Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson was the lone NFL Draft prospect from an HBCU at the Reese’s Senior Bowl practice on Tuesday and he left a big impression going up against SEC talent.
Vinson stands tall on his own — he’s 6’6, 317 pounds. But his play still took some by surprise.
“I think it went great — I think I played to my standard. A lot of outside people would say I had a great, amazing day. I just had a Carson Vinson Day for me,” Vinson told The Draft Network. “That’s just what I do, that’s what my standard is. I think I competed well and did what I needed to do. I just gotta do the same for the next couple of days. “
Vinson was a dominant force on the offensive line for Alabama A&M. That counts for something, but his performance against players from SEC schools like LSU and Texas A&M. Vinson is aware that this is how he will be measured when it comes to the NFL Draft.
“It was very important because as a small-school guy, that’s the biggest question is competition-wise. I just wanted to show that HBCUs we’ve got dawgs at HBCUs. We got dawgs at FCS and we compete, we play. I’m not a charity case — I’m here to play football.”
Vinson also got a chance to go up against future NFL talent over the last few years as his HBCU took on Auburn and Vanderbilt in the 2024 and 2023 season openers.
The self-described football “addict” will spend the rest of the week practicing against top level talent in preparation for the Reese’s Senior Bowl at the end of the week.