Illinois Football: Linemen Find New NFL Deals

Illinois Football: Linemen Find New NFL Deals

Overall, Illinois Football had a rather successful 2024 NFL Draft. Jer’zhan Newton headlined the crop of Illini football players who heard their names called in last week’s draft. Additionally, Tip Reiman and Isaiah Adams were selected by the Arizona Cardinals. Reiman’s inspirational story from Sioux Falls, South Dakota warmed the hearts of all Illini fans. To finish, The Atlanta Falcons selected Casey Washington with their sixth-round pick.

Most recently, two Illinois Football linemen made the news for signing new deals with NFL ball clubs.

Julian Pearl

Julian Pearl was not selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, he did just sign a deal with the Baltimore Ravens. Per Lance Zierlein, NFL Analyst for NFL.com, Pearl ” is still learning the position and appears to have room for physical growth, as well. The athletic pieces are in place, but he’s lacking the functional upper-body strength to withstand NFL challenges“

Dawuane Smoot

Dawuane Smoot played at Illinois from 2013-2016. In 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Smoot with the 68th overall pick. Smoot has had a successful NFL career thus far, however, has been limited by injury the past year. In fact, in 2021, Dawuane had six sacks, sixteen quarterback hits, and seven tackles for loss.  He signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills in hopes of getting back to that same level of production in 2021.

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