Former Illinois Football DL Signs with Miami Dolphins

Former Illinois Football DL Signs with Miami Dolphins

Hearing former Illinois Football players sign on NFL teams despite being undrafted is always a fun story. Most recently, Jamal Woods has reportedly signed a 2 year contract with the Miami Dolphins. Woods initially signed on with the Indianapolis Colts after going undrafted in this year’s draft. He was waived recently, however seemed to do enough to warrant a deal with another team.

In other news, Isaac Darkangelo signed with the Oakland Raiders. Darkangelo was a former walk-on who really came on his senior season. He had 71 total tackles with 7.5 total tackles for loss.

Jamal Woods as an Illini

Woods was a part of the first Lovie Smith recruiting class. That class proved to be very successful with players like Vederian Lowe, Alex Palczewski, Nate Hobbs, Tony Adams and more. Woods struggled with injury throughout most of his Illini career, however proved to be very productive when on the field.  In his career, Woods  appeared in 49 games including 18 starts. He recorded 78 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three passes deflected and one forced fumble.

This is an awesome moment for one of the nicest personalities from Illinois Football. Woods was notably close with the late Bobby Roundtree. Hence, I am sure he has his close friend in mind as he signs his first NFL deal. The Dolphins are a competitive franchise and have a fast-paced offense. Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill are as dynamic as they come. Woods will provide solid depth at the Defensive tackle position.

32 Illinois Football Alums in the NFL

Woods marks the 32nd Illinois football player in the NFL. Though there are certainly going to be more cuts, Illinois Football has laid a solid foundation of players on NFL rosters. Interestingly, Kendall Smith also had a good preseason. This goes to amount that Illinois has started creating strong habits and foundations for players to land in the NFL.