New England certainly needs help in their secondary. They have WRs playing DB for them that’s how short-handed they are. Remember Julian Edelman covering Anquan Boldin in the AFC Title game? Troy Brown actually played some defensive back too; even though he was a wide receiver by trade. And the Patriots legend fittingly announced this pick Tavon Wilson from the Illini, tonight in the 2nd round of the NFL draft.
Former Illinois OT Jeff Allen was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 44th overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Allen was followed at No. 48 overall by defensive back Tavon Wilson by the New England Patriots. Following Whitney Mercilus and AJ Jenkins in the first round last night, this is the first time Illinois has had four players drafted in the top two rounds.
Wilson certainly made plays during his college football days, but he was not expected to go until Saturday. He was looked at as more of a round 4-6 prospect, not round 2. The Patriots had good luck selecting another Wilson out of Illinois to play DB in 2002. Eugene Wilson went on to have a very solid career for them. No reason to think Tavon can’t do the same, even if he was picked higher than anyone expected. Much like A.J. Jenkins, hearing Tavon’s name called this early was a pleasant surprise for Illini fans.
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