The Philadelphia Eagles took Canadian safety Sydney Brown 66th overall in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday.
The native of London, Ont. was the second Canadian selected after offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron of Victoriaville, Que. (Syracuse University) was taken 38th overall by the Atlanta Falcons.
Brown starred at Illinois alongside his twin brother Chase Brown, a running back also expected to be drafted.
The twins made the move to Florida in high school, staying with a host family, in order to further develop their football skills and get noticed by American college programs.
In 2022, Brown played a key part in the nation’s top-scoring defence, intercepting six passes along with 59 tackles, 3.5 for loss, one sack and seven pass breakups in 12 starts. He also was named a first-team All-Big Ten pick.
Illinois went 8-4 last year before losing to Mississippi State in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
A record five Canadians are projected to be taken in this year’s NFL Draft.
The others are offensive lineman Sidy Sow of Bromont, Que and defensive lineman Tavius Robinson of Guelph, Ont.
Rounds 4-7 are Saturday.