Illinois football players with aspirations of playing at the next level will have their final chance to impress NFL scouts Thursday when Illinois hosts its Pro Timing Day.NFL hopefuls Michael Buchanan, Terry Hawthorne, Akeem Spence, Hugh Thornton and others are expected to participate in drills before NFL personnel at Irwin Indoor Practice Facility at 8:15 a.m.

The aforementioned four were the only Illini invited to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine last month in Indianapolis, Ind.

The Combine and Pro Day are the players’ two largest opportunities to catch the eyes of scouts between football season and draft day. None of the four Illini is expected to be drafted in the first round.

Spence, who is foregoing his senior season at Illinois, is expected to go as early as the second round.

He performed well at February’s NFL Combine; notably in the bench press, where he placed third out of all of the defensive lineman, bench pressing the 225-pound barbell 37 times.

Hawthorne might be the Illini with the most to prove at Pro Day. After a 2011 season in which he had three interceptions and 60 total tackles,Hawthorne saw his numbers decrease in 2012 and missed part of the season because of injuries following a vicious hit at Wisconsin on Oct. 6.He had to be taken off the field in an ambulance after attempting to tackle Badger’s tight end Derek Watt.

Hawthorne ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.41 seconds at the Combine but will need to improve in other areas if he wants to see his draft stock rise.

Beckman said he liked what he heard about the Illini players at the Combine.

He was especially glad that they made it through the interview process without any hiccups.

“A lot of people don’t understand that (the interview) is just as important as running a fast 40 or lifting a lot of weight,” Beckman said. “It’s how you respond to people and how you communicate, especially when you’re trying to get drafted in those first couple of rounds.”

Beckman said the NFL hopefuls have been working out at Irwin Practice Facility and the lifting at the football facilities. He also said other former Illini in the NFL have been back on campus working out. He said former players are always welcome to come back, and the team even does their laundry for them “because this is their football team.”

It is common for players to only do certain workouts at Pro Day, usually the ones in which they feel they can improve on their scores from the official combine.

Last year, former Illini wide receiver A.J. Jenkins took advantage of Pro Day and was eventually drafted 30th overall by the 49ers after being projected by some as a third-round draft pick.

This year’s Illini will have the same opportunity as Jenkins.

They have one more opportunity to wow professional scouts before the NFL Draft begins on April 25.

Sean can be reached at sphammo2@ dailyillini.com and @sean_hammond.