Isaiah Bolden was the only HBCU player selected in the 2023 NFL Draft this weekend, and former Jackson State football head coach Deion Sanders wasn’t pleased.
The legendary cornerback, who left Jackson State to coach Colorado this season, was “ashamed” of the NFL after Bolden — picked 245th overall by the New England Patriots during the seventh round — was in a class of his own.
After congratulating Bolden, whom Sanders coached, he tweeted, “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.”
Last season, four HBCU players were selected in the NFL Draft.
The NFL held an HBCU Combine in February, where Bolden was one of 47 invited players who participated.
All 32 NFL teams were in attendance.
The draft went 259 picks long, making Bolden one of the very last selected, which also signals that he might be a long shot to crack the Patriots’ Week 1 roster.
Bolden, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound Florida native, led both FBS and FCS Division I football in average kick return yards at 36.9 per attempt, and he also tied for FCS lead with two kick return touchdowns.
The 2021 All-American kick returner Bolden transferred to Jackson State from Florida State ahead of the 2021 season.