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Illinois Football: Class of 2017 Position Grades for the Illini

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 1, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith watches during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Illinois Fighting Illini in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 1, 2016; Lincoln, NE, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Lovie Smith watches during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers Illinois Fighting Illini in the first quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) is tackled by Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Taylor Barton (3) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) is tackled by Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Taylor Barton (3) during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Backs A+

The Illinois football team had four defensive backs depart from the team after the 2016 campaign.

Of these four defensive backs, two were opening day starters for the Illini.

Taylor Barton and Darius Mosely both started for the Illini against the Murray State Racers last season.

Barton ended up playing in 11 games and started in seven of those contests for Illinois.  Toward the end of the season, he started to lose playing time to backup Stanley Green.

Mosely played in all 12 games for the Illini last season and he started in eight of those contests as well.  His path was similar to Barton’s as he started to lose playing time to some younger backups.

Illinois also lost Dillan Cazley and Caleb Day as well.

Cazley had a chance to play in seven games and started two of them.  He was a nice contributor but couldn’t stay healthy.

Day didn’t do much his senior season and eventually went down with a season-ending injury.  He was mainly a special teams specialist.

So, the Illini lost four players last year at defensive back.   That isn’t terrible considering the replacements for these four players are actually on the team right now.

Stanley Green came onto the scene last season as a true freshman and made seven starts in the 10 games he played.  He will be in one of the two starting safety positions this year.

Patrick Nelson also had a good year as a redshirt freshman.  He played in 12 games and started in six of those contests at the other safety position.

Right there Illinois is getting back two sophomore safeties that started in a combined 13 games last season.

At corner, Jaylen Dunlap will be starting as a senior.  He started all 12 games last season.  Cameron Watkins will be another corner and he is only a sophomore.  He started two games last year and played in nine.

Chris James will be slotted in as the nickel cornerback and he is only a junior.  He started four games last season and played in every contest for the Illini.

Illinois already has a starting five who each started at least two games last season and only one of them is a senior.  That bodes well for the Illini this upcoming season and into the future.

Lovie recruited four talented defensive backs to add depth to the secondary and he accomplished that goal.  Bennett Williams, Dawson DeGroot, Nate Hobbs, and Tony Adams won’t see much time next season, but they will be important in the future.

The defensive back recruiting class is exactly what the Illini needed and I give them a high grade.

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