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Illinois Football: Illini Prospects in the 2017 NFL Draft

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:38 p.m. ET

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The Illinois football team didn’t have a great record, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have talent.

Getting drafted into the NFL is extremely tough considering how many college football players there are at all levels.

Here are the NFL Draft prospects for the Illini in 2017.

QB Wes Lunt

For three seasons Illinois fans had the chance to see Wes Lunt play quarterback in the orange and blue.  He was sort of a stabilizing force in what was one of the most unstable times in Illini history.

CBS has Lunt as the No. 543 player in the draft and the No. 29 quarterback overall.  They don’t project him getting drafted, but my guess is that he will eventually get some looks after the draft.

WR Justin Hardee

The 2015 season really hampered Justin Hardee’s potential to be higher ranked among NFL Draft prospects.  He went down with an injury that season and ended up redshirting.

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Hardee has a lot of potential as a wide receiver.  He finished his senior campaign with 314 yards, but much like Lunt, the coaching changes really affected chemistry.

CBS has Hardee as the No. 971 player in the draft this year.  They also have him as the No. 143 wide receiver as well.  He won’t get drafted but I bet he will have a chance to workout for a team or two.

C Joe Spencer

Joe Spencer has been a great offensive lineman for the Illinois football team.  He was All-Big Ten honorable mention and he started in 11 games for the Illini this season.

CBS has Spencer has the No. 854 player in the draft and the No. 29 center as well.  He likely won’t get drafted but like the other two, he will probably have a chance to show off his talents.

DE Dawuane Smoot

Heading into the 2016 season, defensive end Dawuane Smoot had a chance to be a first-round draft pick.  I think a combination of a bad season for the Illini and double teams really hurt his draft stock.

Smoot finished his 2016 campaign with 56 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks.  He was an impressive player that Illinois will miss this upcoming season.

CBS has Smoot at the No. 107 player in the draft and the No. 11 defensive end.  He is projected to go somewhere in rounds three or four.

If Smoot does drop this low some team will get a steal.  I hope the Chicago Bears can snag him and continue building their defense back up to a powerhouse once again.

DE Gimel President

Illinois fans only had one season to witness how good Gimel President was at defensive end.  He could have started for just about any team in the nation.

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President finished with 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks in his lone season in Champaign.  This was a great year as a backup defensive end.

CBS currently has President as the No. 846 player in the draft and the No. 64 defensive end.  He probably won’t get drafted but I think he could eventually stick with a team.

DT Chunky Clements

Another great defensive lineman for the Illini was Chunky Clements.  He finished his senior campaign with 36 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

CBS has Clements as the No. 365 player in the draft and the No. 32 defensive tackle.  They have him projected as not being drafted, but I think he could sneak into the end of the draft.

ILB Hardy Nickerson

Hardy Nickerson is another player that Illinois fans only had one season of watching.  He was a spectacular middle linebacker for the Illini.

I wish we could have had Nickerson for his entire college career, but better late than never I guess.  He finished his senior campaign with 107 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 interceptions.

CBS has Nickerson as the No. 343 player in the draft and the No. 14 inside linebacker.  He is projected to be drafted in round No. 7 or signed as a free agent.

Nickerson is another player I wouldn’t mind the Bears getting to build up their defense.

OLB Carroll Phillips

Throughout Carroll Phillips career with the Illini he was a defensive end.  But, they are now projecting him as an outside linebacker in the NFL.  Judging by his size, that makes sense.

Phillips finished his senior season with 56 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 9 sacks.  He was a true beast and a player that will be dearly missed.

CBS has Phillips as the No. 139 player in the draft and the No. 13 outside linebacker.  He is projected to go in round No. 4 as well.

OT Austin Schmidt

The Illinois offensive line had some injuries this past season but Austin Schmidt has always been a rock for the Illini.  He was one of the iron men for this Illinois football team.

CBS has Schmidt as the No. 761 player in the draft and the No. 56 offensive tackle.  I think Schmidt has some work to do to get noticed in the big pool of offensive linemen, but he is good enough and he is pretty much always healthy as well.

SS Taylor Barton

Taylor Barton had a good career with the Illini at strong safety.  He had 40 tackles and 3 tackles for loss during his senior campaign.

CBS has Barton as the No. 772 player in the draft and the No. 34 strong safety.  It will be tough for Barton to stick with a team, but he has the drive to be successful.

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