Karras, Fejedelem Selected on Final Day of NFL Draft
April 30, 2016 | Football
OL Karras to Patriots (6th Round), S Fejedelem to Bengals (7th Round)
Illini Draft History | Jihad Ward Drafted
CHICAGO – Former University of Illinois offensive guard Ted Karras (pronounced CARE-us) and former Illini safety Clayton Fejedelem (pronounced FEJ-uh-lem) both were selected in the NFL Draft on Saturday. Karras was picked in the sixth round (221st overall) by the New England Patriots, while Fejedelem went in the seventh round (245th overall) to the Cincinnati Bengals.
In all, three Fighting Illini were selected in this year's NFL draft, as Karras and Fejedelem joined defensive end Jihad Ward, who was picked in the second round by the Oakland Raiders on Friday night. It marks the sixth time in the last eight years that at least three Illini were picked in the draft.
OG TED KARRAS | PATRIOTS (6th Round, Pick 221)
Karras was an anchor on the Illinois offensive line for the last four years, making 43 career starts. As a team captain in 2015, he played 88.6% of snaps for the Illini's offensive line that allowed just 1.67 sacks per game, starting all 12 game and earning third-team All-Big Ten honors. He won the team's Illini Warrior Effort Award for his work in the weight room and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Karras is the seventh member of his family to play football in the Big Ten, including his great-uncle, Alex, who was an All-American offensive lineman for Iowa a four-time NFL Pro Bowler before starting an acting career that resulted in a starring role in the 1980s sitcom "Webster." In addition, his grandfather, Ted, played at Indiana; his father, Ted Jr. – now the coach at Division II Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio – played at Northwestern; his great-uncle, Paul, played at Iowa; his great-uncle, Lou, played at Purdue; and his uncle, Tony, played at Northwestern.
» WATCH: Karras Highlights
» WATCH: Karras Keys to the Player
» WATCH: Karras Talks B1G Bloodlines
S CLAYTON FEJEDELEM | BENGALS (7th Round, Pick 245)
Fejedelem walked-on at Illinois after transferring from NAIA St. Xavier University in 2013. After sitting out a year in 2013 and then playing a backup in 2014, he became a star for the Fighting Illini this past season. He led the Big Ten in tackles in 2015 with 140, the most by a Fighting Illini since 2006, and ranked fifth in the NCAA with 11.7 tackles per game. The team captain started all 12 games at free safety and added 4.5 TFLs, nine PBUs, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one touchdown on a blocked punt return to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior.
» WATCH: Fejedelem Highlights
» WATCH: Fejedelem Video Feature
» WATCH: Fejedelem Ready for NFL Draft
For complete Illini draft coverage, visit fightingillini.com and follow @IlliniFootball on Twitter.
Illinois NFL Draft Notes
- Illinois had three draft picks in 2016, ending a two-year draft drought (no picks in 2014 or 2015).
- With 3 draft picks, Illinois tied for the 5th-most in the Big Ten with Indiana, Michigan & Maryland – behind Ohio State (12), Michigan State (5), Penn State (5), Nebraska (4).
- Illinois had had three or more draft picks in 6 of the last 8 years (every year since 2009, except for 2014 and 2015)
- Karras is the 4th Illini drafted by the Bengals and the first since PK Neil Rackers in 2000 (6th round)
- Karras is the 5th Illini offensive lineman drafted since 2009 and the first since Hugh Thronton in 2013 (Colts, 3rd round)
- Fejedelem is the 11th Illini drafted by the Patriots and the first since Michael Buchanan in 2013 (7th round)
- Fejedelem is the first Illini safety drafted since Tavon Wilson in 2012 (Patriots, 2nd round)
| 2016 Illini NFL Draft Picks | ||||
| Player | Pos. | Round | Pick | Team |
| Jihad Ward | DE | 2 | 44 | Oakland Raiders |
| Ted Karras | OG | 6 | 221 | New England Patriots |
| Clayton Fejedelem | S | 7 | 245 | Cincinnati Bengals |
#Patriots select Illinois guard Ted Karras with the 221st pick. #PatsDraft pic.twitter.com/OgTqS9Qa1m
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) April 30, 2016
NEWS: With the 245th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the #Bengals select Clayton Fejedelem from Illinois pic.twitter.com/vIAsntPiMQ
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) April 30, 2016
2016 #NFLDraft is a wrap! Congrats to Jihad, Teddy & Fej!#Illini have had 3+ draft picks in 6 of last 8 years. pic.twitter.com/y6hMIePcYX
— Illini Football (@IlliniFootball) April 30, 2016
