By Kyle T. Mosley
(Source HBCU Legends):
HOUSTON – Doug Williams thought that on Friday, about six or seven HBCU players had a real chance of being drafted. In 2023, the fortune of HBCU talent has taken an ugly turn. The founder of the HBCU Legacy Bowl and a former Super Bowl MVP expressed shock that only one football player from an HBCU was drafted by the NFL in 2023. “I’m stunned,” Doug Williams told HBCU Legends. “There has to be a lack of representation in the draft rooms for this to happen. Do we have anyone fighting for these young men?”
Williams has a point. He and James “Shack” Harris have hosted over 200 HBCU athletes at two HBCU Legacy Bowls the past two seasons for NFL scouts and executives to meet, interview, and work out. This past season, the NFL transferred the HBCU Combine to New Orleans on the Monday before the HBCU Legacy Bowl. Understanding why the New England Patriots would be the only team to select a player from a historically black college is challenging. Jackson State’s cornerback Isaiah Bolden was selected as the 245th overall pick in the 7th round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Williams remarked, “The young men did what they had to do at the HBCU Combine and Bowl game. I was angry earlier. It’s shocking.”
After the draft, seven HBCU players received undrafted free agent contracts. The New Orleans Saints signed two players, offensive lineman Mark Evans II (UAPB) and wide receiver Shaq Davis (South Carolina State). Two of the top HBCU draft prospects, FAMU’s LB Isaiah Land signed with the Cowboys, and Jackson State’s LB Aubrey Miller Jr. reached a deal with the Miami Dolphins. The 2022 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Joshua Pryor, will sign with the Washington Commanders.
