CHAMPAIGN — Jihad Ward attended Lovie Smith’s first practice in charge of Ward’s former team.
The former Illinois defensive lineman roamed the sidelines on a cold Friday night on the first day of April.
By Saturday, the final day of April, Ward’s life will likely change. For the better.
Ward is likely to become the first Illini picked in this week’s NFL draft, which kicks off with the first round at 7 p.m. Thursday from the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago and continues through Saturday until the seventh round is complete. When he does, it’ll end a two-year drought for a program that hasn’t had an NFL draft pick since 2013.