Former Jackson State coach Deion Sanders no longer leads an HBCU program. But he’s still advocated for players historically Black institutions.
Sanders, now the head coach at Colorado, tweeted on Saturday that he’s “ashamed” of the 31 teams that did not select a single HBCU player during the draft. Only the Patriots used a draft pick on a player from an HBCU school, taking former Jackson State cornerback Isaiah Bolden at No. 245.
“We had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU,” Sanders tweeted.
On one hand, teams are looking for the best possible players, wherever they can find them. On the other hand, if teams aren’t devoting sufficient resources to scouting HBCU schools and players, who will they be able to make reliable projections when comparing players from so many different schools at once?
Opportunities will come via undrafted free agency. And players from HBCU schools will have a chance to compete, and to thrive -- as did Walter Payton, Jerry Rice, Mel Blount, Steve McNair, Shannon Sharpe, Michael Strahan, and more.