The 2016 NFL draft starts Thursday in Chicago, with several Illini hoping to get the call. College football writer Bob Asmussen, who has covered the team since the John Mackovic era, asked five former Illinois players to share their draft-day experiences:
Jim Grabowski, running back
1966 draft, first round, No. 9 overall, Green Bay Packers
“I was in New York for the draft. Back then, the NFL had businesspeople who would get to know the higher draft choices and try to keep them away from the AFL.
“They took my then-girlfriend, who has been my wife now for 50 years (Kathleen), to New York so that I would spend a lot of time with the babysitter.