Despite being the lone current HBCU football player at the NFL Combine, Carson Vinson is grateful to show that he’s pro-ready.
The 6-foot-6 Alabama A&M offensive lineman is in Indianapolis this week to display his skills in drills on Sunday in front of the league’s talent evaluators — an opportunity he doesn’t take for granted.
“I just thank God through it all. You know, there’s a rich history of a lot of HBCU talent in the NFL, and just like going through the steps and even trying to get there, it’s just a blessing in itself,” Vinson said on Saturday. Alabama A&M shaped who I am.
“Being at an HBCU is a unique experience that people will only understand if they went to an HBCU. “I love it to death. It’s made me the player I am today, and it taught me that I have to work for everything I get.”
Vinson is at the NFL Combine after a strong performance during the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Former Alabama A&M OT Carson Vinson on continuing the HBCU legacy @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/LPTxzY0ZNU
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) March 1, 2025
During the Senior Bowl practices, the former Bulldogs lineman made waves by holding his own against the top college players in the county, including winning a rep against projected NFL Draft first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
Vinson is aiming to become the first HBCU player to be selected in the NFL Draft since former Jackson State defensive back Isaiah Bolden was taken by the New England Patriots in 2023.
Former Alabama A&M OT Carson Vinson on his experience competing at the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/lDul3vi4Um
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) March 1, 2025
“That’s what a lot of scouts wanted to see me competing on that level and having a strong showing,” I said. I felt like it was my standard like that’s what I knew I was gonna go up there and do. I really feel like I was a voice for a lot of (HBCU) guys who feel like they also should have been there because they should have.”
