 50 years.[19] He was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp on July 31, 2020.[20] He was moved to the reserve/PUP list at the start of the regular season on September 5, 2020.[21] He was activated on November 10.[22] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Chiefs on November 16, 2020,[23] and activated on November 23.[24] He was waived on June 17, 2021.[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Martinas Rankin . December 9, 2017 . HailState.com.
  2. Web site: 2015 Top Football Recruits . December 9, 2017 . 247sports.com.
  3. Web site: Martinas Rankin . December 9, 2017 . 247sports.com.
  4. Web site: November 21, 2017 . Senior Martinas Rankin Wins 2017 Kent Hull Trophy . December 9, 2017 . HailState.com.
  5. Web site: Thornhill . Gardner . May 20, 2017 . Mississippi State OL Martinas Rankin projected as First Round Draft Pick . December 9, 2017 . Fansided.
  6. Web site: Wimberly . Jake . May 5, 2018 . Believe it or not, Mississippi State OT Martinas Rankin showing up in 2018 mock draft 1st rounds . August 21, 2018 . gridironnow.com.
  7. Web site: Rotoworld.com: Matinas invited to the Senior Bowl . August 21, 2018 . rotoworld.com.
  8. Web site: McGuire . Steve . April 24, 2018 . Martinas Rankin 2018 NFL Draft Profile . August 21, 2018 . lastwordonprofootball.com.
  9. Web site: Walden . Tylor . April 10, 2018 . Mississippi State OT Martinas Rankin Visits Broncos . March 22, 2021 . Predominantly Orange . en-US.
  10. Web site: Martinas Rankin, DS #7 OT, Mississippi State . August 21, 2018 . draftscout.com.
  11. Web site: NFL Martinas Rankin-ESPN . August 21, 2018 . ESPN.com.
  12. Web site: The 2018 NFL Draft Big Board, Vol. 2 . August 18, 2018 . si.com.
  13. Web site: 2018 NFL Draft Listing . February 25, 2019 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  14. Web site: Kollmann . Brett . April 27, 2018 . Houston Texans Select Martinas Rankin With 80th Overall Pick . June 10, 2018 . BattleRedBlog.com.
  15. Web site: Spotrac.com: Martinas Rankin contract . August 21, 2018 . Spotrac.com.
  16. Web site: Wesseling . Chris . July 12, 2018 . Texans rookie OT Rankin recovering from foot surgery . August 21, 2018 . NFL.com.
  17. Web site: Patra . Kevin . August 31, 2019 . Texans acquire vet RB Carlos Hyde from Chiefs . https://web.archive.org/web/20190904134828/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001045907/article/texans-trade-for-vet-rb-carlos-hyde-from-chiefs . dead . September 4, 2019 . March 22, 2021 . NFL.com.
  18. Web site: Goldman . Charles . November 11, 2019 . Chiefs send OL Martinas Rankin to IR; sign OT Jackson Barton . March 22, 2021 . USA Today.
  19. Web site: Shook . Nick . February 2, 2020 . Chiefs rally once again to defeat 49ers, win SB LIV . October 31, 2023 . NFL.com . en-US.
  20. Web site: Williams . Charean . July 31, 2020 . Chiefs place Juan Thornhill, Martinas Rankin on PUP . August 1, 2020 . NBCSports.com.
  21. Web site: September 5, 2020 . Chiefs Roster Down to NFL-Mandated 53 . September 12, 2020 . Chiefs.com.
  22. Web site: Goldman . Charles . November 10, 2020 . Chiefs make several transactions on Tuesday . December 16, 2020 . USAToday.com.
  23. Web site: Alper . Josh . November 16, 2020 . Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz go on COVID-19 list . December 23, 2020 . NBCSports.com.
  24. Web site: Goldman . Charles . November 23, 2020 . Chiefs activate OL Martinas Rankin from reserve/COVID-19 list . December 23, 2020 . USAToday.com.
  25. Web site: Williams . Charean . June 17, 2021 . Chiefs cut Martinas Rankin . June 20, 2021 . NBCSports.com.