Illinois Football: Chase Brown restarting the trend of Illini running backs in NFL

After one of the best seasons in the history of the Illinois football program, running back Chase Brown is cashing in.

The Illini were able to land Brown after he spent one season with the Western Michigan Broncos. Brown would step foot in Memorial Stadium, and the rest is history.

Brown would have back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, which was capped off with a senior campaign that saw him hit 1,643 yards on the ground and 240 yards receiving. I haven’t even mentioned the combined 13 touchdowns he provided for the Orange and Blue.

This great run by the Canadian Sensation enabled him to get noticed by NFL scouts. He worked his way up in the draft, and the Cincinnati Bengals would pick Brown in the fifth round.

On Tuesday, Brown would cash in on all of his hard work. He would sign his rookie deal with the Bengals to the tune of four years, $4,126,156. This deal also included a $284,156 signing bonus.

Chase Brown is helping restart the trend of Illinois football running backs in the NFL

Brown being selected in the 2023 NFL Draft is a big deal. It might not seem like a big achievement to some, but producing NFL-quality running backs has been tough for the Orange and Blue over the past decade or so.

Josh Ferguson wasn’t drafted, but he was the last Illinois running back to sign any type of contract with an NFL team. He hopped around the league for three years and hasn’t played since 2019.

The last Illinois running back to be selected in the NFL Draft was Mikel Leshoure in 2011. He signed a four-year deal for $3,434,178 with the Detroit Lions but only played two of the four years and was cut before his rookie deal ran out.

Rashard Mendenhall was selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His rookie deal was five years, $11,005,000. This contract was before the NFL went to controlling how much a rookie got paid. Mendenhall would spend six solid years in the NFL before taking a new career path.

That said, Brown is in some rarified air. He now joins Leshoure and Mendenhall as being the only Illinois running backs selected in the NFL Draft since the turn of the century.

I am also happy to see Brown cash in on all of his hard work. He is someone who will continue to work and get better even though he has hit the professional lottery. Don’t be surprised if Brown ends up not only being one of the most accomplished Illinois running backs in college but also one of the most accomplished Illinois running backs in the NFL.