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The NFL Pro Bowl is this Sunday, Feb. 6, in Las Vegas and former Nassau Community College Lion Rasul Douglas has gone from long shot to cashing in.
In 2014, Douglas was just another player trying to get noticed on the Nassau Community College football team. Off the field, Douglas slept on the floor of an apartment building in Nassau County.
Now, Douglas has risen from the floor to the ceiling and this weekend he’ll be among the NFL elite as a Pro Bowl selection for the Green Bay Packers. Douglas joined Green Bay about a quarter of the way through the season and quickly became a starter.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my time in the National Football League, where somebody that comes in midseason has had such a tremendous impact on your football team,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Douglas, per the Wisconsin State Journal. “I love what he’s all about. I love how he competes. I love his approach on a daily basis. There might not be anybody on our team that watches more tape than him.
“He’s just constantly grinding, working at it, and I think it’s paying off for him,” LaFleur added.
Pro Football Focus rates Douglas as the 16th-best cornerback in football out of 116 qualified players.
Finally found a home in Green Bay
Douglas began his NFL career as a third round pick out of West Virginia by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. He would go on to be a member of the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots in 2018.
Since then, he bounced around to four more teams before landing with the Packers as a mid-season acquisition.
And even though his days as a Nassau Community College Lion are long gone, current head coach Jamel Ramsay said Douglas’ impact is still felt today.
“Rasul has left a strong mark on the program. Every player who has come in to play for the program after (Douglas) has followed, admired and strived to finish their career just as he did,” he said. “The Nassau football program is extremely proud of all his accomplishments that he has had in the NFL, and we are rooting for his continued success.”
Kickoff for the Pro Bowl is 3 p.m.
Top photo: Associated Press
