Illinois Football 2023 final Mock Draft

Potential late-round NFL Draft picks

Calvin Avery

A highly rated recruit coming out of high school, Calvin Avery finally started to gain some traction late in his career at Illinois. With Bret Bielema taking over, the Illini moved to a 3-4 defense, and this helped Avery as he was the nose tackle on the front lines.

Avery has a 5.80 rating by NFL.com. I haven’t seen him on a single mock draft, but that really doesn’t matter. He is the fifth-highest-rated Illinois player with draft potential.

NFL teams could always use a tough nose tackle. Illinois had a good rush defense this past season, and Avery was a part of that great unit.

If a team reaches up into the draft and snags Avery, I would think it would either be the Miami Dolphins or Green Bay Packers. The Dolphins only have two picks in rounds six and seven, but Green Bay has five picks in those two rounds. The Packers also like to draft nose tackles late in drafts, as both of the nose tackles on their roster were selected in the fifth and seventh rounds.

Calvin Avery’s potential 2023 NFL Draft landing spot – Green Bay Packers

Alex Palczewski

There is always a shortage of talented offensive tackles in the NFL. A team can never have enough linemen. This should help the prospects of Alex Palczewski.

Palczewski has a rating of 5.68 by the NFL. He isn’t projected to be picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, but offensive linemen can climb into the mix based on position need.

With Palczewski, I am looking at some of the worst running teams in the league as potential landing spots. The first one that comes to mind is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were last in the NFL in rushing yards per game. He would continue to block for Chase Brown, as I have them taking the Illinois running back in the fifth round.

Tampa Bay has three picks in the sixth round and a pick in the seventh round. Don’t be surprised if they take a flyer on Palczewski with one of these picks.

Alex Palczewski’s potential 2023 NFL Draft landing spot – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Alex Pihlstrom

The final player that the NFL graded was Alex Pihlstrom. He was Illinois’ center last season, and he has been one of the most versatile players this program has had in the last decade. He started his career as a tight end. He then moved to guard and finished as a center.

Pihlstrom earned a grade of 5.66 by NFL.com. He isn’t currently projected to get picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, but neither was Doug Kramer last year, and he was selected by the Chicago Bears.

With the running attack and style of play of the San Francisco 49ers, I would think they would be in the market for a nice young center who could develop in their system.

As of right now, the 49ers’ first and second string consist of two centers who are both in their 30s. They both ranked 20th or worse among all centers in the NFL as well. This team needs more protection and leadership on the line, and someone like Pihlstrom could provide that.

San Francisco has one pick in the sixth round and four picks in the seventh round. If Pihlstrom does sneak into the draft, look for the 49ers to select him with one of their seventh round picks.

Alex Pihlstrom’s potential 2023 NFL Draft landing spot – San Francisco 49ers