A former Illinois football player is on the move in the NFL, as he has been traded.
During his short stint thus far, Bret Bielema has managed to send numerous Illini players into the NFL. His first NFL Draft class was in 2022. That year, Illinois had three players selected, which was as many as we had in the prior three drafts combined.
Kerby Joseph was the highest pick in the 2022 draft for the Illini. He would go in the third round to the Detroit Lions. Doug Kramer would also be picked in that draft. He would go late in the sixth round. Sandwiched in the middle of these two was Vederian Lowe. The big offensive tackle would go with the fifth pick in the sixth round.
The Minnesota Vikings ended up selecting Lowe with that pick. Last season, as a rookie, Lowe would see action in four games for the NFC North favorites. After one year with the Vikings, Lowe is now on the move.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on Sunday night that Lowe has been traded from Minnesota to the New England Patriots. The Vikings are getting a sixth-round pick in return for the former Illinois offensive tackle.
Sources: The #Patriots are trading a 6th-round pick to the #Vikings for OL Vederian Lowe.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 28, 2023
New England is prioritizing adding offensive line depth. Lowe is 24 years old. https://t.co/rmSNK2cdTF
Illinois football has a strong connection with the New England Patriots franchise
Lowe getting shipped out to the Patriots isn’t a bad thing for the talented blocker. He is going to a team that knows how to develop offensive linemen, and he gets to be coached by Bill Belichick.
Illinois also has ties with the Patriots. That is where now-center Teddy Karras started his NFL career. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Patriots. Karras would go on to win two Super Bowls in New England.
In addition to Karras, here is a list of the players who were drafted by the Patriots; Michael Buchanan (7th), Tavon Wilson (2nd), Christian Morton (7th), Eugene Wilson (2nd), Darryl Usher (7th), and Tony Eason (1st).
Let’s also not forget, before becoming the head coach of the Illinois football program in December 2020, Bielema spent two years with the Patriots franchise. In 2018, he was a consultant for Belichick. He would then move into the defensive line coach in 2019.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that New England wanted a former Illinois offensive lineman. It is also impressive that Lowe got the same value as where he was drafted. Usually, players depreciate in draft value. I can’t wait to see how Lowe can help the Patriots win games this season and moving forward.