I’d say that if we had an exceptionally fast guy of ANY race on our team, he’d have been steered more toward being a receiver or running back, depending on his size and catching ability.
In general, players in high school weren’t as specialized as people think. We didn’t have specific nose guards, defensive tackles, vs. defensive ends, vs. centers, guards and tackles. Everyone had a position that we were trained to play on offense and on defense. For example, I was the first-string center, and the second string nose tackle. And, for the most part, we knew how to play the other positions as well- I could have easily played defensive tackle or guard/tackle on offense.
Receivers/defensive backs were the same way- nobody was only a cornerback; they were typically cornerbacks and backup wide receivers, running backs or quarterbacks, and vice-versa. And just to round out the rest of the team, the linebackers switched positions with tight ends, fullbacks and running backs.
But if someone was really, really fast and could catch the ball, they’d probably have been guided toward being a receiver, or if they couldn’t catch, toward being a running back.
I’m not even convinced that it’s a genetic thing. I think to a large extent, it may be more prestigious as a young man in the black community to be a successful athlete, than it is to be academically successful. So the black guys try harder, and to some degree, more probably choose athletics over academics when it comes to that. Or it could be a matter of athletic success being a readily accessible form of success for those young men, while they’re essentially told that academic success isn’t attainable, or doesn’t buy them anything.