Illinois football WR Pat Bryant rising up NFL Draft boards at Senior Bowl

Pat Bryant led the Illinois football team in receiving yards and yards from scrimmage while finishing second in touchdowns and receptions in the best season the program has had in more than two decades.

Bryant ended the season by tying Illini great Brandon Lloyd's program record for receiving touchdowns (10) and came up only two yards short of 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

Throughout Senior Bowl practice, Bryant has excelled and likely worked his way up the draft board of many teams. Expectations are high heading into Saturday’s contest.

College football put a bow on the 2024-25 season last week when the Ohio State Buckeyes were crowned champions of the first 12-team College Football Playoffs. Draft season now begins with the playing of the all-star games, namely, the Reese’s Senior Bowl. And while the Illini capped their season with a Citrus Bowl win against South Carolina, one of their best players continues his journey in the Senior Bowl, and then on to the draft. 

For the fourth straight season, the Illini are sending at least one player to the Senior Bowl. Coming off of a stellar season, Bryant will don the Illinois helmet one last time for the Senior Bowl’s National Team, as they square off against the American Team. 

The game is Saturday, February 1 at 1:30 CT on NFL Network, but coverage of practice has been airing on ESPN and its affiliates, as well as NFL Network, all week. Through the first few days of practice, many players have already turned heads, including Bryant. Full rosters for both teams can be found here.

While it’s nice to see the full rosters for perspective, for Bryant’s purposes, let’s look at just a few positions. Primarily, the quarterbacks on the National Team and the defensive backs on the American Team, as well as his fellow receivers. 

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Each team has three quarterbacks. For the National team, it’s Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Shough, and Taylor Elgersma. To be honest, I would have rather seen Jaxson Dart on the National Team. Of the six quarterbacks on both rosters, I believe Dart has the best arm talent. The other two American Team quarterbacks are Jalen Milroe and Riley Leonard. 

Gabriel was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the all-time FBS Division I leader in career touchdowns with 155, and he’s thrown for over 18,000 yards with a career completion percentage of 65.2%. Dart is just a personal preference for me, especially since he’s right-handed. 

Bryant’s fellow receivers are highlighted by Iowa State’s dynamic duo in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel who combined for over 2,400 yards this season. Gabriel’s two favorite targets, WR Tez Johnson and TE Terrance Ferguson will also be running routes alongside Illinois’ standout senior. Ferguson, Harold Fannin Jr., and Elijah Arroyo also highlight a monster tight end group catching passes for the National Team. 

As for the defensive backs that Bryant will have to face, Trey Amos from Ole Miss and Maxwell Hairston of Kentucky highlight an outstanding, but large group of defensive backs. We won’t dig too deeply into the backs since Bryant will match up against the DBs on his own team all week at practice as well. That’s just too many DBs. So, if they are at the Senior Bowl, just assume they can ball. 

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At practice this week, Bryant has been nothing short of spectacular. Whether it’s run blocking, route running, or live 1v1s, the Illini star has thrived. He’s even managed to impress many with his composure and interview skills. 

On Wednesday, Bryant caught up with NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport and Mike Garafolo. By the end of the interview, Rappaport was about to hand his microphone over. Bryant was asked about his game-winning catch against Rutgers, and he didn’t disappoint with his breakdown of the play. 

When asked about who he has enjoyed lining up against, He had this to say…

"“Going against a different variety and just switching sides and just try to go against every corner while I’m here, that’s really what I’m focused on.” "

Pat Bryant

In the same interview, Bryant also cited Dorian Strong as one of his favorite guys to line up against and has also enjoyed lining up against bigger corners who he doesn’t have much experience playing. It was a great interview for the young fella, courtesy of The Insiders and NFL Network’s coverage of the event. 

As for his on-field play? Bryant can be seen here beating Strong. The stud receiver gets his head around on a great ball with a nice little toe tap to top it off. Very late and questionable call from an out-of-position official. That’s a catch from my angle, sir. 

Bryant has exhibited great route running skills, ball skills, and the ability to run after catch both during the regular season and here at Senior Bowl practice. We’ve also seen him be a FULL PARTICIPANT on offense where he’s been able to clear the path for the National Team’s running backs. We already know that should translate when he’s in full pads on Saturday, as Illini Nation has been watching him do this for years now. 

Pat Bryant moving up 2025 NFL Draft boards

Through three days of practice, Bryant has looked good with whatever quarterback he’s been teamed up with. Dare I say that I even noticed a little early chemistry with both Gabriel and Shough. Whether it was 1v1s, individual drills, or team drills, Bryant could be found doing his job and doing it well. 

After showing some early chemistry with Gabriel at Wednesday’s practice, he dropped a 20-yard out, but this was one of his only drops on a catchable ball. Not long after, he shows off his skills with this nasty double stutter on a curl route. What a sell! 

It’s been great to see Bryant excelling in Senior Bowl practice week. Illinois coaches and fans have witnessed his talent for a while now, but it’s about time he gets more attention nationally. That is what has been the best part of this whole experience for Illini fans. Seeing one of our guys finally get the attention he deserves and watching him rise up NFL Draft boards. 

He’s no longer the Orange and Blue’s secret weapon. Now let’s hope the work Bryant is putting in at practice translates to the game and he catches the eyes of even more NFL Draft scouts. The sky is the limit for Bryant, so let’s enjoy the ride.