At 6 feet, 3 inches tall and 220 pounds, North Carolina Central University’s Davius Richard looks like a prototypical NFL quarterback, complete with an arm strong enough to throw 60 yards in the air.
As a four-year starter for the Eagles, Richard earned Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference offensive player of the year honors twice. In 2022, he led North Carolina Central to its first Cricket Celebration Bowl championship, where he was named the game’s offensive MVP.
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Richard knows his collegiate résumé is strong enough for him to potentially be selected in the NFL draft in Detroit from April 25-27 and become the first quarterback drafted from a historically Black college in nearly two decades.
“Football has been nothing short of a blessing, but also I would like to say it has been an opportunity,” Richard told Andscape. “Knowing that I love to [play]it don’t feel like work at the end of the day. That’s what they preach about. They say find something you love to do, so you can go to work every day and it doesn’t feel like work.
“And to be able to be in this position right now, to be on scouts’ radar, having the opportunity to possibly go to the NFL or go to some league and play football is, like, it’s nothing short of a blessing.”
The last time Richard was on the field, during the HBCU Legacy Bowl in February, he scored on the first possession of the game and ultimately was named offensive MVP despite leaving with an ankle injury.
North Carolina Central University quarterback Davius Richard is carted off the field following an injury during the HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 24.
Derick Hingle/AP Photo
Richard said his recovery is on pace for him to be ready for the start of NFL training camp in July.
“It was unfortunate knowing that it was the first drive and I had a lot more to showcase,” Richard said. “Obviously, you know, it was dislocation in my ankle, but I think the most positive thing, it wasn’t as bad as [it] seemed. I went to the hospital right after the game, and they were able to put it back in place without any surgeries or pins of that nature, so I thank God for that.”
Richard has heard from scouts and team personnel that he could get drafted anywhere near the sixth and seventh rounds, and has also been told he could be a priority undrafted free agent.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jacksonwho is known for being a mobile, dual threat quarterback, just won his second league MVP award in February. Like Jackson, Richard has established himself as a mobile passer throughout his collegiate career.
Over four years at North Carolina Central, Richard threw for 8,991 total passing yards and 73 touchdowns. On the ground he finished his career with 2,026 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns.
Football coach Trei Oliver knew how to use Richard as a threat in the Eagles’ passing and run game.
North Carolina Central University quarterback Davius Richard scrambles during a game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on Sept. 16, 2023.
Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images
“He’s the total package – knowledge of the game, obviously arm strength is No. 2 and then athleticism,” Oliver said. “He’s a physical specimen. When he pulls the ball and runs, I think his speed is somewhat deceiving. I think he shocked a lot of people, that he ran 4.5 flat [40-yard dash time] down in New Orleans when they did the Black college combine.
“He loves contact. This past year we wanted to run him early because he wanted to get hit, and that really got him going.”
Oliver has seen Richard’s growth during his time with the Eagles and recalls how he started as a true freshman in 2019 and always made the team’s offense move fluidly. There wasn’t a throw he couldn’t make on offense, Oliver said.
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“He’s always worked to improve,” Oliver said. “He spends so many hours in the office with offensive coordinator coach [Matt] Leoneand he’s another coach in the field. It’s really nothing that surprises him or catches him off guard during the game. He does a great job of anticipating rotation from the safeties and coverages.”
Running back Latrell “Mookie” Collier, who is also an NFL prospect for the upcoming draft after amassing 2,279 rushing yards in his career, was Richard’s backfield partner for the past two seasons. Richard’s football IQ helped his teammates, Collier said.
“Sharing the backfield with him over these last few years, it’s been nothing but a blessing because he’s made the game so much easier for me,” Collier said. “Whether that’s in a run game, and he knows when somebody’s blitzing, or when somebody’s in pass protection, where the blitz is coming from. He definitely helped me a lot.”
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Despite not being able to compete during pro day at North Carolina Central on March 27, Richard continued conversations with NFL scouts he had met with during the HBCU combine. In meetings with teams he makes sure to put his football acumen on display.
“They asked me certain questions that they probably don’t get to see on film as far as my football knowledge. So they asked me, ‘What’s your favorite third and five [yard] call?’ and I’m able to go through the play, go through the route concepts. I tell them the reason why I like this call versus certain coverages,” he said. “I feel like that’s been the biggest transition for scouts to know: ‘He just is not out there reacting. He actually knows what’s going on and what the defense is trying to do.’ ”
Former North Carolina Central quarterback Malcolm Bell began working with Richard after the program’s Celebration Bowl run in 2022. Richard reached out to Bell looking to improve his throwing mechanics for his senior year. The two alternated between working out in Durham, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia.
“I feel like what people really, really need to know is how he is as a person around the campus and in the community. He’s just one of those guys that he’s a people mover. People want to follow behind him,” Bell said. “He’s never really shied away from being ‘the guy,’ and that’s why he had so much success.
“I think his ability to lead and get people involved – and that’s programwide – is why he’s such the prospect that he is at the position, because you need all of those qualities to be successful as a QB.”
If Richard were to hear his name called during the seven-round draft his name would be added to an exclusive list of quarterbacks from historically Black colleges and universities drafted into the NFL, a list that includes such names as Super Bowl champion Doug Williams and James “Shack” Harris, who are Grambling State University alums.
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Only one HBCU player, Jackson State University cornerback Isaiah Bolden, was selected in the 2023 NFL draft. Tarvaris Jackson of Alabama State University, the last quarterback taken from an HBCU, was selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft.
Former Howard University quarterback Jay Walker was drafted in the seventh round to the New England Patriots in 1994. Steve McNair of Alcorn State University was drafted No. 3 overall a year later.
Walker has witnessed the draft landscape change since he was in college. In the 1990s, NFL teams were more willing to draft HBCU quarterbacks, but mindsets have since shifted, with many teams stigmatizing Black college quarterbacks for playing FCS-level football. Only two HBCU quarterbacks have been drafted since 2000: Jackson and John Seider of Florida A&M.
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“We’ve seen some guys that could play, that can do all the things I’m talking about. They can run, throw and manage the game and have those X factors. But I just think they don’t give HBCU quarterbacks the benefit of the doubt. They want to choose the level of competition,” Walker said.
Walker said he saw a lot of quarterbacks play during his time in the NFL, but that they weren’t on Richard’s level.
“They couldn’t come close to doing what Davius can do, on paper [and] it’s all there on film. … He is a well-rounded person, smart, intelligent, and he’s got that level demeanor where he never gets too high, he never gets too low. He takes care of his business.”
In 2022, Alcorn State quarterback Felix Harper signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns after a minicamp invite but was waived a week later. Bowie State University quarterback DJ Golatt spent some time with the Washington Commanders during rookie minicamp in 2023 but didn’t make the roster.
For the NFL draft, Richard plans to have a small get-together at his apartment in North Carolina with some teammates, such as Collier, who are also going through the draft process. Through the ups, downs and pressures of the draft process, Richard’s faith has grounded him. He has Philippians 4:7 tattooed on his forearm.
“Don’t worry about anything and just pray about everything,” Richard said. “Give all your worries to God and pray and believe that he’s going to resolve your conflicts or whatever you got going on in life. I take that with how I maneuver within life on an everyday basis.”
North Carolina Central University quarterback Davius Richard runs upfield during the fourth quarter of the 2022 Cricket Celebration Bowl in Atlanta.
Austin McAfee / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Richard congratulated South Carolina State University cornerback Cobie Durant when he was drafted in 2022and he witnessed Fayetteville State University defensive back Joshua Williams win back-to-back Super Bowl championships with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Richard hopes he can have a similar impact on future HBCU quarterbacks.
“I feel like it will kind of come back to that narrative that you have to go to certain schools to get that look. … [People say] ‘He’s an HBCU guy. He’s just gonna be a dual threat guy or this and that XYZ.’ No, they’re not just looking at me for things that pertain to being a quarterback. It’s because of the way I carry myself, the way I approach the game,” Richard said.
“I hope that it serves as a way to encourage those guys who have come through HBCU facilities and want to … make it to the NFL to be, like, look, you can do it from here, you don’t have to just play a couple years and then transfer out. You can stay at school – you just have to be willing to put the work in.”
Liner Notes
NFL draft
When: April 25-27
Where: Detroit
Watch: ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, NFL Network
Mia Berry is the senior HBCU writer for Andscape and covers everything from sports to student-led protests. She is a Detroit native (What up Doe!), long-suffering Detroit sports fan and Notre Dame alumna who randomly shouts, “Go Irish.”
2024-04-17 12:20:45
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