What Percentage of NFL Players Are Black in 2020?

As of 2020, the NFL is made up of 70% black players. This is down from 72% in 2019, but still higher than the league average of 21%.

Introduction

This article will attempt to answer the question of what percentage of NFL players are black in 2020. We will look at the data from the most recent season and compare it to previous years to see if there has been any change.

According to data from the NFL, the percentage of black players in the league has been steadily increasing over the years. In 2020, they made up 70% of the league, up from 67% in 2019 and 64% in 2018. This trend is expected to continue as the league becomes more diverse.

The 2020 NFL Season

The 2020 NFL season is off to an exciting start! One of the things that makes the NFL so interesting is the diverse mix of players from all different backgrounds. This season, there are a number of talented black players making an impact on the field.

So far this season, black players have made up around 70 percent of NFL rosters. This is down slightly from last year, when black players made up around 72 percent of rosters. However, this is still a significant increase from just a few years ago. In 2014, black players made up around 67 percent of NFL rosters.

The increase in black player participation in the NFL is likely due to a number of factors, including the league’s increased focus on diversity and inclusion. Additionally, many black players have been working hard to promote the game at all levels and to inspire young people to pursue their dreams of playing in the NFL.

Despite the slowly increasing numbers, there is still room for improvement when it comes to racial diversity in the NFL. Hispanic and Latino players make up around 9 percent of NFL rosters, while Asian and Pacific Islander players make up less than 1 percent. Additionally, there are no active player in the NFL who identify as Native American or Indigenous.

There is no doubt that the 2020 NFL season is off to a great start! It will be exciting to see how these trends continue to develop over the course of the season.

The 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 season. A total of 255 prospects were selected over the course of seven rounds. The first round was held on April 23, 2020, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24, 2020. The draft concluded with rounds 4–7 on April 25, 2020. This draft was originally scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada at Allegiant Stadium, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it took place at virtual locations with team personnel located at their homes or facilities around the country.

This year’s draft had 32 first-round selections, surpassing the record 31 selects from last year’s draft. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was selected 15th overall by the Denver Broncos, becoming just the third wide receiver in NFL history to be drafted in the top 15 picks out of Alabama (the other two being Amari Cooper and Julio Jones). Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins became just the fifth running back in NFL history to be drafted in the top 40 picks out of Ohio State (the other four being Ezekiel Elliott, Maurice Clarett, Carlos Hyde, and Beanie Wells).

With 64 selections made by African American players in this year’s NFL Draft – which is 25% of all selections – this marks a new all-time high for black player representation in an NFL Draft class. The previous high was set last year when 63 black players (or 24.6%) were selected across all seven rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft. It should also be noted that there are now more black head coaches than ever before in NFL history – eight out of 32 teams – which is also an all-time high.

The 2020 NFL Combine

The 2020 NFL Combine is underway, and while the media focuses on the measurable aspects of the event, we wanted to take a look at another aspect: race. According to data released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) at the University of Central Florida, 69.7% of NFL players are black. While this number has dropped slightly from last year’s 70.0%, it’s still a remarkable statistic considering that only 13% of the U.S. population is black.

Here’s a closer look at the racial makeup of NFL players by position:

Quarterbacks: 23.1% black, 76.9% white
Running backs: 67.8% black, 32.2% white
Wide receivers: 60.6% black, 39.4% white
Tight ends: 47.1% black, 52.9% white
Offensive linemen: 21.3% black, 78.7% white
Defensive linemen: 74.3% black, 25.7% white
Linebackers: 65.5% black, 34.5% white
Defensive backs: 63.64%% black, 36./6%% white
Special teams: 54./5%% black, 45./5%% white

NFL Free Agency

As of September 2020, 70% of NFL players are black. This is according to the Racial and Ethnic Report Card released by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida. The NFL has seen a slight increase in the percentage of black players over the past few years; in 2016, 68% of NFL players were black.

The percentage of black players in the NFL has been steadily increasing since the 1970s. In 1970, only 13% of NFL players were black. The number of black players began to increase in the 1980s, and by 1990, 21% of NFL players were black. The percentage continued to rise in the 2000s, reaching 67% by 2009.

There are a number of factors that may contribute to the increasing percentage of black players in the NFL. One is that more blacks are playing football at all levels, from high school to college to professional. Another possibility is that blacks are more likely to be drafted into the NFL than other groups; according to a 2014 study, blacks made up about 60% of NFL draft picks from 2010 to 2013 even though they made up only about 6% of the US population.

Conclusion

In 2020, 70% of NFL players were black.