Illinois Football: Illini projected to have a top 10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

Illinois football went through a lull in the late 2010s of not putting a ton of talent into the NFL Draft.

I am not saying the Illini weren’t getting players into the NFL. We just didn’t have them getting selected too often in the draft. They would tend to get signed as free agents and then stick with a team. I mean, just look at Justin Hardee. He didn’t get selected and has now spent six years in the NFL and is heading to the Pro Bowl with the New York Jets this season.

Over the past couple of years, Illinois has started to pile up the draft picks. In 2021, the Illini managed to get two players selected with the highest player, Kendrick Green, going in the third round. For the 2022 NFL Draft, the Illini had three players selected. Kerby Joseph ended up getting picked in the third round, which was the highest for the Orange and Blue.

Illinois will be entering the 2023 NFL Draft with a couple of handfuls of players looking to get selected. But there is one player who could do something this program hasn’t seen in a long time. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon isn’t just a player who is going to be picked by an NFL team, but he is someone who could be going in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Devon Witherspoon could be one of the highest NFL Draft picks in the history of the Illinois football program.

Witherspoon had a big year for the Illini, amassing 42 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and three interceptions. That is when teams actually threw his way, which didn’t happen all too often.

The play of Witherspoon on the field got the attention of many NFL scouts and pundits throughout the country. In the latest Pro Football Focus rankings, Witherspoon checks in as the No. 12 NFL Draft prospect on their big board.

Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network took it one step further, though. Not only does he have Witherspoon in the top 12, but Jeremiah actually has the Detroit Lions selecting the former consensus All-American at No. 6 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Just think about that for a second. Illinois football has someone projected to go in the top 10 of the NFL Draft. That is incredible.

The last time Illinois had a selection in the top two rounds was Jihad Ward in 2016. He was selected in the second round with pick No. 44 overall. You have to go back to the 2012 NFL Draft to find the last Illinois first round pick. Whitney Mercilus and AJ Jenkins were both selected in the first round that season with picks No. 26 and No. 30, respectively.

When was the last time Illinois had a top 10 pick in the NFL Draft? That was way back in 1996. Illinois had an incredible draft that year with Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice getting selected with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively, in the NFL Draft.

On April 27, 2023, it looks like Witherspoon’s name is going to be called. Not only will it be called, but it could end up being called in the first 10 picks. That hasn’t happened in 27 years. Witherspoon was a special player for the Illini, and his future in the NFL is so bright. The icing on the cake would be if he does go to Detroit at No. 6. Witherspoon could play alongside Kerby Joseph. We would be painting the Motor City Orange and Blue.