Since there were so few surprises, we’re going to pivot from taking a closer look at the Falcons’ 53-man roster to checking out the nine players from HBCUs who are on the 2025 Senior Bowl watch list.
In recent years, the NFL has a poor record of drafting players from the Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In the 2024 draft, 11 FCS players were selected, zero from HBCUs. As the current winner of the Bill Nunn Memorial Award winner, it makes sense for me to look at the top players from the HBCU conferences: SWAC, MEAC, SIAC and CIAA.
His groundbreaking work as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Courier and as a scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers helped to build the Steel Curtain dynasty and forever change the NFL scouting landscape.
The Senior Bowl’s scouting team has been working since February to identify the “best of the best” draft prospects at every level of college football for the 2025 NFL draft.
It takes professional evaluators to identify future professional players, and this year’s Senior Bowl staff consists of 13 scouts with over 200 years of NFL experience. They rely on decades worth of relationships at the college and NFL levels to stay on top of all the risers, career backup late-bloomers, and transfers taking advantage of opportunities in their final seasons.
Howard, Florida A&M, Morgan State and S.C. State have two players each on the list, and Jackson State has one player on the list.
The players are being considered for an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl, the preeminent pre-draft college All-Star game held each year in Mobile, Alabama.
Here’s a look at the players from the nine HBCUs on the Senior Bowl watch list:
Howard defensive back Kenny Gallop Jr. (6-foot, 214 pounds): Could he be the next Antoine Bethea for the Bison? He’ll get a chance to show his style of play when the Bison, who nearly upset Northwestern last year 23-20, play another Big Ten foe in Rutgers at 6 p.m. Thursday in Piscataway, New Jersey.
Howard running back Jarett Hunter (5-10, 205): He has rushed 416 times for 1,950 yards and 17 touchdowns over his career. He shared the backfield last season with Ian Wheeler, who was signed by the Bears. Wheeler was featured on episode 2 of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears.” He had put his medical residency on hold to pursue his dream of playing NFL football. He was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. The Bison also have running back Eden James, son of Hall of Famer Edgerrin James. He’s a junior and will be on the list next season.
Florida A&M defensive back Kendall Bohler (6-0, 195): He has played in 33 games and had 28 pass breakups. He had seven tackles in the Rattlers’ 24-23 win over Norfolk State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Center Parc Stadium on Saturday.
Florida A&M tight end Jeremiah Pruitte (6-5, 230): After playing at Wheeler High in Marietta, he started his college career at Colorado State. He has 27 catches for 300 yards and four touchdowns.
Jackson State defensive back Robert McDaniel (6-2, 207): Played last season at Alcorn State. In 10 games he recorded 31 total tackles including 20 solo stops.
Morgan State linebacker Erick Hunter (6-4, 210): He finished the 2023 season ranked No. 1 in the MEAC with 75 tackles and was No. 6 in tackles for loss (9.5). He added seven quarterback hurries, three sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a pass breakup. He had at least nine or more tackles in five of Morgan’s 10 games.
Morgan State defensive lineman Elijah Williams (6-3, 270): He was a one-man wrecking crew for the Golden Bears last season with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two forced fumbles.
S.C. State linebacker Aaron Smith (6-2, 218): He led the Bulldogs in tackles with 63 last season and had 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and two quarterback hits.
S.C. State offensive lineman Nick Taiste (6-2, 295): A three-year starter and back-to-back All-MEAC performer, Taiste has been a force in the trenches for the Bulldogs. He has 36 consecutive starts along the offensive line.
Depth chart: Here’s a look at the Falcons’ 53-man depth chart:
Quarterbacks (3): Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr., Taylor Heinicke.
Running backs (4): Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, Jase McClelland, Avery Williams.
Wide receivers (5): Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud, KhaDarel Hodge, Casey Washington.
Tight ends (3): Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley.
Offensive line (9): LT Jake Matthews, LG Matthew Bergeron, C Drew Dalman, RG Chris Lindstrom, RT Kaleb McGary, ST Storm Norton, G/C Ryan Neuzil, G/C Jovaughn Gwyn, G/T Kyle Hinton.
DEFENSE
Defensive line (8): Grady Jarrett, David Onyemata, Zach Harrison, Eddie Goldman, Ta’Quon Graham, Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus.
Outside linebackers (5): Matthew Judon, Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketie, James Smith-Williams, DeAngelo Malone.
Inside linebackers (4): Kaden Elliss, Nate Landman, Troy Andersen, JD Bertrand.
Cornerbacks (5): A.J. Terrell, Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III, Dee Alford and Antonio Hamilton Sr.
Safeties (4): Justin Simmons, Jessie Bates III, Richie Grant, Micah Abernathy.
Special teams (3): Kicker Younghoe Koo, punter Bradley Pinion and long snapper Liam McCullough.
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