Top 10 NFL careers by an Illinois football player

No. 4 Simeon Rice

That 1996 NFL Draft was something special for the Illinois football program. We already talked about Kevin Hardy who went No. 2 overall that year. Now let’s talk about Simeon Rice.

Rice joined the Illini from Mount Carmel High School in Illinois. He was an instant success with Illinois as well. Rice was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1992. He would then go on to earn All-Big Ten honors for the next three seasons. Rice was also an All-American in 1994 and 1995.

The insane numbers and accolades Rice put up in college got him noticed by the NFL. He would end up getting selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft.

Rice would spend 13 seasons in the NFL, and he was a menace on the defensive side of the ball. He would have at least 10 sacks in eight out of the 13 seasons he played and would finish his career with 122 total sacks.

The 122 sacks for Rice ranks No. 20 all-time in NFL history. It is also No. 1 among Illinois players who played in the NFL. The next closes is at 58 sacks.

These great numbers earned Rice a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1999, 2002, and 2003. He was also an All-Pro in 2002. Rice would add Defensive Rookie of the Year to his accolades in 1996 as well.

In 2002, Rice would help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory. This was the icing on his great NFL career. He was a special player in the professional ranks, and he checks in at No. 4 on this list.