S.C. State defensive tackle Javon Hargrave ignoring NFL draft chatter

If Javon Hargrave paid attention to what NFL draft experts said about him, he’d see that he’s ranked in the top 50 by NBC Sports, top 45 by Sports Illustrated and a top-three small-school prospect by NFL.com.

But the South Carolina State defensive tackle is not looking at that.

“I don’t want to get my hopes high or low,” Hargrave laughed. “I don’t really pay attention to that.”

A Salisbury native who shined at North Rowan, Hargrave is set to be selected between rounds 2 and 4 in April’s draft after a strong combine performance last month and pro day Wednesday.

Scouts from more than 20 NFL teams traveled to Orangeburg after South Carolina’s pro day Wednesday afternoon but none got to see Hargrave work. By the time they all got there, Hargrave was nearing the end of his 45-minute workout in front of coaches from Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Tennessee and Pittsburgh.

But there’s plenty of tape on the 6-foot-1, 309-pound Hargrave, who had 29 1/2 sacks in his final two seasons with the Bulldogs.

“I played who I could play and just dominated,” Hargrave said of playing at a smaller school against weaker competition. “That’s all I could do. The tape doesn’t lie.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "S.C. State defensive tackle Javon Hargrave ignoring NFL draft chatter."