2027 NFL Draft potential sleepers: Illinois tight end Christian Abney

It's never too early for a 2027 NFL mock draft. That said, it's obviously not too soon to look at under-the-radar prospects for next year either. In terms of 2027 draft sleepers to keep an eye on, Illinois senior tight end Christian Abney truly fits the bill. The Ball State transfer brings ideal size at 6'6," 255, with a very high level of athleticism. He has good speed that could effectively be utilized in the vertical passing game.

He transferred to Illinois from Ball State, exactly one year ago today, with two years of eligibility remaining. Coming out of Zionsville (IN) high school, Abney drew interest from Kansas, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Indiana and Kentucky, according to On3.

And Illinois is pretty much reseting their tight end position group this season, so the opportunity is certainly there for Abney. Last year's starter, Tanner Arkin, signed an undrafted free agent deal with the New England Patriots, which ia coincidentally the same franchise where Bielema won his Super Bowl ring in 2018.

Last year's second string tight end, Cole Rusk, transferred to Arizona.

Abney got a decent amount of experience, working behind both of them last season, his first year in a deep and talented Big Ten conference. He discussed the transition of moving from the mid-major MAC to the nation's top collegiate athletic conference.

"I continued to learn how important the fundamentals are," he said during a post spring practice session media opportunity.

"Just the footwork, the hand placement, all that. At this high of a level, it becomes even more important.

"And so that's just been something that I've continued to emphasize and really make sure it becomes more of a habit than ever to work on those type of things."

If he can get more involved in the passing game this fall, and rack up some solid statistics in the receiving department, he'll soon find himself ascending draft boards. The Fighting Illini are completely making over their passing game in 2026, so the opportunities for playing time are wide open right now. Also, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney is one of the better ones out there, as he's an astute, creative play-caller.

“He’s extremely smart," Illini head coach Bret Bielema said of Abney, during the final media opportunity of the 2025-26 academic year.

"He's really a good, tireless worker."

Draft Wire asked Bielema about potential player comps for Abney. Do any come to mind?

"No, he's kind of his own little animal," Bielema responded.

"He's a former quarterback, so he's got that football IQ, it's very natural to him; a very natural thing.

"I think his biggest improvement this spring came in inline tight end play, just playing with his feet underneath him, and playing in the Big 10 here, to play against a higher level.

"Listen, when you're going against Gabe Jacas in practice, it's hard to look good sometimes."

First off, it's good to be your own animal. It grants you the opportunity to set your own standard.

Secondly, Jacas was the first Illini off the boards in last month's NFL Draft, going in the second round, 55th overall to the Patriots.

And it is certainy true that "iron sharpens iron" (as the cliche goes), so scrimmaging against Jacas this past season should help Abney level up his game this upcoming season.

"I think to have the growth that he had this spring should bode well for us in the fall," Bielema added, regarding his tight end with breakout potential this year.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: Illinois TE Christian Abney: under-the-radar with breakout potential