Deion Sanders ashamed of NFL teams -- except Patriots -- for overlooking HBCU players in draft
BOSTON -- When the Patriots drafted cornerback/kick returner Isaiah Bolden in with the 245th overall pick in the seventh round on Saturday, it certainly didn't beam across national news networks as the biggest pick of the weekend.
Yet the pick was significant in that Bolden was drafted out of Jackson State, a Historically Black University. And Bolden was the lone HBCU player to be drafted in this year's draft.
The lack of HBCU picks had Deion Sanders -- Bolden's collegiate coach -- feeling "ashamed" of the NFL.
"You deserved to be drafted much higher but I'm truly proud of u," Sanders tweeted. "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."
Bolden responded to Sanders' tweet, saying he agrees with the assertion that more HBCU players were worthy of getting drafted this year.
In his conference call with New England reporters after being drafted, Bolden was asked what it means to him to be drafted out of an HBCU school.
"It means a lot to me," he said. "Just having that chip on my shoulder, carrying the weight of HBCUs. I've got something to prove. There's a lot of talented guys that are out there. I just understand that chip on my shoulder is for all the HBCUs."
The 6-foot-2, 203-pound Bolden played defensive back and special teams at Jackson State, recording 55 tackles and seven pass defenses last season. He also returned 26 kicks over the past two seasons, averaging 32.7 yards per return and taking two back for touchdowns.
A year prior, four HBCU players were taken in the NFL Draft, though zero were taken in 2021. Only one HBCU player was selected in 2020.
Sanders has left Jackson State, moving on to a traditional Division-I conference with Colorado in the Pac-12. Yet while his place of employment has changed, he clearly still feels compelled to speak up for HBCU players whom he believes deserve a better chance at playing football at the pro level.
