When Jackson State coach Deion Sanders took the helm of the Tigers program, one of his biggest goals was to highlight and help players from historically black colleges and universities reach the NFL.
On Saturday, the Lions selected Jackson State’s James Houston IV in the sixth round (No. 217), and he became the first Sanders-coached player to be drafted. Houston was the third player from an HBCU selected in this year’s draft. Fayetteville State’s Joshua Williams (No. 135) was selected by the Chiefs while the Rams picked South Carolina State’s Decobie Durant (No. 142).
Houston, one of FCS’s most prolific pass rushers and nicknamed “The Problem”, recorded 70 tackles, 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles in one season at Jackson State. Prior to JSU, Houston spent three years at Florida.
Houston is Jackson State’s first player to be selected in the NFL draft since the Vikings took wide receiver Jaymar Johnson in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. No former Tiger has played in the league since 2015.
