Deion Sanders 'Ashamed' Only One HBCU Player Was Taken In NFL Draft, Seems To Ignore Basic Reality

Deion Sanders isn't happy that only one HBCU player was selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The draft wrapped up Saturday with a total of 259 players being selected, and the only player from an HBCU to get the call was former Jackson State player Isaiah Bolden. The Patriots took the DB in the seventh round.

For a reason that's not clear, the lack of HBCU picks upset Deion Sanders, and he tweeted he was "ashamed" of the rest of the league for not taking more.

Deion Sanders seems to be ignoring basic facts.

Of the 259 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, only 10 players came out of the FCS. The highest FCS pick was NDSU LB Cody Mauch in the second round. Seven of the 10 picks came on day three.

The reality of the situation is the FCS doesn't have much NFL talent, and it's generally isolated among the traditional powers, such as NDSU. The NFL is looking for the best players in the country, and that talent is located mostly in the SEC, Big Ten and the rest of the Power Five.

There's a reason players end up in the FCS and not on P5 teams. They're just less talented, and thus, aren't on the radar of NFL teams. Furthermore, the traditional FCS powers aren't HBCUs. It's most successful teams are generally amongst the likes of North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Montana, Montana State and Stephen F. Austin for example.

If you look at the teams that dominate the FCS ranks, it's rare to see an HBCU among them. Jackson State University was a dominant program, but the SWAC doesn't even send its champion to the FCS playoffs. There's no great conspiracy here. There's certainly not one involving race. The majority of the NFL is black. It's comical to believe somehow NFL GMs and coaches would get together and decide to discriminate against elite black athletes. HBCUs, just like all FCS teams, generally have little, if any, NFL talent on their rosters. If a player is that good, he's almost certainly not in the FCS.

Is Deion a hypocrite?

Also, if Deion Sanders cares so much about HBCUs, why did he leave JSU and pillage the roster on his way out the door?

Sanders openly bragged about bringing his own players from JSU to Colorado. Most notably, former five star recruit Travis Hunter and his son Shedeur Sanders both followed him.

If Deion Sanders wants HBCUs at the FCS level to flourish, why didn't he stay? At the very least, why didn't he refuse to take players?

The answer is obvious. He wants the best guys with him, and if that means JSU takes a huge hit, so be it. Yet, he'll hop on Twitter and complain about HBCUs not getting enough respect. The irony is very rich.

Most of the time, Deion Sanders is on point and very refreshing. However, he's either willingly ignoring reality in this situation or just hit send without thinking out his tweet. Either way, there's nothing anyone should be "ashamed" of after the draft.

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.