The Illinois football team just had one of the best NFL Draft showings in nearly a decade.
I think it is fair to say the Illini have had a rough patch in recent years when it comes to the draft. The consistency of players selected slowed greatly, but those tides are starting to turn. In 2021, Illinois had two players drafted in Kendrick Green and Nate Hobbs. The 2022 NFL Draft turned out to be even better than 2021.
While the Illini didn’t have a player taken in the first round, it only took until day two to have someone go off the board. With the 33rd pick in the third round, the Detroit Lions selected Kerby Joseph. He played mostly cornerback for Illinois, but the Lions are bringing him in as a safety.
Illinois then went into day three looking for another player taken off the board. Just five picks into the sixth round, the Minnesota Vikings decided to pull the trigger on another Illinois football player. Vederian Lowe was picked by the Vikings and will be an offensive tackle.
The Orange and Blue weren’t done with just two players selected in the NFL Draft, though. Just 24 picks later with the 29th pick in the sixth round, the Chicago Bears selected Doug Kramer. He will be a center for the Monsters of the Midway.
The Chicago Bears drafted a center from Illinois. I like that. Blue and Orange, guys.
— Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) April 30, 2022
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Illinois football is starting to pick up momentum when it comes to the NFL Draft.
It was great to see Joseph go first. This started a wave of Illinois players getting picked. I have been accustomed to being surprised when an Illinois player gets selected, but I need to start getting used to the feeling of sending players to the NFL.
Illinois had three players selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. This followed the 2021 draft where we had two players picked. The Illini had two or more players picked in back-to-back drafts for the first time since the 2012 and 2013 NFL Drafts.
This was also the first time Illinois had three or more players drafted since the 2016 NFL Draft. That season we had Teddy Karras, Jihad Ward, and Clayton Fejedelem all picked.
In the last two NFL Drafts, Illinois has had five players selected. This is something we all need to get used to. The Illini are developing players who can make the NFL. This trend is surely going to continue.