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Greetings from “Can’t Wait For Saturday,” your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He’ll give you his views each day on the game he loves.
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The first step into the NFL can be the most treacherous for a football player. You have no control. No say. No veto power. Nobody asks: Do you want to take the call?
But former Illinois receiver Pat Bryant seemed to find an ideal situation for his NFL pathway.
First, he is going to a team, Denver, with an offensive-minded head coach, Sean Payton. A million years ago, Payton spent a season on the Illinois coaching staff as quarterbacks coach. He was one of Lou Tepper’s assistants who were fired along with the rest of the staff late in the 1996 season.
That was before the Irwin Indoor facility and the Smith Center. And it was before Payton went on to win a Super Bowl as coach of the New Orleans Saints. Yes, the dude can coach.
Bryant also moves to a team with quarterback, Bo Nix, coming off a successful first season in the NFL. Nix is accurate, productive and tough. He is going to be thrilled with Bryant’s ability and work habits.
Denver has talent at receiver, led by Courtland Sutton, who had 81 grabs for 1,081 yards and eight scores.
But there is room in the rotation for Bryant. The Broncos picked him for a reason, likely his ability to make big plays in late-game situations. Like he did in wins against Nebraska and Rutgers.
Four years in flat as a pancake Champaign-Urbana didn’t prepare Bryant for mile-high Denver. But he already knows how to deal with the cold, so that is a plus.
Illinois fans wanting to see Bryant in an NFL uniform are in luck. The Broncos play this season at Indianapolis, with the date and time to be announced on Ma 14.
Bryant is the first Illinois receiver drafted in 13 years. A.J. Jenkins went to San Francisco in the 2012 first round.
Bryant is just the fifth Illinois receiver drafted this century, joining Brandon Lloyd, Walter Young, Arrelious Benn and Jenkins.
Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-393-8248 or asmussen@news-gazette.com.