Getty Deion Sanders at the 2023 Colorado Spring Game.
NFL legend Deion Sanders, who won his first Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers, put teams on blast regarding one notable 2023 NFL draft snub involving a former player of his. And that includes the team Sanders won Super Bowl 29 with.
Sanders took to Twitter to congratulate his former cornerback at Jackson State Isaiah Bolden for being selected by the New England Patriots in the seventh round on Saturday, April 29. However, Sanders ripped the teams that passed on Bolden and others representing the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) realm, which includes S.F.
“So proud is you @isaiahbolden23 You deserved to be drafted much higher but I’m truly proud of u,” he wrote. “I know how much you want this. I’m ashamed of the 31 other @nfl teams that couldn’t find draft value in ALL of the talented HBCU players & we had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU.”
So proud is you @isaiahbolden23 You deserved to be drafted much higher but I’m truly proud of u. I know how much u want this. I’m ashamed of the 31 other @nfl teams that couldn’t find draft value in ALL of the talented HBCU players & we had 3 more draft worthy players at JSU.
Bolden not only had a defensive background, but he led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) in kick return average with 36.9 yards per return in the 2021 season. Bolden delivered 33 tackles, 21 solo stops and broke up six passes in his final college season — also Sanders’ final season with JSU as he’s now taken over the head coaching reins at Colorado in the Pac-12.
Was Bolden Ever a Thought?
For a 49ers team that needed to address the cornerback position for a depth reason, the Niners did just that in day three of the draft when Bolden was also taken. However, the 49ers filled that need in the fifth round.
Darrell Luter Jr. of South Alabama became the 49ers’ CB draft pick at No. 155 overall in the fifth round. Luter not only played in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) realm at SAU, but delivered four interceptions and broke up 10 passes in his 2021 CFB campaign while playing in the Sun Belt Conference. He was also named Pro Football Focus’s Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year that season. His final CFB campaign witnessed 42 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups in 13 starts.
Luter was given a fifth to sixth round grade by nfl.com draft expert Lance Zierlein before the NFL Draft. Zierlein also described him as a “Long-limbed press-cover cornerback with the ball skills and physicality to challenge receivers outside the numbers.”
Bolden, meanwhile, was known more for his press man coverage ability and displaying top end speed in coverage. At 6-foot-2, 203-pounds, Bolden also brought intriguing size to the league. However, Zierlein identified how Bolden plays upright and tended to lose awareness of “route traffic” in front of him. Plus, his lack of picks may have also likely diminished his draft stock. He was called a “priority free agent” by Zierlein.
Bolden is now heading to Foxboro to fill some needed spots in that cornerback room while also likely to pursue a return role on special teams.
Luter Walking Into Good Company?
Time will tell if the 49ers got it right with Luter. However, he has the potential to add to this trend going on in the Bay Area: Fifth round finds.
The most notable is George Kittle — going from fifth round tight end to perennial Pro Bowler. But in the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers took safety Talanoa Hufanga and Deommodore Lenoir. “Huf” went on to become a Pro Bowler in 2022 while “The Hyena” emerged as a breakout playoff performer with two interceptions last season.
Luter and defensive end Robert Beal of Georgia were the two fifth round selections for the 49ers.