Jackson State's LB James Houston IV Drafted By Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions selected Jackson State's linebacker James Houston IV in the 2022 NFL Draft.

SI Editorial | Apr 30, 2022

The Detroit Lions selected Jackson State's linebacker James Houston IV in the 2022 NFL Draft. Houston was drafted Detroit as the No. 217 overall pick in the sixth round of the draft.

The Florida native became the third HBCU player drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, and first athlete drafted from Deion Sanders' Jackson State Tigers football team.

The Jackson State announcer nicknamed him "The Problem" for a reason. Houston is a disruptive force on the gridiron. The intelligent and speedy linebacker created havoc for the quarterbacks during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl games. My chart had Houston pressuring the QB approximately seven times in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl game.

Houston ran a 4.67 seconds 40-yard dash at his Pro Day after adding a few pounds. The Florida native will make a fantastic addition for the Jaguars defense.

Houston is a playmaking linebacker. Jackson State head coach Deion Sanders had a defensive player who could go sideline to sideline making plays. Houston had 70 total and 52 solo tackles. It was hard to get past him as a running back. He had 24.5 tackles for a loss. He did a magnificent job of rushing the quarterback. He had 16.5 sacks last season.

His stellar play helped Jackson State win the SWAC and land a spot in the Celebration Bowl. He also played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He's a big-time player who can play the run and the pass. He also knows how to pick his spots to get to the quarterback.

How to Follow, Watch, and Listen

The NFL Draft will be broadcast live on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Here's the breakdown of each starting time and the corresponding round(s). You can listen to radio coverage on Westwood One Radio, Sirius XM Radio, and ESPN Radio.

Round 1: Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. CT
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m. CT
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 30 at 11 a.m. CT

Round 1 picks are set for 10 minutes, while Round 2 moves down to 7 minutes. Rounds 3-6 are 5 minutes, while Round 7 is 4 minutes for each selection.

Be sure to check out our NFL Draft Hub for even more HBCU Legends draft coverage!

HBCU Legends NFL Draft Coverage

Published Apr 30, 2022

SI EDITORIAL