Illinois Football: Pittsburgh Steelers get a steal with Kendrick Green

It has been a couple of years, but the Illinois football team is back in the NFL Draft.

With the 87th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select center Kendrick Green. The talented Illinois offensive lineman has been waiting for those words for years, and his dreams have finally come true.

It has been a crazy journey for Green. Coming out of Peoria High School in Peoria, Illinois, Green stayed committed to the Illini. The three-star recruit, who was ranked as the No. 411 player in the class of 2017, picked Illinois in what was Lovie Smith’s first recruiting class.

The winning wasn’t consistent for the Illini, as the program only made one bowl game, but one thing that was consistent was the dedication and talent of Green. Coming in as a defensive tackle, he quickly flipped to the offensive side of the ball as a guard after a redshirt year in 2017.

This was the best move for Green, as he would end up starting every game for the Illini on the offensive line. Illinois would end up playing 33 games during Green’s career, and he started 32 of those contests at guard and one start was at center when Doug Kramer was out with an injury. It was quite an incredible career.

Now Green gets the honor of joining a great franchise in the Steelers. He couldn’t have landed with a better team, as they always seem to be competitive and have a plan for their players. It also looks like the Steelers drafted Green as a center, and they only have one center currently on their roster in JC Hassenauer. So, there could be some early playing time for Green.

Even if he doesn’t get to play right away, having Green get picked in the third round is amazing. I am so happy for the kid because he has worked so hard to get to this point. I believe the Steelers got the steal of the draft.

Who is next to be drafted for the Illinois football team?

NFL.com has Green with a grade of 6.21, which means he is a “good backup who could become starter”. That is exciting to hear. The next highest player Illinois has on the board is Josh Imatorbhebhe.

Imatorbhebeh has a grade of 5.87. This grade falls in the category of “Backup/special-teamer”. Following him is Nate Hobbs with a grade of 5.82, and that is the same category as Imatorbhebhe. Milo Eifler is also evaluated, and he has a grade of 5.19. That is in the category of “chance to be in an NFL training camp”.

So, there is definitely some potential for another Illinois play to be picked on Saturday. The Illini already had someone taken for the first time since Nick Allegretti went in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The trend of Illinois players making it to the league will hopefully continue this weekend.