Clayton Fejedelem

Fejedelem walked on at Illinois after beginning his career at St. Xavier, an NAIA powerhouse in Chicago. Shortly after arriving at Illinois, he quickly established himself as one of the most productive players on the roster. He finished his final season with 140 tackles, leading not only his own team but the entire Big Ten Conference and ranked fifth nationally in the FBS with an average of 11.7 tackles per game.

in our view

Fejedelem is a football player and he'll bring that lunch-pail mentality to the job. He is late bloomer who grew into his current frame during his NAIA tenure to become one of the most productive players in college football.

strengths

Great competitor who plays like a mini-linebacker on the field. As stout as they come against the run. Can analyze and react to the play very quickly and is a film room junkie. Plays tough and physical to plug the run. Works hard and has strong background on special teams. Arrived as a walk-on at Illinois and eventually was named one of the team captains, speaking volumes to his demeanor and leadership abilities.

compares to

Chris Maragos, Eagles - The size and position are identical. Maragos was a walk-on at Wisconsin, and there is a strong resemblance with their on-field abilities.

weaknesses

Allowed a few guys to get behind him during Shrine Game practices. Played a lot of Cover-4 at Illinois, where he was required to cover slot receivers, but he'll be asked to go far beyond that at the next level. Footwork and technique could use some refinement in developing a better back pedal.

Earned All-State honors as a senior in 2010 Two-time All-Conference selection Earned South Suburban Blue Player of the Year honors in 2010 Also lettered in wrestling and lacrosse in high school High school coach was Eric Michelson

Last name pronounced FEJ-uh-lem Born June 2, 1993 Son of Colleen and Steven Fejedelem Has two brothers Earned bachelor's degree in communication from Illinois in May 2015 and currently is enrolled in a second degree program for agricultural leadership education

2015

interceptions
TD	AVG	YDS	INT
0.0	9.0	18.0	2.0

puntReturns
AVG	NO	TD	LONG	YDS
0.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.0