HBCU Players Enjoy the NFL Spotlight

Black college football took on a slightly higher profile at the NFL Draft.

Five HBCU athletes were picked over the two-day selection process, an increase of two over 2006. True to projections, Hampton linebacker Justin Durant was the first, going to Jacksonville in the second round as the 48th selection. That was the highest draft position for a Pirate since the Jaguars selected Cordell Taylor in the second round in 1998.

“He’s a really talented guy,” Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. “He’s fast, he hits, he plays with great passion. He’s going to be a great fit in Jacksonville.”

With Durant gone, the drama started. Lane receiver Jacoby Jones went in the third round, to Houston as the 73rd pick. Jones is the first Dragon to be drafted since Dallas picked defensive tackle Ernest Bonwell in 1971. The Texans like Jones’ combination of physical gifts, which made him an all-SIAC pick in 2006.

“The third-round pick of Jacoby Jones is good for us for a lot of reasons,” Houston General Manager Rick Smith said. “He’s a young player with great size and speed and some range in his body and natural hands.”

The second day – the fifth round specifically – was better, with N.C. Central defensive end Greg Peterson (Tampa Bay), Alabama A&M linebacker Johnny Baldwin (Detroit) and Alabama State cornerback Michael Coe (Indianapolis) going off the board. Peterson, who was drafted by Tampa Bay, is the first Eagle to be drafted since cornerback Robert Massey in 1989 and earned all-CIAA honors as a senior.

Baldwin, who was selected by Detroit, is being counted on to add athleticism at middle linebacker.

"I'm a seek-and-destroy linebacker," he said. "My instincts and athleticism are a big part of the package that I bring. I can go sideline-to-sideline. I think I'm a pretty smart player, too. "Coach (Phil) Snow was telling me that they wanted their 'mike' to be an athletic linebacker, so I think I fit the bill perfectly.”

Coe joins a Colts secondary that includes Howard’s Antoine Bethea, a 2006 draft choice who started for the Super Bowl champs but lost cornerback Nick Harper (Fort Valley State) to AFC South rival Tennessee.

No one from the HBCU draft class of 2007 is intimidated by competing against players from higher-profile programs. After all, a rookie is a rookie.

“It doesn’t matter where you play,” said Peterson, who tallied 19.5 tackles for loss in 2006. “I gave everything I had on the field and stayed out of trouble. I wasn’t looking to get drafted, I just wanted a chance. Now I have that chance.”

Said Baldwin: "Football is football. The speed of the game is going to get quicker just like it would for anybody from USC or the SEC. It's the NFL, so you're going against the best of the best, no matter where you're from.”