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Illinois Football: 5 players who could be selected in 2017 NFL Draft

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 28, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detailed view of the NFL seal logo during the NFL Annual Meetings at the Biltmore Resort. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 28, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Detailed view of the NFL seal logo during the NFL Annual Meetings at the Biltmore Resort. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois Football
Jan 21, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; West Team quarterback Wes Lunt (12) throws the ball as East Team defensive end Bryan Cox (94) defends during the first quarter of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Wes Lunt

One player that I thought had a chance to improve his draft stock before the 2016 season started was quarterback Wes Lunt. He didn’t have the best season, though.

Lunt is a good quarterback that had a bad run of things, in my opinion. Not only did he deal with injuries over the years, but he also had four different head coaches in the three seasons he played for the Illini.

The NFL has Lunt projected to be an undrafted free agent. They don’t expect him to go in the draft this week, but that isn’t a bad thing for him. He can prove to teams that he has the ability via his own way.

There is no doubt in my mind that Lunt is a project, though. He won’t be a starter in his first few seasons, but he can adapt to change and that is a good quality to have in a quarterback.

I think three teams that could use Lunt as a third-string player who can learn for a while are the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears.

The Bills are a team that has been looking for a quarterback for quite some time. Right now they have Tyrod Taylor who is good, but I am not sure he is the answer. It would be a good idea to have someone on the depth chart who could be groomed to replace Taylor in a few years.

Arizona will also need a quarterback in a year or two. They have Carson Palmer right now but he is old and will be retiring soon. They need to have someone on the depth chart to step in and take over.

Next: Illini offensive line relying on young talent

The final team I have is the Chicago Bears. They have a confusing quarterback situation so why not have Lunt come in and learn before unleashing him as the next, or first, great Bears quarterback?

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