The Dallas Cowboys chose Florida linebacker Shemar James at No. 152 in the NFL Draft on Saturday.

The fifth-round pick was a prep standout at Faith Academy in Mobile before joining the Gators.

James won’t turn 21 years old until June 24, and he left Florida after three seasons.

“I felt like I was ready for this opportunity,” James said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I feel like I’m one of the best players here. You know, I may be the youngest, but I still have that utmost confidence in myself.”

After measuring 6-foot-1 and 222 pounds at the combine, James’ 40-yard dash time of 4.69 seconds was disappointing for a prospect who hoped to impress NFL scouts with his speed. But he made better showings in the three-cone drill at 7.09 seconds and the shuttle run at 4.27 seconds, and during practices for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, James recorded the seventh-fastest speed measured by Zebra Technologies by reaching 20.71 mph. That was the top speed for any player who wasn’t a wide receiver or a defensive back during Senior Bowl practices.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association selected James for the athlete position on its Class 5A All-State team for the 2020 season. Faith tied the school record with 12 victories in that campaign and lost twice – both times to St. Paul’s Episcopal.

The Saints defeated the Rams 20-6 in a regular-season game on Sept. 19 and 21-20 in overtime in the AHSAA Class 5A semifinals on Nov. 27, 2020. In addition to playing on the defense, James ran for 42 yards on eight carries and caught four passes for 78 yards in the playoff game.

Injuries affected James’ senior campaign at Faith in 2021, but he still played in the Under Armour All-American Game before departing for Florida.

As a freshman, James played in every game, with four starts, for the Gators. James became a full-time starter in 2023, but he sustained a dislocated left kneecap in the eighth game and missed the rest of the season.

In 2024, James started every game for Florida and recorded 64 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

The first Faith football player to sign with an SEC school, James now aims to become the first alumnus of the school to play in an NFL regular-season game, continuing a football journey that started at Denton Middle School on Pleasant Valley Road in Mobile.

“(Coach Edmond Wilder), he was kind of the coach that brought me into, like, the sports scene,” James said. “He told me that I can be great at it. He seen me playing one day at PE, and he was like, ‘Yeah, you can be pretty good at it.’ So I would say him just putting that belief in my heart at a young age.

“And then from there, coming to Faith Academy with coach Jack French. He was another coach that kind of lit that fire in my heart to play the game of football. And from that, you know, the rest is history. So I would say Jack French and coach Wilder were the two coaches, two main coaches that got me into this sport.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.