Could Seven HBCU Players Get Drafted in 2022?

Expert projects an historic year for teams selecting HBCU football players in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Emory Hunt projects a historic year for up to seven HBCU football players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

HBCU Legend's Kyle T. Mosley wanted to what the CBS Sports' NFL Draft Analyst's opinion on "the top HBCU prospects that will get drafted."

Hunt responded, "we're probably going to see seven guys drafted out of HBCUs with another 20 signed undrafted rookie free agent contracts. So it's a great year for HBCU NFL draft talent."

In March, the National Football League invited four players to the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine. CB Decobie Durant (South Carolina State), Markquese Bell (Florida A&M), DB Joshua Williams (Fayetteville State), and OL Ja'Tyre Carter (Southern) represented the HBCU draft prospects this season.

Hunt reminded Mosley that no HBCU athlete has been drafted "since 2020 when "one guy was taken in the first round out of Alabama State, Titus Howard, the offensive tackle by the Houston Texans."

With just seconds left in the game, Jackson State head football coach Deion Sanders, left, and JSU Athletic Director Ashley Robinson celebrate as the Tigers take the SWAC Championship, beating Prairie View A&M 27-10 at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss., Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021. Tcl Swac ;  Credit:© Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

EARLY ADVOCATES SPEAKING OUT FOR HBCU TALENT

NFL Legends Deion Sanders and Doug Williams, along with NFL Network journalists and broadcasters Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche, were the early advocates to address the lack of HBCU representation via the NFL Combines and Drafts.

Sanders left the network and is the head coach of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. His team won the 2021 SWAC Football Championship and came within one game of capturing the 2021 HBCU Football National Championship after losing to South Carolina State at the 2021 Celebration Bowl.

EARNING REPRESENTATION AT POSTSEASON EVENTS

HBCU Stars at 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl; S Cory Rahman (TSU), DE/LB James Houston (JSU), S Markquese Bell (FAMU), QB Aqeel Glass (AAMU), CB CJ Holmes (JSU), and WR Ezzard (SHSU); Credit: Debonaire, Inc. from Jackson, MS

Doug Williams and James "Shack" Harris led the charge to host almost 100 black-college and small-school all-stars at the 2022 HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans, LA.

The NFLPA' Collegiate Bowl invited 2x Black College Player of the Year QB Aqeel Glass (AAMU), DE/LB James Houston (JSU), CB Decobie Durant (SCS), DB Markquese Bell, CB CJ Holmes (JSU), and S Cory Rahman (TSU).

Jim Nagy of the Reese's Senior Bowl had a separate HBCU Combine for players for the CIAA, MEAC, SWAC, and SIAC days before the major event. One of the Senior Bowl invites OL Ja'Tyre Carter, projects between a 2nd to 5th round draft pick for NFL teams.

"And that's what it's all about when he's talking about HBCUs the the the amount of press to be able to showcase themselves. That's why the HBCU Legacy bowl was so important. Because you had 100 prospects down there, showcasing their talent in front of scouts and coaches, and being broadcast for the NFL Network is huge because now it gets those guys on the radar for this draft. But also, you know, when you talk to these players, they're telling you about who's coming up next down the pike. So you go back to these schools and unearthing more talent from those ranks," Hunt noted to Mosley.

© Mickey Welsh / Advertiser

THE HBCU TALENT WILL NOT CONTINUED TO BE IGNORED, RIGHT?

It's worth noting that HBCU talent has not diminished over the years, only interest from NFL coaches, scouts, and executives. The athletes weren't allowed access and the opportunity to showcase their abilities to NFL scouts and executives.

Jim Nagy wrote, "Over the years, the Senior Bowl has served as a showcase for some of the top Black college football players in America, including seven of our game's 56 future members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and this event will help many more HBCU players secure further attention and exposure from all 32 teams."

The words of the legendary head football coach Eddie Robinson ring loud and true today. Coach Rob wanted an NFL team to give Doug Williams an "opportunity" to be drafted and earn a spot on a roster. A quarterback like Aqeel Glass has the intelligence and physical tools professional teams desire in a signal-caller, but will his name get called?

On April 28 - 30, we will see if NFL teams definitively share in the optimism and commitment to draft deserving HBCU players. If not, the fight will continue louder and more boisterous than before, where teams in the NFL, CFL, USFL, or XFL will no longer continue to ignore the talent and skills of HBCU football athletes.

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