How an overlooked HBCU star beat the odds and landed an NFL contract—with a message for every young athlete watching.
Robert McDaniel didn’t hear his name called on draft night—but Washington knew who he was.
For fans of HBCU football, Robert McDaniel isn’t just another underdog story. He’s a testament to grit, faith, and the long shadow of Black college football greatness. Coming out of Jackson State—a program revitalized by national attention but still overlooked by scouts—McDaniel turned heads with a Pro Day performance too sharp to ignore.
A 39.5-inch vertical, a 4.55 in the 40, and a 10’11” broad jump put him on the radar. But it was his mindset that sealed it.
“You must continue to stay positive with everything you do and control your situation,”McDaniel told HBCU Legends before the draft. That perspective? It’s what carried him from a hopeful DB in Jackson to a signed rookie with the Washington Commanders.
Though Washington chose to use their seventh-round pick on Alabama State RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, they circled back. Days later, McDaniel inked a 3-year, $2.995 million deal with $180,000 guaranteed—more than some late-round picks. His signing bonus: $30,000. His jersey number: 47. His goal: stay.
The Jackson, Mississippi native notched 55 tackles (34 solo) in 13 games last season, anchoring Jackson State’s secondary during their 2024 title run. The 6-foot, 200-pound defender combines intelligence and physicality, with instincts honed from battling HBCU competition hungry to prove they belong.
And McDaniel knows what his journey means to the next kid watching from a small school. “It doesn’t matter where you come from,” he said. “Guys like Shannon Sharpe, Jerry Rice, and Walter Payton came from HBCUs. They paved the way to show you legends don’t always come from big schools.”
For McDaniel, rookie minicamp is just the beginning. He’s not just fighting for a roster spot—he’s carrying a legacy forward. And HBCU fans everywhere are rooting for him to be the next name added to that storied list.
