Amir Hall is one of the best quarterbacks available in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 6’5 Doug Williams clone from Bowie State University, broke CIAA record for touchdowns and passing yards and lead BSU to the CIAA championship game and the D2 playoffs.
But in spite of that, and other notable achievements in his three-year career, Amir Hall has been pushed to the NFL sidelines strictly because he’s the product of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) system.
Why not Amir Hall, who many believe would be the first HBCU quarterback to be drafted by an NFL team since Alabama State University’s Tarvaris Jackson in 2006?
Simple: because Amir Hall’s a black quarterback from a black school. It’s time to stop skipping around this issue, and call it for what it is: pure racism, and nothing more. Racism is the same problem that stopped Virginia Union University’s Shawheem Dowdy in 2016. Now, it’s impacting Mr. Hall – unless action is taken.
Hall was invited to The NFLPA Bowl, but got to throw only once. He was completely forgotten when the Senior Bowl roster was formed, and the man at in charge of that game roster, Executive Director Jim Nagy, added the game’s only black quarterback, Tyree Jackson of Buffalo, at the last minute.
Jackson wound up leading all quarterbacks in the 2019 Senior Bowl, even though he was held out of the game until the 4th quarter. The thought on the mind of this blogger was that the 2019 Senior Bowl was incomplete without Amir Hall.
Amir Hall’s Career Statistics Are Among The Best In The 2019 NFL Draft Class
A simple look at Amir Hall’s career statistics at Bowie State University reveals that he’s competitive with the quarterbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft Class. Here’s Hall’s numbers….
The top 12 NCAA passing quarterbacks had an average yards estimate of 4,058 yards. While Hall’s 2018-2019 season was below his average, he still threw for 2,992 yards – that puts him at a place better than 18 other NCAA quarterbacks, including Eric Dungey of Syracuse (2,868), Jarrett Stidham of Auburn (2,794), and Penn State’s Trace McSorley (2,530). And Stidham and McSorley are headed to the 2019 NFL Combine.
A study of Amir Hall’s performance versus the field of quarterbacks in the NFL Combine simply reveals that he’s more than competitive within it. He should be headed to Indianapolis.
Amir Hall should be in the 2019 NFL Combine, and many on social media agree.
Amir Hall doesn’t receive an invite to the NFL Combine. Jake Browning, the Starting QB of the #CollegiateBowl ahead of Hall who threw 2 picks, gets an invite. pic.twitter.com/x1lTQhb7Cb
— Maliik (@Obee1ne) February 7, 2019
@ColinCowherd You pride yourself on being a sort of prospect/draft guru. Don’t sleep on the sleeper QB pick of this draft. QB Amir Hall out of tiny HBCU Bowie State. Do your research and telling me I’m crazy!
— Willie Smith (@WillieS90265275) February 15, 2019
How committed can the NFL be when the #1 HBCU player QB Amir Hall still doesn’t have an invitation to the combine!! REALLY! #respectthehbcuplayers https://t.co/LpT9gxJOwO
— Willie Smith (@WillieS90265275) February 14, 2019
This is a major injustice. Amir Hall is not just an excellent record setting quaterback, he’s a good person with no off-the-field issues. In short, he should be a no-brainer-addition to the 2019 NFL Combine.
If the NFL is truly committed to HBCUs, it is time for the League to prove it, rather than say it.
Why “Who Did He Play” Is The New Racism
Some have countered the argument that Amir Hall should be given an invitation to the NFL Combine with the question “Who did he play?”
That’s reflective of modern institutional racism.
In that, the person advancing the argument holds that football played at the non-HBCU level is better than HBCU football, but can’t even justify such a point of view.
The sad fact is, such an view allows racism to creep in: it says that because no HBCU played an SEC school, no HBCU player should be considered because the SEC school is better. So, if an SEC school avoids playing an HBCU school for reasons that boil down to racism, talent like Amir Hall never gets a chance to show what he can do on national television.
The truth is, a great football talent is just that, and a person who likes and understands the game can spot that talent. Moreover, and to repeat the point, Amir Hall has been the best HBCU quarterback for at least the last two years. Not giving him a chance in the NFL Combine is purely insane.
It’s fair to ask if the people against Amir Hall being in the NFL Combine are just fearful he will succeed? In other words, if Amir Hall emerges as the best quarterback in the class, it upsets what these folks think should the “natural order” of things.
Good. Even better reason to put him in the NFL Combine.
Stay tuned.