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Illinois Football: Top 10 most overlooked Illini recruits

By Rees Woodcock

Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Sydney Brown (30) reacts to a penalty call during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2019; Santa Clara, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Sydney Brown (30) reacts to a penalty call during the third quarter against the California Golden Bears at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 15, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Jartavius Martin (21) intercepts the ball intended for Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Michael Brown-Stephens (22) during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

Illinois football didn’t do a ton of winning the past couple of decades, but there have been some special players come through the program.

Not every great Illini player had to be ranked inside the top 1000, though. Some players are overlooked for one reason or another. There are times when these overlooked players go out there and shocked the recruiting world.

There are actually a lot of Illinois players who have been overlooked but have gone on to have good football careers. So, I compiled a list of some of the best.

Here are the top 10 most overlooked Illinois football recruits.

Honorable Mention

Quan Martin – #1495

  • All-Big Ten Second Team (SR)
  • 221 tackles, 23 pass deflections, 4 forced fumbles, 7 interceptions in 5 seasons
  • #124 graded player in the 2023 NFL Draft (PFF.com)

Martin will likely be picked in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was close to making the top 10 but narrowly missed out.

Jake Hansen – #1999

  • All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (JR)
  • All-Big Ten Second Team (SR)
  • 275 tackles, 3 pass deflections, 8 sacks, 12 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions (College)
  • Undrafted
  • 25 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery (NFL)

Hansen is one of the lowest-ranked players on this list. His injuries derailed him from being in the top 10. He has done some amazing things despite not getting drafted, though.

Doug Kramer – #2013

  • Big Ten All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention
  • All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (JR)
  • All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (SR)
  • 6th round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft (Chicago Bears)
  • Missed rookie season with injury

If Kramer didn’t get hurt this season, he probably would have played some snaps with the Chicago Bears. He was close to making the top 10, but his accolades in college didn’t meet the top 10 expectations.

Chase McLaughlin – Not Ranked

  • All-Big Ten First Team
  • Big Ten Kicker of the Year
  • 44-of-59 Field Goals and 79-79 Extra Points (College)
  • Undrafted – 6 NFL Teams
  • 67-of-85 Field Goals and 88-of-90 Extra Points (NFL)

I really wanted to put McLaughlin up in the top 10. He wasn’t ranked coming out of high school, but most kickers aren’t ranked. A good college career and a journeyman kicker in the NFL gets him to the honorable mention list.

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