Former Illinois star bursts onto the scene with the Denver Broncos

While the weekend started off badly for Illinois football fans, things got a little better on NFL Sunday.

The Illini have numerous players suiting up in the NFL. Pat Bryant had to wait to have his name called in this past NFL Draft, as he had 73 other players selected before him. But with pick No. 10 in the third round, the Denver Broncos took the talented Illini product.

That selection by the Broncos is now paying off. On Sunday, Bryant broke down the rookie door and burst onto the scene in the NFL. He finished the game against the Dallas Cowboys with two receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown, all of which were career highs.

With a defensive back snug to his hip, Bryant jetted down the sidelines. Bo Nix dropped back and laid a beautiful pass out in front of his wide receiver. Bryant made a great catch, with great focus, in the corner of the end zone for his first touchdown of his NFL career.

Pat Bryant gives the Denver Broncos another dangerous weapon on the outside

Don’t look now, but the Broncos are a sneaky 6-2 on the season. They have now won five straight games. I would imagine they should be the favorite or one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season.

The scary part about the Broncos is that they aren’t a one-dimensional team. They can attack you in a variety of ways, just ask the Cowboys. JK Dobbins put up 111 yards on the ground. Six different Broncos receivers had a catch, and four of those players had at least 35 yards in the game.

One of those wide receivers was Bryant. Now that he is getting more acclimated to the NFL game, that gives Denver another massive weapon in the offense. Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin hold the top two spots, but when the defensive backs are focused on those two, Bryant can burn his man in single coverage. I think a 6-2 team just got even stronger, and that should scare the rest of the NFL.