Best of ... Illini
No. 5: Jaylen Dunlap, DB
Why he's important: Dunlap is a veteran presence on an otherwise young Illinois defense. That in itself is important. He's logged more Big Ten action than any other defensive back on the roster. Dunlap is also coming off the most productive season of his Illini career. A starter in all 12 games for the first time, he finished fourth on the team with 63 tackles. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback also broke into the top 10 in Illini history with 11 pass breakups tying for 10th most in a single season.