Jackson State football's Isaiah Bolden visits New England Patriots for NFL Draft workout
Jackson State defensive back Isaiah Bolden is moving up NFL Draft boards. On Wednesday, the final day NFL teams are allowed to bring draft prospects for visits, Bolden was with the New England Patriots for a workout.
Bolden, a four-star recruit out of high school started his college career at Florida State. He decided to transfer after JSU hired Deion Sanders as coach. Bolden said he wanted to learn from Sanders and liked the Historically Black Colleges and Universities culture.
The Patriots are hosting hyper-athletic cornerback Isaiah Bolden on the final day of Top-30 visits. https://t.co/75HlmEgkER
— Bernd Buchmasser (@BerndBuchmasser) April 19, 2023
NFL scouts have Bolden as either a late-round pick or a rookie free agent. At 6-foot-2- and 201-pounds, Bolden can play any of the defensive back positions because of his length, fluidity, versatility and quickness. It makes him intriguing to NFL teams because Bolden can play every down and cover any receiver position.
In his pro day on March 27 at Jackson State with 27 NFL scouts in attendance, Bolden turned in a blistering 4.31-second 40-yard dash and 1.54-second 10-yard split, registered a 38-inch vertical jump, and had a 10-foot-9 broad jump.
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Bolden's athleticism and versatility will allow him to contribute on special teams. At JSU, he was the Division-I leader in kickoff return average in 2021 (36.9 yards/runback), scoring touchdowns of 94 and 91 yards. In 2022 with increased playing time on defense, he averaged 26.0 yards on 10 kick returns.
In 13 games in 2022 with JSU, he had 30 solo tackles and seven breakups. Bolden was named All-SWAC second team cornerback. In 2021, he was first team All-SWAC and FCS All-American.
Bolden is the 21st confirmed player to take a Top-30 visit with the Patriots this pre-draft cycle. And Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes is only other cornerback on that list.
Bolden has visited the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings in the pre-draft cycle. Bolden plans to hold a draft party in Tampa, Florida, with his family and friends. The first round is Thursday.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jackson State football's Isaiah Bolden visits Patriots for NFL Draft
