Former Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant is staying in orange and blue. The Denver Broncos drafted Bryant with pick 74 in the third round of the NFL draft.
Bryant joins a talented receiver room in Denver that boasts Marvin Mims Jr. and Courtland Sutton. The rookie has a chance to sneak into the receiver rotation as the number three or four.
Bryant had a season to remember in 2024, being named to the Associated Press All-Big Ten First team. He tied the program record for single-season receiving touchdowns (10).
The receiver’s most memorable moment of the season came in the closing seconds of the game against Rutgers.
Down one with four seconds left, quarterback Luke Altmyer found Bryant open on fourth and 13. Bryant sliced his way through the Scarlet Knights’ defense to the end zone for a touchdown and an Illini victory.
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The 40-yard touchdown capped off a career game for Bryant. He recorded seven receptions and totaled 197 yards in the win.
Bryant also notched back-to-back multi-touchdown games this past season. He caught a pair of touchdown passes against Nebraska in September, including the game-winner in overtime.
The week before, he notched two touchdowns in Illinois’ win over Central Michigan.
During his career at Illinois, Bryant totaled 19 touchdowns, 137 receptions and over 2,000 total yards.
Bryant is the first Illini to be drafted this season. Last year, defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton (36th overall), offensive lineman Isaiah Adams (71), tight end Tip Reiman (82) and wide receiver Casey Washington (187) heard their names called.
@BrendanGallian
