Illinois Football: 5 Players Drafted in the 2016 NFL Draft

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Sep 14, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; A detailed view of the Illinois Fighting Illini helmet before the game against the Washington Huskies at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The 2015 NFL Draft has come and gone but there weren’t any Illinois football players taken for the second year in a row.

Many fans are sad to see this happen again and there are many reasons why this is happening.

Some blame could go on the shoulders of former coach Ron Zook for having sub-par recruiting classes in his final years with the program.

You can lay a little blame on Tim Beckman for not being able to develop the recruits Zook had laid out for him. You can also look at what Illinois football had on their roster as well.

Illinois went into last season with only 18 seniors on a roster that contained 110 players. This isn’t a lot to choose from when NFL teams are looking at drafting players.

The Illini did see two players, Matt LaCosse and Jon Davis, get picked up by the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys, respectively, as undrafted free agents.

This is a positive in the murkiness of the negative that was drawn from the NFL Draft. While Illinois didn’t see anyone drafted for the second year in a row, there is still some hope for the future.

I think this maybe the last time you see the Illinois football team skunked in the NFL Draft.

Here are the players you will see drafted in 2016.

Next: OL Ted Karras

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