Green Bay Packers draft former App State football All-American Shemar Jean-Charles

Max Correa

After the 2020 season, App State cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles was named a first team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He led the country with 17 passes defended.

Silas Albright, Reporter

With the 178th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected former Mountaineer lockdown cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles. 

The Miramar, Florida native broke out in his 2020 senior season, leading the nation with 16 pass breakups and 17 total passes defended with one interception. The Walter Camp Football Foundation named him a first team All-American, becoming the first FBS first teamer in App State program history. Pro Football Focus College also named Jean-Charles the Sun Belt Player of the Year and ranked him as the 16th best player in the nation in 2020.

Jean-Charles was rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals coming out of high school and redshirted during his first year in Boone in 2016. Playing behind standout corners Clifton Duck and Tae Hayes in 2017 and 2018, Jean-Charles continued to hone his skills and prepare for his shot. Over his last two seasons, he made 25 starts and helped the Mountaineers win their fourth and fifth straight bowl championships. 

Jean-Charles finished his App State career with five bowl wins, four Sun Belt titles and a 52-13 overall record. At App State’s pro day April 1, he weighed in at 184 pounds, and his height measured at 5 foot 11 inches. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, and his max vertical leap reached 35 inches. Coming into offseason training, Jean-Charles was maxing out in the single-digits in the 225-pound bench press. At pro day, he hit an impressive 19 reps. 

This marks the second year in the row an App State player has been selected, after Darrynton Evans became the highest-drafted Sun Belt running back in history when the Tennessee Titans took him in the third round last year. The Cincinnati Bengals also selected former Mountaineers’ linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither in the fourth round a season ago.