NFL draft

IllinoisFighting Illini

The last 5 drafts, newest on the right. A draft year runs one behind its football season — the 2026 draft is the 2025 team.

Draft
Current

2012–2016

Selections per draft

11 across 5 drafts

Counted from zero, so the height of a point is its share of this team's best draft here.

Selections by position

11 across 2012–2016

Color is the side of the ball; each segment is a position group. Offense 4 · Defense 7.

Draft selections by position group across 2012–2016: Receivers 1, Offensive line 3, Defensive line 4, Defensive backs 3

2012

2011 Ron Zook

4 selections

  1. 1-26Whitney MercilusNo recruiting profile foundDefensive End
  2. 1-30A.J. Jenkins44-star recruitWide Receiver
  3. 2-12Jeff AllenNo recruiting profile foundOffensive Guard
  4. 2-16Tavon WilsonNo recruiting profile foundSafety

2013

2012 Tim Beckman

4 selections

  1. 3-24Hugh ThorntonNo recruiting profile foundOffensive Guard
  2. 4-03Akeem SpenceNo recruiting profile foundDefensive Tackle
  3. 5-17Terry Hawthorne44-star recruitCornerback
  4. 7-20Michael BuchananNo recruiting profile foundDefensive End

2014

2013 Tim Beckman

0 selections

No selections.

2015

2014 Tim Beckman

0 selections

No selections.

2016

2015 Bill Cubit

3 selections

  1. 2-13Jihad WardNo recruiting profile foundDefensive End
  2. 6-46Ted Karras33-star recruitOffensive Guard
  3. 7-24Clayton FejedelemNo recruiting profile foundSafety

Stars are the player's recruiting rating, matched back to his high-school profile by athlete id — not a draft grade. Only 3 of 11 picks in this range could be matched: CFBD's links between draft picks and recruiting profiles thin out before the 2013 draft and are absent before 2009, so an em dash here usually means the link is missing rather than that the player was unrated.