Deion Sanders says he is "ashamed" that NFL teams selected just one player from a historically black college in the 2023 draft.
The Colorado head coach, who led HBCU Jackson State for three seasons (2020-22), expressed disappointment that only Isaiah Bolden, a cornerback/kick returner for the Tigers, was taken. Bolden was the only HBCU representative among 10 FCS players selected. The Patriots took him in the seventh round with the 245th overall pick, just 15 picks away from Mr. Irrelevant.
Sanders claimed Bolden "deserved to be drafted much higher" and admonished the other 31 teams for failing to find value in HBCU players. He also claimed the Tigers had three more players who deserved to be drafted:
So proud is you @isaiahbolden23 You deserved to be drafted much higher but I'm truly proud of u. I know how much u want this. I'm ashamed of the 31 other @nfl teams that couldn't find draft value in ALL of the talented HBCU players & we had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU. pic.twitter.com/BfEm3zIGPH
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) April 30, 2023
MORE: NFL Draft winners & losers 2023
Bolden, in his first season at cornerback in 2022, finished his season with 30 tackles and seven pass breakups while also leading Division I football in kickoff return average (36.9 yards per return). He joins linebacker James Houston as the second Jackson State player under Sanders to be drafted, with Detroit taking the latter in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. Houston was one of four HBCU players taken in the draft last year.
Deion Sanders at HBCU Jackson State
Sanders took over at Jackson State aiming to raise the prominence of HBCUs, something he was able to accomplish with his star power as both a College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. The Tigers had three straight winning seasons under him: 4-3 in 2020 amid the COVID-19-affected season, 11-2 in 2021 and 12-1 in 2022.
MORE: All 32 draft classes ranked from best (Steelers) to worst (Jets)
Jackson State also won the SWAC in 2021 and 2022, earning berths in the Celebration Bowl — or Black national championship game — both seasons. Though the Tigers never won the championship, Sanders was still able to bring in a flood of talent to Jackson State, including Travis Hunter, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 class.
In December, Sanders took over at Colorado following a 1-11 season by the Buffaloes. His method of rebuilding the team has been a point of discussion in college football, with more than 20 players leaving the program in the days immediately following Colorado's spring game.
MORE: Updated list of notable UDFA signings after 2023 NFL Draft
Regardless, his point that the NFL does not give enough chances to HBCU players isn't unfounded; the league has in recent years provided more opportunities to coaches and players, including a combine for HBCU players that began in 2021.
This year, it had 47 players and all 32 NFL teams attended.
