Each year, former Illini gridders excel in the NFL ranks and this season was no different. To begin the season, 22 Illini were on NFL rosters. With the playoffs in full swing and the Super Bowl approaching, let's take some time to review coachronzook.com's Top-10 list of the most notable Illini in the NFL this season.
| 10 | |
| | Buffalo Bills center Duke Preston's performance this season is being heralded as one of the best by a first-year player. The former fourth-round pick played in 15 games starting one. He was recently the center named to the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team. Although the team was 5-11, Preston gained valuable playing time as one of the lead blockers in running back Willis McGahee's 1,300-yard season. The Bills also produced two 700-yard receivers in All-Pro Eric Moulds and Lee Evans.
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| 9 | |
| | Grabbing the No. 9 spot is Arizona Cardinals offensive tackle Fred Wakefield. The Tuscola, Ill., native made the difficult jump from the defensive line to the offense this season. Despite the new position, Wakefield played in 15 games, starting nine. Wakefield helped block for the league's most prolific passing offense and the team's two 1,000-yard receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.
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| 8 | |
| | Former Illini defensive tackle Brandon Moore is now making waves as a starting offensive guard for the New York Jets. The team fell short of expectations with a 4-12 final record and just lost head coach Herman Edwards to the Chiefs, but Moore is showing promise as a solid guard in the league. Moore protected five different Jets quarterbacks this year as the group passed for over 2,600 yards. He recently signed a contract extension to keep him with the Jets through 2010.
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| 7 | |
| | For the first time in his three-year NFL career, Greg Lewis was a full-time starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. He made 16 starts and caught 48 passes for 561 yards and one touchdown. The undrafted free agent has become one of quarterback Donavan McNabb's favorite targets. The loss of Donovan McNabb hurt the team's chances of a return to the playoffs, a place Lewis has been the last two seasons with the team.
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| 6 | |
| | Hard-hitting Oakland Raider middle linebacker Danny Clark is our pick for seventh, as he has just completed his second consecutive 100-tackle-plus season. He started all 16 games during the 2005 campaign, registering 113 stops, one sack and seven passes batted down. Unfortunately his efforts weren't enough to put the Raiders back in the winning column as they finished 4-9 this season.
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| 5 | |
| | One of Illinois' most dynamic receivers is showing his acrobatic catches off in the pros as well. San Francisco 49er receiver Brandon Lloyd started 15 of 16 games this season, catching 48 passes for 733 yards. He also caught five touchdown passes and averaged 15.1 yards per reception. Despite the team's disappointing finish of 4-12, two wins to close out the season give the team optimism heading into the 2006 campaign. Off the field, Lloyd also released his debut rap CD entitled "Training Day."
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| 4 | |
| | Dave Diehl is in his third year as a starter on the line with the New York Giants. Diehl once again blocked for one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL this season, ranked fourth. He was a key blocker for Tiki Barber who broke three Giants records--single season rushing (1,960), single-game rushing (220) and longest run from scrimmage (95)--in the team's landmark season. He helped the Giants to a divisional title at 11-5. They fell in the first round of the playoffs to the Carolina Panthers. In October, he signed a five-year contract extension worth $14 million.
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| 3 | |
| | Ten-year NFL veteran defensive end Simeon Rice continues to be a dominant force in the league. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished the regular season 11-5, winning the NFC South, but fell to the Washington Redskins in their NFL wild-card game, 17-10. Rice started 15 games for Tampa Bay, recording 40 tackles, 14 sacks, forcing six fumbles and recording one interception ... And the most important thing to most Illini fans: he declared himself from "the University of Illinois" during playoff lineup announcements.
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| 2 | |
| | Eugene Wilson is in his third year with the New England Patriots and has a chance to see his squad in a third straight Super Bowl. Wilson is in his third year as a starting safety for the Pats with two championship rings on his finger and three divisional titles. He finished 2005 second on the team in total tackles with 68 and had one interception, leading a depleted Patriot secondary which lost All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison early in the season. He is considered one of the hardest hitting safeties in the league. Wilson and his team continue their championship quest this weekend against the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
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| 1 | |
| | The unanimous choice for Illini NFL Player of the Year is Arizona Cardinal placekicker Neil Rackers, who was selected to his first-ever Pro-Bowl. Rackers was challenging history as he went the first 10 games of the season without missing a field goal or extra point. During that span, he was 31-for-31, finishing the season with an NFL-record 40 field goals made. His only two misses of the season were a 43-yarder against Jacksonville and a 54-yard shot to end the first half against the Eagles. In all, Rackers hit 95 percent of his field goals (40-for-42), including six 50-yarders, and all 20 of his extra point attempts to account for 140 (45 percent) of the Cardinals' points for the season. Rackers also signed a four-year contract extension in November worth $6.5 million. |
