For the second time in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, an HBCU player has come off the board as South Carolina State cornerback Decobie Durant was taken with the 142nd overall pick by the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Durant is coming off a senior season with the Bulldogs in which he recorded 38 total tackles (30 solo tackles), 15 passes defended and three interceptions.
He was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the FCS Stats Perform All-American team.
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South Carolina went on to win the MEAC championship and eventually defeated the heavily favored Jackson State Tigers in the 2021 Celebration Bowl becoming the first MEAC school (that is not North Carolina A&T) to win it.
Durant was one of many defensive backs in the Bulldogs’ secondary that played a role in disrupting Jackson State’s efficient passing game, becoming the only team to force the Tigers to record a completion percentage of less than 50%.
The Bulldogs corner is a supreme athlete which was showcased in his Pro Day measurements recording a 4.38 40 and a 36-inch vertical.
