John Franklin Taken by Los Angeles Rams in Fourth Round of 2018 NFL Draft
4/28/2018 2:00:00 PM | Football
Defensive end becomes first draft pick for SFA since 2011, seventh Lumberjack taken in the fourth round or higher
ARLINGTON, Texas – After going 0-40 as a prep player at Greenville High School, Stephen F. Austin defensive end John Franklin has achieved his childhood dream of becoming a professional football player. Saturday afternoon Franklin's name was called during the fourth round of the 2018 National Football League Draft as the Los Angeles Rams chose him 135th overall. He was the 15th defensive end taken in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-4, 283-pound defensive lineman becomes the Lumberjacks' 33rd NFL Draft pick in program history and highest in 20 years, when Mikhael Ricks was taken 59th overall in the second round and Jeremiah Trotter 72nd overall in the third round of the 1998 draft. The Greenville, Texas, native is the first NFL Draft pick for SFA in seven years. Former All-American linebacker Jabara Williams was the last Lumberjack to be drafted when he was taken 228th in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Franklin becomes the fifth SFA player to currently be signed with a professional team, joining tight end Zach Conque (Houston Texans), wide receiver Justice Liggins (Indianapolis Colts), defensive end Willie Jefferson (Saskatchewan Roughriders) and offensive lineman Terran Vaughn (Saskatchewan Roughriders). Furthermore, Franklin will become the fifth Lumberjack to suit up for an NFL team during the Clint Conque era at SFA. He joins Gus Johnson (2014), Vaughn (2015), Zach Conque (2016) and Liggins (2016) as former 'Jacks who played for coach Conque at SFA and have made appearances on NFL rosters in recent years. Franklin is coach Conque's fifth defensive end drafted in the NFL during his time as a head coach, including his years as Central Arkansas' lead man.
"I feel really good and ready to get to work for the Rams," commented Franklin after being picked in the draft. "It's a dream come true. I've always wanted to play in the NFL and now I have been given the opportunity. I look forward to making the most of it."
"Myself and our entire coaching staff are very excited for John," SFA head football coach Clint Conque said. "He put in a solid four years here at SFA and has been a mainstay on the defensive front for us. Franklin has a very high ceiling and the Los Angeles Rams recognized the same things that we did in him four years ago. What's great about the organization John will be joining, is that the Rams have arguably the best defensive line in the NFL. He will be able to learn from the best in the business."
The second Southland Conference football player selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, Franklin joins defensive tackle P.J. Hall of Sam Houston State, who went 55th overall in the second round, as 2018 draftees from the conference. In early March, Franklin was the Southland's only representative at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. He became the first Lumberjack to be invited to the coveted workout since All-American and SFA's all-time leading rusher, running back Gus Johnson, participated in the pre-draft showcase in 2015.
While at the NFL Combine, Franklin posted top-10 marks among all defensive lineman in five different workouts. Franklin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds, fifth-fastest among defensive lineman at the event, tied for sixth in the 20-yard shuttle run (4.48 seconds), was seventh in the vertical jump (33 inches), tied for eighth in the broad jump (113 inches) and was ninth in the three-cone drill (7.36 seconds).
In January, Franklin had a spectacular performance at the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl inside the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. Leading the Mike Martz' coached National Team to a 23-0 rout over the American squad, Franklin posted a team-high tying seven total tackles, including a tackle for loss, and had a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry.
A three-time All-Southland honoree, including being a second team pick this past fall, Franklin finished out his Lumberjack career as one of SFA's top performers on the defensive line all-time. He led the Lumberjacks' defensive front in his final season suiting up for the Purple and White, posting a team-best 13.5 tackles for loss for negative 46 yards, including dishing out 3.5 sacks for a loss of 24 yards. In league play, Franklin's 11.5 tackles for loss were fifth-most in the Southland as he tied for sixth in tackles for loss per game (1.28). Ranked 42nd nationally in tackles for loss per game (1.2), Franklin finished with the fifth-most total tackles (55) on the team and had 27 solo stops.
Prior to the 2017 season, Franklin was tabbed as the 31st most important player in Texas by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. Franklin completed his Lumberjack career fifth on SFA's all-time career tackles for loss list with 37.5 over the past four seasons, while finishing ninth in program history in all-time career sacks (17.5). He compiled 130 total tackles across the last four years, including making 70 solo stops, forcing five fumbles and pressuring 22 quarterback hurries.
The Rams went 11-5 in 2017 and posted a 4-2 record in the NFC West, clinching the division and earning the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
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All-Time Stephen F. Austin Draft Picks
| Year | Player | Rd. | Pick | Team |
| 1950 | Bill Roberson | 15 | 189 | New York Giants |
| 1952 | Bobby Cross | 9 | 104 | Chicago Bears |
| Howard Tisdale | 18 | 207 | Green Bay Packers | |
| Buddy Terry | 26 | 309 | Detroit Lions | |
| 1956 | Jim Murphy | 22 | 258 | Chicago Cardinals |
| 1958 | George Shirkey | 16 | 191 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1960 | Royse Shelton | 20 | 230 | Los Angeles Rams |
| 1965 | Bud Marshall | 10 | 136 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1968 | Frank Lane | 6 | 151 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| James Greer | 10 | 255 | Cleveland Browns | |
| 1970 | David King | 9 | 215 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Robert Pearce | 13 | 337 | Minnesota Vikings | |
| Mark Moseley | 14 | 346 | Philadelphia Eagles | |
| 1971 | Andy Hopkins | 15 | 368 | Houston Oilers |
| 1973 | Lawrence Eaglin | 11 | 261 | Houston Oilers |
| 1974 | Sam Hunt | 15 | 374 | New England Patriots |
| 1984 | Duan Hanks | 3 | 82 | Miami Dolphins |
| 1984^ | Todd Fowler | 1 | 25 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1986 | Floyd Dixon | 6 | 154 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 1990 | David Whitmore | 4 | 107 | New York Giants |
| Larry Centers | 5 | 115 | Phoenix Cardinals | |
| Anthony Landry | 10 | 253 | New England Patriots | |
| Todd Hammel | 12 | 307 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| 1995 | Terrance Shaw | 2 | 34 | San Diego Chargers |
| 1996 | Joey Wylie | 7 | 248 | Oakland Raiders |
| 1997 | Anthony DeGrate | 7 | 209 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1998 | Mikhael Ricks | 2 | 59 | San Diego Chargers |
| Jeremiah Trotter | 3 | 72 | Philadelphia Eagles | |
| 2001 | Derrick Blalock | 5 | 150 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2002 | Wes Pate | 7 | 236 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2009 | Dominique Edison | 6 | 206 | Tennessee Titans |
| 2011 | Jabara Williams | 7 | 228 | St. Louis Rams |
| 2018 | John Franklin | 4 | 135 | Los Angeles Rams |
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