With the 2025 NFL Draft now behind us, it’s already time to start looking ahead to the 2026 class. And given that the Illinois Fighting Illini will be a preseason top 15, maybe even top 12, kind of team, future NFL talent abounds. It’s very early, and obviously a lot is going to change, but right now, tailback Kaden Feagin leads the way when it comes to Illini with NFL Draft stock.
You can describe Feagin in the same manner that Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins described former Rutgers forward Ace Bailey.
“What I really like about him, too, is he plays hard,” Collins said to RG.org. “He’s got a motor. For a young kid, especially one that has been hyped as much as he has, to play hard every night, he has an amazingly bright future.”
Spot on; for both players.
And while, no, Kaden Feagin will obviously not go as high in the 2026 NFL Draft as Bailey goes in the 2025 NBA Draft, the larger point holds true.
Josh McCray’s transferring out of Illinois (he went to Georgia) was a clear signal that
1. Kaden Feagin has recovered fully from the hyperextended leg injury that ended his season, right before the Red Grange/leather helmets game and
2. Kaden Feagin is will be the feature back this season in Champaign.
He’s got the goods too, as these next gen stats can attest to:
PFF Rush is the rushing grade Pro Football Focus gave Feagin over his college career, and that comes out to 74.5
YAC/AC is yards per catch after contact, for which he registers a 3.14
MTF is missed tackles forced, Feagin has 25.
10+ RA is rushing attempts of 10 yards or more, and the 6’3, 250″ Atwood, IL native has18
BAY% is breakaway run %, so the chances of having a run of having 15 yards+, Feagin’s % is 27.
What About QB1 Luke Altmyer?
Right now, he’s not really on many draft boards, but that will change as he continues to win games and rack up big numbers. The scouts see him as undersized, but then again, so was Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Doug Flutie…well, you get the idea.
Altmyer has a lot to prove to NFL personnel, but he possess more than enough cajones/chutzpah/heart/soul/intestinal fortitude to make them change their minds.
Guys Shane Beamer Gave Props to at the Citrus Bowl
Let’s flash back to the exceeding memorable quote from South Carolina coach Shane Beamer in Citrus Bowl postgame.
“They’re a good defense, and they’ve got good players,” Beamer said.
“Let’s not act like this is Wabash College. Is that a Division III school in Illinois? Wheaton, is that a school? There you go. I went to a basketball camp at Elmhurst College back in the day in Illinois, Michael Jordan’s camp.
“I don’t think they have football, but let’s not act like this is some Division III school out there without good players. They have all-conference guys.
“The nickel No. 14 [Xavier Scott] is a really good player, and the linebackers are really good at what they do. What’s the defensive end, 17 [Gabe Jacas]? he is a really good player on the defensive line, and 23 [TeRah Edwards] is a handful.”
Edwards signed an UDFA deal with the L.A. Chargers this week. Scott isn’t on a lot or boards right now, but will be when all is said and done.
And Jacas might, when we go through the entire draft process next year, be the guy who ends up with the highest stock of any Illini. He is exactly what the NFL wants right now- a disruptive edge rusher.
Jacas is living in the golden age of 3-4 OLBs whose primary job is to hit the quarterback. With his specific skill set, and that skill set being in demand, his future looks bright.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter