40 Black College Players on NFL Rosters as Training Camps Open; Eight Vets in New Locations
A total of 40 former black college players (see STAT CORNER) are on NFL rosters as training camps for all 32 teams got underway over the last week. Eight black college veterans will be playing in new locations this season.
The most tenured black college NFL veteran, Javon Hargrave, will enter his 11th season in the Green Bay Packers’ camp after spending last season with the Minnesota Vikings. Hargrave signed a reported two-year $23 million deal to join the Packers.
The South Carolina State product is with his fifth team. He was drafted in the third round by Pittsburgh in 2016 and spent four years (thru 2019) with the Steelers. He moved on to Philadelphia (2020-2022) and then to San Francisco (2023-2024) before spending 2025 in Minnesota.
Hargrave (6-2, 307) has racked up 49 sacks with a career-high of 11, his only double-digit sack season, for Philadelphia in 2022. He has 432 combined tackles in his ten years in the NFL.
Offensive lineman Tytus Howard (6-5, 320) was a first round selection (23rd overall) out of Alabama State by Houston in 2019 and played seven seasons for the Texans. At the trading deadline in March, Howard was traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. The Texans picked up the fifth-year option on Howard’s contract on May 2, 2022 agreeing to a three-year, $56 million contract extension. He subsequently agreed to a three-year, $63 million extension running through the 2029 season with the Browns.
Howard primarily started at tackle but showed his versatitlty by sometimes moving to guard.
Nick Leverett is an offensive lineman who spent three seasons at North Carolina Central before playing his final year of college eligibility at Rice. He went undrafted in 2020 but spent four seasons with Tampa Bay (2020-2023) before having stints at New England (2024) and Arizona (2024-2025). On November 19, 2025, Leverett signed with the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with Dallas on January 6, 2026 and is now in the Cowboys’ camp.
Another South Carolina State product, defensive back Cobie Durant, left the Los Angeles Rams after four productive seasons and signed as a free agent with the Cowboys on a one-year, $4 million contract.
Durant (5-11, 181), taken in the fourth round by LA in 2022, worked his way into becoming a starter with the Rams. He started 14 of 15 games in 2024 and 15 of 17 last season. Durant had team highs of three picks in his rookie season and a team-high three a year ago. He returned two of his seven career thefts for touchdowns.
Others at new locations include 2022 draft picks, safety Bryan Cook and defensive back Joshua Williams, who both left Kansas City after winning two Super Bowl championships with the Chiefs.
On March 12, 2026, Cook signed a three-year, $40.25 million contract to join his hometown Cincinnati Bengals. Cook (6-1, 206) played two seasons at Howard before finishing with two seasons at Cincinnati.
After being drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft by KC, the Cincinnati native started 12 games in 2023 before becoming a starter for all 17 Chiefs’ games over the last two seasons. He had a career-high 85 tackles last season and a career-high two interceptions in 2024.
Kansas City picked Williams (6-3, 201) after Cook in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Fayetteville State. He will be in Tennessee’s camp this season after the Titans signed him to a two-year, $6.75 million contract.
The Chiefs won Super Bowls in his first two seasons as Williams started 11 of 33 games and played primarily as a back-up. He started another six games in 2024 before he was used almost exclusively as a special teamer last season with no starts.
Running back Emanuel Wilson established himself as a dependable and productive runner over three seasons after Green Bay signed him as a free agent in 2023 following 1,000-yard seasons at Johnson C. Smith and Fort Valley State. In March, the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks signed Wilson to a one-year, $2.1 million contract.
Wilson rushed for 1,083 yards in 41 games with Green Bay averaging 4.5 yards per carry and scoring seven rushing TDs. He had career-highs of 502 rushing yards and four TDs averaging 4.9 yards per carry in 2024. Last season he averaged 4.0 ypc. while totaling 496 rushing yards and three TDs. He did not lose a fumble in 242 carries with the Packers.
Brandon Codrington (5-9, 185) was an undrafted free agent out of N. C. Central that got his first shot in the NFL with Buffalo, after the New York Jets signed and traded him after a productive preseason in 2024. He logged 619 total return yards on 38 attempts as the primarily return man for the Bills in his rookie season and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
After missing most of the Bills’ 2024 and 2025 seasons with injuries, Codrington signed a reserve/futures contract with the Houston Texans.
NC A&T, Hampton at Bottom of 2026 CAA Preseason Football Rankings
North Carolina A&T was picked 12th and Hampton 13th at the bottom of the 2026 preseason voting unveiled last week in virtual Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Media Days. Defending champion Rhode Island was picked to repeat Monmouth and Elon.
NC A&T finished 2-6 a year ago in the conference, with wins over Hampton (33-30) and Campbell (28-24) and single-digit losses in two other conference games.
In his interview last week, second-year head coach Shawn Gibbs said he concentrated on developing the players already on the roster and bringing in more talented players to compete in the CAA. He particularly talked about bringing in a new offensive line coach and beefing up the offensive line in effort to return the Aggies to elite status running the ball.
Senior kick returner/wide receiver Elijah Kennedy was the only Aggie picked preseason all-CAA. Kennedy, who had one kickoff and two punt return TDs, received the nod as the all-CAA punt returner and also received preseason all-America status as a kick returner.
Hampton will begin 2026 with new head coach Van Malone at the helm. The Pirates finished 2025 last in the CAA at 0-8 and 2-10 overall. Senior offensive lineman Omari Allen and edge rusher Korede Sogbesan were preseason all-conference picks. Malone had Sogbesan and QB Jalen Woods, a transfer from Southern, with him on Media Day.
Malone has spent over 20 years as an assistant at the collegiate level at nine stops including the last seven years at Kansas State as pass-game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
