Top-10 HBCU 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

The 2023 NFL Draft player pool is saturated with talented HBCU prospects.

The 2023 NFL Draft player pool is saturated with talented HBCU prospects destined to be selected by multiple teams in hopes of further pursuing their professional dreams. 

A year after the HBCU Football produced four-drafted players, here are HBCU Legends' Top-10 HBCU NFL Draft prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft cycle.

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Mark Evans II; Credit: UAPB Athletics

1. T Mark Evans III, Arkansas Pine-Bluff

Evans has been a highly touted linemen prospect out of UAPB for two years and is destined to be the first HBCU player off the draft board. The four-time First Team All-SWAC standout has accepted an invite to the East-West Shrine Game and features a decorated collegiate career that consists of just five allowed sacks across nearly 1900 snaps. 

Phill Steele's FCS Offensive Linemen of The Year projects much better as a next-level interior lineman but has the tools to be an impact NFL starter sooner rather than later.

2. TE Kemari Averett, Bethune-Cookman

At 6'6", 260 pounds, Averett presents the insane physical prototype at tight end that NFL teams dream of having in their respective offenses. Despite having a down senior season due to BCU's inconsistencies, he was still selected to the NFL Collegiate PA Bowl, garnered First Team ALL-SWAC honors, and was a BOXTOROW HBCU First-Team All-American this past year. 

🤯TE Kemari Averett is a BIG MAN.

6'6 250lbs with great receiving skills !
Great ball-tracking ability, strong hands and big catch radius.

Ofc he needs to develop his game and to play against a higher level but i see some playmaking abilities in him.

Rd 5-7 in the 2023 draft. pic.twitter.com/FCpGTP5omG

— Valentin (@ScoutValentin) January 7, 2023

With his insane size and speed combination, Averett is just a solid pre-draft showing away from being a high-end mid-round selection.

Dec 18, 2021; Atlanta, GA, USA; South Carolina State Bulldogs wide receiver Shaquan Davis (1) reacts after catching a touchdown pass against the Jackson State Tigers during the first half during the 2021 Celebration Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

3. WR Shaquan Davis, South Carolina State

Davis had career-highs in receptions (44), receiving yards (944), and receiving touchdowns (11) to cap off a junior banner season that saw him finish with First Team All-MEAC Honors and a First Team BOXTOROW HBCU All-American selection. 

At 6'5", 215 pounds, he's a vertical threat that presents great jump ball ability as a potential red zone target. In a receiving class that's somewhat diluted compared to years past, Davis has the opportunity to keep rising up on NFL draft boards in the coming months with solid showings in Vegas and Indy.

Hampton WR Jadakis Bonds; Credit: Hampton Athletics

4. WR Jadakis Bonds, Hampton

At his 6'4 frame, Bonds became the Pirates' go-to target during red-zone situations and vertical shots down the field this past year. During Hampton's first season in the vaunted CAA, Jadakis was a first-team all-conference selection that registered a 76.1 PFF receiving grade across 90 pass-targets. 

Black College Football Player of the Year Spotlight: @Hampton_FB WR Jadakis Bonds had 5 receptions for 133 yards and 2 TDspic.twitter.com/wzG0CO92fS

— BlackCollegeFootball (@BCFHOF) September 12, 2022

His solid production as a member of the second-best football conference in FCS allowed the senior to get a Shrine Bowl Invite and further cement his rising NFL draft status.

Alabama State Hornets quarterback Ryan Nettles (13) is sacked by Florida A&M Rattlers linebacker Isaiah Land (31) during a game between FAMU and Alabama State University at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Famu Vs Alabama State 100221 519  Credit:© Tori Lynn Schneider/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

5. LB Isaiah Land, Florida A&M

The 2021 Buck Buchanan Award Winner had somewhat of a final down season with the Rattlers, but he was still able to garner seven sacks and 34 total pressures to finish with First-Team All-SWAC Honors. There are questions about his ideal fit at the NFL level and if he is best served as an off-ball pass-rusher or a traditional on-ball edge rusher. 

Luckily for Land, he can answer all of these concerns at the Senior Bowl against premier competition. If he does, his current draft stock has an excellent chance of projecting upward.

JSU linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. (45) goes after Southern running back Karl Ligon (19) in Jackson Miss., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Tcl Jsu Southern; Credit: © Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

6. LB Aubrey Miller Jr., Jackson State

Miller needed another phenomenal senior season to magnify his draft potential, and he did just that with a SWAC Defensive Player of The Year Campaign. The physical backer registered an 84.4 PFF defensive grade that featured 117 tackles, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries under the FCS' best defensive unit from 2022. 

His performance delivered him a Senior Bowl Invite and another chance to prove he can be an every-down linebacker at the professional level.

OL Robert Mitchell, NCCU; Credit: NCCU Athletics

7. G Robert Mitchell, North Carolina Central

Mitchell allowed just eight total pressures and surrendered zero sacks across 741 snaps to secure an 87.7 pass-blocking grade during his final season with the HBCU National Champion North Carolina Central Eagles. 

The senior was regarded as one of the best interior linemen in HBCU Football this year and seemed primed to emerge as a hidden draft gem for any NFL team's scouting department.

WR Xavier Smith; Credit: FAMU Athletics

8. WR Xavier Smith, Florida A&M

A tremendous season-opening showing against North Carolina University that saw him snag all 10 of his targets for 78 yards summed up a decorated season for Xavier Smith. The "X-Man" was the highest-graded HBCU Wide Receiver at 89.1 and was presented with an HBCU Legacy Bowl Invite for his banner 2022 season. 

Despite his miniature 5'10" frame, Smith is a reliable weapon that can do damage as a boundary and slot receiver at the NFL level due to his breakneck speed and route-running capabilities.

DB Keenan Issac; Credit: Alabama State Athletics

9. CB Keenan Issac, Alabama State

In a talented Hornets' secondary that consisted of emotional leader Irshaad Davis and FCS Freshman All-American Adrian Maddox, Keenan Issac had the second-highest coverage grade on the team, according to PFF, at 78.1. 

Issac's tall, long and physical presence at 6' 3" has enticed NFL scouts enough to invite him to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. If he performs well there, Issac becomes a realistic late-round play for a secondary-needy NFL program.

DL Jason Dumas, Southern; Credit: Fred Green, Southern Athletics

10. DL Jason Dumas, Southern

Dumas didn't have the ideal farewell season he wanted when he transferred from Prairie View A&M University to Southern this past year, but he does have enough collegiate tape across the board to get an ideal look from an NFL team. 

The last person with his measurables to do true damage in the league is the future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, who Dumas models his game after. If he's healthy enough during the pre-draft process to wreak damage, there's a chance the former HBCU All-American could be a valuable gem for an NFL team