Illinois Football: Philadelphia Eagles could get double dose of Illini in 2023 NFL Draft

It looks like the Philadelphia Eagles want a little bit of what the Illinois football team is having.

The 2023 NFL Draft is coming up from April 27-29, and for the first time in a long time, the Illini are being talked about in the first couple of rounds.

Illinois wasn’t exactly a staple in the NFL Draft before Bret Bielema took over the program. After year one, he was able to send three players into the draft, which included a third and two sixth-round picks.

Before the 2022 draft, the Illini only had four players selected in the previous five NFL Drafts. That is how bad things had gotten for the Orange and Blue.

After a big season that saw the program win eight games, the Illini are about to have another impressive haul of sending players to the next level.

The Philadelphia Eagles could be getting a double dose of Illinois football in the 2023 NFL Draft

This past draft helped players realize they can come to Champaign and get to the next level. But I think the 2023 NFL Draft is going to open the eyes of the top-level players who are looking to get into the first couple of rounds.

You have to go back to 2012 to find the last time Illinois had a player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Whitney Mercilus was selected with pick No. 26 in that draft. Illinois also had another player go in the first round. AJ Jenkins was selected with pick No. 30.

This year, Illinois is about to reset history. As of right now, Pro Football Focus has Devon Witherspoon projected to go in the first round. They have the Philadelphia Eagles picking Witherspoon with pick No. 10.

In this mock draft, PFF has another Illinois defensive back getting picked in the second round. They have Sydney Brown getting selected with pick No. 62. The Eagles would be his landing spot as well. If both of these players get picked in the first two rounds, that would be the first time that has happened for the Illini since that 2012 draft.

It would make sense for the Eagles to select both Witherspoon and Brown in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Eagles, who have had plenty of departures this season, need more depth in the secondary. They lost safety Marcus Epps to the Las Vegas Raiders. Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is also a free agent as of right now, so there is no guarantee he is coming back.

Illinois has some top talent who will be picked early in the 2023 NFL Draft. It would be kind of cool to see both Witherspoon and Brown land in the same city, especially one with high Super Bowl hopes.