April 12, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
According to ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr., Illinois State defensive lineman Brent Hawkins could end up playing professionally for the world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, as listed on Kiper's latest rankings on ESPN.com.
With the NFL draft two weeks away, Kiper has projected that Hawkins will be selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft with the 96th overall pick. According to Kiper's predictions, Hawkins would become the highest drafted Redbird since Clarence Collins was selected as the No. 62 pick in the 1984 draft by the San Diego Chargers.
In Kiper's picks, Hawkins is also projected to be the third I-AA player selected in the draft, behind Northwestern State's David Pittman (No. 68 - San Francisco) and Cal Poly's Chris Gocong (No. 75 - New England).
The draft will be held on April 29-30 in New York City.
