Time for a history lesson. NFL draft style.
Illini star Simeon Rice could have gone pro after the 1994 season. He was coming off the best year of his college career with a then-school-record 16 sacks. Nowhere to go but down.
But Rice returned to Illinois for the 1995 season. Team-wise, it was a disappointing 5-5-1 finish and no bowl game. But it worked out well for Rice as a player.
He was the third overall pick (Cardinals) in a standout pro career.
In hindsight, Rice made the right call. The wages he lost in 1995 were more than made up during his long career.