17 Former Illini in the NFL

Keep up with former Illini as the NFL opens the 2018 opens Thursday

Football September 6, 2018

17 Former Illini in the NFL

Keep up with former Illini as the NFL opens the 2018 opens Thursday

A total of 17 former Fighting Illini football players are in the NFL as the season opens up this week. Fourteen players are on opening-day 53-man rosters, one is on injured reserve and two more are on practice squads.

The list of Illini on NFL rosters includes a bevy of veterans like Vontae Davis, Corey Liuget, Whitney Mercilus, Akeem Spence and Tavon Wilson, plus more recent fan favorites like rookie JamesCrawford, Geronimo Allison, Clayton Fejedelem, Ted Karras, HardyNickerson and Dawuane Smoot, plus Carroll Phillips and Jihad Ward on practice squads.

Look for Illini in the NFL updates throughout the season at FightingIllini.com.

Illini in NFL – Opening Day 2018

Player	Team	Position
Geronimo Allison	Green Bay Packers	Wide Receiver
James Crawford	Green Bay Packers	Linebacker
Vontae Davis	Buffalo Bills	Cornerback
Clayton Fejedelem	Cincinnati Bengals	Safety
Justin Hardee	New Orleans Saints	Cornerback
Michael Hoomanawanui	New Orleans Saints	Tight End
Ted Karras	New England Patriots	Offensive Line
Matt LaCosse	Denver Broncos	Tight End
Corey Liuget	Los Angeles Chargers	Defensive Tackle
Whitney Mercilus	Houston Texans	Linebacker
Hardy Nickerson	Cincinnati Bengals	Linebacker
Dawuane Smoot	Jacksonville Jaguars	Defensive End
Akeem Spence	Miami Dolphins	Defensive Tackle
Tavon Wilson	Detroit Lions	Defensive Back

Illini on Injured Reserve

Josh Ferguson

Indianapolis Colts

Running Back

Illini on Practice Squads

Carroll Phillips	Indianapolis Colts	Defensive End
Jihad Ward	Indianapolis Colts	Defensive End

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