HBCUs are poised to produce a bumper crop during the 2013 NFL Draft as more than a half dozen athletes from black colleges are projected to be selected during the three-day, seven-round selection process that begins Thursday at Radio City Music Hall in New York; an equal number are likely to sign free agent deals following the draft.
University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive Terron Armstead, Howard linebacker Keith Pough, Florida A&M linebacker Brandon Hepburn, Arkansas-Pine Bluff defensive end Brandon Thurmond, Tennessee State offensive tackle Rogers Gaines, Alabama State offensive lineman offensive tackle Terren Jones, Alabama A&M offensive tackle Jamaal Johnson-Webb and Alabama State safety Kejuan Riley are the cream of the HBCU crop.
If all eight are selected, it would match the largest HBCU draft class since 2003.
“For the first time in a number of years, this is a deep draft for HBCUs,’’ says ESPN College Football Analyst Jay Walker.
Only 49 athletes from HBCUs have been drafted since 2001. Just one – Christian Thompson from South Carolina State, the Baltimore Ravens’ fourth-round pick – was selected last year.
