Illinois Football: Top 10 most overlooked Illini recruits

No. 2 Ted Karras – #1239

• All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (JR)
• All-Big Ten Third Team (SR)
• 6th round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft (New England Patriots)
• 2-Time Super Bowl Champion
• 65 starts with 3 teams over 7 seasons
• Currently with the Cincinnati Bengals

It is hard to quantify offensive linemen in this conversation, but when you have done what Karras has done in the game of football, you earned the No. 2 spot on this list.

Karras was only ranked as the No. 1239 recruit in the class of 2011. He didn’t have a ton of recruiting attention, and he wasn’t even a top-80 offensive guard coming out of his recruiting class. Despite the rankings, Karras picked Illinois and had a good collegiate career.

As a junior, Karras would earn All-Big Ten honorable mention. He would then follow that up with an All-Big Ten third-team selection as a senior. Over his career, he would have 43 starts for the Orange and Blue.

Karras would then get selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. Over his NFL career, Karras has had 65 starts with three teams over seven seasons. He has two Super Bowl titles under his belt, and he is currently the starting center for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals play this weekend for a chance to head to the Super Bowl.

An offensive lineman who has been in the NFL for seven years, has protected the likes of Tom Brady and Joe Burrow, and is now on the verge of potentially winning a third Super Bowl. That is a hard career to beat, and he was only the No. 1239 player in his recruiting class.

No. 1 Devon Witherspoon – Not Ranked

• All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (SO)
• All-Big Ten First Team (JR)
• Consensus All-American (JR)
• 160 tackles, 25 pass deflections, 5 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries (College)
• #12 graded player in the 2023 NFL Draft (PFF.com)
• Projected #10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (PFF.com)

I think the No. 1 player on this list is an obvious one. When you have a player like Witherspoon accomplish what he has accomplished and wasn’t ranked coming out of high school, then you have to put him at No. 1.

Witherspoon only had one power-five offer, and that was from Illinois. He wasn’t ranked, but as soon as he stepped foot in Memorial Stadium, Witherspoon was a special player.

For his college career, Witherspoon would compile 160 tackles, 25 pass deflections, five interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. He would earn All-Big Ten honorable mention as a sophomore. Witherspoon would follow that up with honors of All-Big Ten first team and a consensus All-American selection as a junior.

Witherspoon had one of the greatest seasons in Illinois football history. He is one of just 21 Illini players to ever earn the honor of consensus All-American.

Obviously, Witherspoon has entered his name in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is currently graded as the No. 12 player in the draft by Pro Football Focus. They also have him getting picked with the No. 10 pick in the draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

It is hard to match the career of Witherspoon at Illinois. When you mix in the fact that he wasn’t ranked coming out of high school, it is a no-brainer that he belongs at the top of this list.