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Baltimore Ravens rookie Carson Vinson is adjusting well to the NFL as the preseason approaches. He’s joining a team that is poised to be a Super Bowl contender, with his role on the offensive line being arguably the most important: protecting Lamar Jackson and opening up running lanes for Derrick Henry. Vinson also has the distinction of being the only HBCU player selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
While it can be seen as an honor for him to stand out amongst several HBCU student athletes and be seen as a player with the skills and traits to make it in the NFL, he isn’t satisfied with being the only HBCU player selected in the draft process. He detailed this in a recent ESPN feature written by Jamison Hensley.
“Vinson takes pride in the fact that he comes from a HBCU school, but he says there’s no pride in being the first HBCU player drafted since 2023. He insists the NFL overlooked many players this year from the 21 HBCU schools that compete at the FCS level,” Hensley writes. “Vinson’s hope is that his success will clear a path for more HBCU players to reach the NFL. He doesn’t want players to transfer to bigger-name programs if it is not what they truly want. The key for Vinson was capitalizing on opportunities against top competition.”
In a video statement posted to the Ravens’ social media account in April, Vinson spoke about how special being an HBCU alumnus is.
“ Being from an HBCU is so special. ’cause there’s been like over this entire process when HBCU guys get past our space, you know, we have our rivalries and we have the teams that we go at each other. But after, when we get past it, like we’re all one big family. So it’s all like one big family and you know. With the transfer portal and the way things is a lot of guys feel like they have to transfer up to go to where they want to go. But it is really important to me that, I stayed at Alabama A&M for all four years. You know, it was the best four years of my life and you can go anywhere you want to from the institution that you’re at.”
Vinson was a standout player for Alabama A&M, starting all 48 games of his college career at left tackle. His performance played a key role in the Bulldogs leading the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) in total offense (444.5 yards per game) and passing offense (260.5 yards per game). The team also ranked third in rushing offense, averaging 184.0 yards per game. Vinson’s impressive stats include an 89% overall offensive line grade, 61 knockdowns, and just one sack allowed all season, highlighting his ability to excel against top competition.
When it came time to showcase his skills to NFL scouts, he made the most of every opportunity. As the sole HBCU player invited to the NFL combine, the Alabama A&M...
