New Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders built a powerhouse with Jackson State, an HBCU college football program, before making his way to Boulder.
Jackson State went 27-6 during Sanders’ three-year run. It boasted some top-end talent, a lot of whom followed the Pro Football Hall of Famer to Colorado.
Despite the success we’ve seen from HBCU (historically black college or university) football programs in recent years, only one player from the traditional black colleges was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
That came on Saturday when the New England Patriots picked former Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden in the seventh round. To say that Sanders is upset about the lack of HBCU representation in the NFL Draft would be an understatement.
“I’m ashamed of the 31 other NFL teams that couldn’t find draft value in ALL of the talented HBCU players & we had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU,” Deion Sanders wrote on Twitter.
As for Sanders’ three-year tenure with Jackson State, James Houston was the only other player from the program to be selected in the NFL Draft. The edge rusher found himself as a sixth-round pick. Houston responded by recording eight tackles in seven games as a rookie.
Related: Deion Sanders flips 5-star recruit Cormani McClain to Colorado from Miami
Does Deion Sanders have a point about HBCU prospects and the NFL Draft?
Despite their lack of representation in recent NFL Drafts, a total of 10% of Pro Football Hall of Famers were drafted from HBCU schools.
That list includes but is not limited to all-time greats such as Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Michael Strahan, Jackie Slater and Richard Dent.
Despite this, there have only been two HBCU products selected in the past three NFL Drafts. There certainly is a split when it comes to who goes off the board during the annual event and the talent level we’re seeing on programs within the HBCU community that are being led by former NFL greats.
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