In the wake of the NFL draft, there are two ways to view the way the league's 32 teams all but ignored the available talent from Illinois' Rose Bowl squad.

Running back Rashard Mendenhall, who went No. 23 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the only Illini who heard his name called. Considering 10 seniors started the Rose Bowl for Illinois -- and Mendenhall was an early-entry junior -- that suggests the Big Ten's Offensive Player of the Year was far more important to the team than anyone can measure. That's one theory.

The other? Illinois welcomes back quite a bit more talent than it's being given credit for having.

Though fourth-year coach Ron Zook constantly expresses his gratitude to his players who have moved on, consider him firmly in the "quite a bit more talent" camp.

"I really believe we're going to have a better football team," Zook said after Illinois' spring game on April 19. "We've still got a lot of work to do (on offense), but there's no doubt in my mind we're light years ahead of where we were (a year ago)."

Though key players such as sophomore receiver Arrelious Benn sat out spring ball to heal after surgery, Illinois believes it found replacements for almost all of its departed starters.

Left guard Randall Hunt and right tackle Ryan Palmer are in line to replace All-American Martin O'Donnell and Akim Millington. Strong-side linebacker Brit Miller has shifted to the middle to replace all-American J Leman, while senior Rodney Pittman and uber-talented sophomore Martez Wilson settled into the outside 'backer spots.

Some unsettled spots? Nobody stepped forward to fill Mendenhall's shoes, though the team had just three healthy runners for spring ball. Junior Daniel Dufrene, who regained a year of eligibility during the offseason, will go into fall camp as the leader over true freshman Mikel LeShoure and converted safety Darius Purcell. Incoming freshman Jason Ford and redshirt freshman Troy Pollard, who wrecked his knee against Indiana last season and missed spring ball, will join the fray at Camp Rantoul.

Illinois also didn't find definite starters to replace its three lost seniors at safety, but several candidates showed well including sophomores Travon Bellamy, Nate Bussey, Garrett Edwards and Bo Flowers. Bellamy seems a likely starter, while incoming juco Donsay Hardeman will have his say in the fall.

Since Illinois has such a strong and deep defensive line, there won't be quite as much initial pressure on the new linebackers and safeties. If they come along -- and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley can forge a competent committee of running backs -- the Illini should remain in the Big Ten's upper echelon.

--CB Vontae Davis was the only sophomore on the 12-man Jim Thorpe semifinalists list last year. He should be on the short list of potential all-Americans this fall. He could well turn pro a year early and join his brother, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, in the play-for-pay ranks. But when the Illini held their spring game on April 19, head coach Ron Zook made Davis play with the second team. What gives?

"You all know how I feel," Zook said in the Daily Herald. "Vontae is the most talented defensive back I've ever been around. But right now, he's not the best defensive back out there."

Zook motivated Davis in this manner prior to the 2007 season -- and he finished with 4 interceptions, 8 pass breakups and 76 tackles. Expect him to bring it when it matters.

--QB Juice Williams captured the nation's imagination when he tossed a career-high four touchdowns (with no interceptions) in Illinois' upset of top-ranked Ohio State last November. Williams went on to throw for a career-high 245 yards against USC in the Rose Bowl, but he threw 2 interceptions and didn't always look certain of himself.

That tough finish led Williams to dedicate himself even more in the offseason, which led to a solid spring that has everyone confident that he'll inherit Rashard Mendenhall's role as the offensive leader. "There's no doubt in my mind our passing game is better," Zook said.

--WR Arrelious Benn did almost nothing during spring ball after undergoing shoulder surgery shortly after the Rose Bowl, even though he was almost completely healed. That was Ron Zook's way of protecting the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year, who will play a much larger role than he did last season when he led the team with 54 catches and still found time to rush 32 times for 158 yards.

SPRING MOVERS:

WR Chris Duvalt -- An almost unused cornerback in his first two years at Illinois, Duvalt switched to wideout this spring and saved his career. Duvalt, who boasts 4.4 speed and terrific hands, was a revelation during several practices including the spring game, when he made three sparkling catches. At 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds, Duvalt isn't the biggest guy, but he's an excellent alternative to slot standout Arrelious Benn and massive split end Jeff Cumberland.

OLB Rodney Pittman -- During his first three years at Illinois, Pittman did most of his damage on special teams. He made just one start because usual starter Brit Miller knocked himself loopy on the opening kickoff). But when Miller moved from strong-side linebacker into the middle in the spring, the 242-pound Pittman seized the job on the strong side. He shared the team's award for Most Improved Defender with defensive end Clay Nurse.

OLB Martez Wilson -- This 246-pound sophomore might be the best overall athlete in the Big Ten. As an example, Penn State's Derrick Williams couldn't outrun him on a reverse last season. Oh, and Wilson served as a gunner on Illinois' punt coverage team all year. But it has taken awhile for him to learn the weak-side linebacker job. He even was bumped down to the second team for a scrimmage midway through the spring, but there's little question Wilson will be a man to watch when fall hits.

S Travon Bellamy -- He was scheduled to be a starting cornerback last year, but shoulder miseries forced him to redshirt. Though Illinois took it easy on him this spring to protect those shoulders, Bellamy played enough to earn a starting safety job as well as first nickel status.

CB Dere Hicks -- He earned a starting corner job last fall when Bellamy went out and was considered a decent fill-in. But Hicks continues to develop and became a ballhawk during the spring. He picked off 2 passes during Illinois' spring scrimmage at Lemont and felt he should have had two more.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The defensive front is the best group right now. Not only the athleticism, (but) the experience, the fact you can keep running them in there one after another." -- Illinois coach Ron Zook in the Daily Herald lauding a defensive line that features returning seniors Will Davis, Derek Walker and David Lindquist, but figures to rotates nine or 10 studs throughout the season.

2008 OUTLOOK: Ron Zook has his players believing that everyone thinks Illinois a one-year wonder, and they need to redouble their efforts in order to prove everyone wrong. While that stance seems to have paid off with banner offseason workouts (senior defensive end Will Davis added 17 pounds of muscle) and strong spring practices, most Big Ten teams believe they did the same.

Illinois' ability to return to the thick of the Big Ten fight depends much more on how well it can replace Rashard Mendenhall's production at running back. Just in case anyone forgot, Mendenhall's 1,681 rushing yards and 19 total touchdowns crushed all previous single-season efforts in school history. Can junior Dan Dufrene, redshirt freshman Troy Pollard and true freshmen Jason Ford and Mikel LeShoure team up to approximate Mendenhall's production? If so, the Illini have a legitimate chance to return to a BCS bowl.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: In junior QB Juice Williams and sophomore slot receiver Arrelious Benn, Illinois retains two-thirds of its big-play troika that helped land the team in the Rose Bowl. Late-season WR revelation Jeff Cumberland and spring-time TE revelation Mike Hoomanawanui are two more impressive threats, while senior left tackle Xavier Fulton and senior center Ryan McDonald are NFL draftees waiting to happen. Now it's up to offensive coordinator Mike Locksley and running backs coach Reggie Mitchell to find a few decent runners. Locksley expressed frustration during the spring that he couldn't find a guy willing to "put his foot in the ground" and hit it up hard into the line. You can bet he'll find someone willing to do that this fall, or Illinois' option attack will die trying.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Yes, Illinois lost five valuable seniors who started 184 combined games. But since none of them were selected in the NFL draft, it's clear their value was more in their experience than their athleticism. This is the year when Illinois' defense becomes largely about athletes. Martez Wilson and Rodney Pittman provide an upgrade at the outside backers while young defensive tackles Josh Brent, D'Angelo McCray and incoming frosh Corey Liuget are athletic freaks. If there's potential for opposing offenses to shred the Illini, it will come early as guys like Wilson and safety Donsay Hardeman, a junior-college transfer, learn to "play fast" within the defense.

SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: For four years, Jason Reda held down the placekicking job. He was so solid as a senior, he didn't miss his second field goal until the Rose Bowl. Illinois has four candidates trying to replace him, with incoming walk-on freshman Derek Dimke having as good a chance as any. Punter Anthony Santella finished a so-so freshman campaign with a terrific Rose Bowl. Watch for Illinois' return game to be far better as Arrelious Benn, who returned his first collegiate kick 90 yards for a score against Penn State, figures to play a far bigger role. Benn might even return punts, too, which was a specialty of his in high school.

ROSTER REPORT:

--Chris Duvalt moved from CB to WR during the spring and found the perfect place for his 4.4 speed. Duvalt caught four passes in the spring game, including three acrobatic grabs. He'll definitely be in the receiving rotation this fall.

--With just two able-bodied running backs available at the start of camp -- and starting fullback Rahkeem Smith out with an injury -- redshirt freshman Darius Purcell shifted from safety to fullback. Then, after the tenacious 5-foot-10, 219-pound Purcell showed some running skills, he moved from fullback to running back. He showed an ability to get tough yards, so he could have a role at tailback in the fall.

--Sophomore LG Randall Hunt, who played briefly in two games last season, stepped up and claimed the starting job that belonged for the last four years to all-American Martin O'Donnell. The 6-foot-6, 303-pound Hunt worked so hard, he received the Best Effort on Offense award from the coaches this spring.

--Sophomore WR Arrelious Benn (shoulder), junior TE Mike Hoomanawanui (hamstring), junior FB Rahkeem Smith (foot), senior C Ryan McDonald (precaution), senior WR Kyle Hudson (baseball) and sophomore S Travon Bellamy (shoulder) were among the key players who sat out Illinois' spring game.

--Freshman QB Phil Haig, who redshirted in the fall, quit the team to focus on baseball. He was expected to fall to fourth string in the fall when highly touted incoming freshman Jacob Charest arrived.

Previous Report: 03/29/2008