He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs and was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft.

[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.

Rankin attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but did not perform any drills due to the foot injury he sustained.

[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.

During rookie minicamp, Rankin sustained a foot injury which required surgery and was sidelined for the entire training camp.

[17] On August 31, 2019, Rankin was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for running back Carlos Hyde.