DEKALB, Ill. – Six former Northern Illinois University football players, including five Huskies from the 2017 squad, will pursue their aspirations of playing in the National Football League at rookie camps this spring.
 
Christian Blake (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Cardinal Gibbons) and Shane Wimann (Wisconsin Dells, Wis./Wisconsin) signed free agents contracts with the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, respectively, while Chad Beebe (Aurora, Ill./Aurora Christian), Bobby Jones IV (Miami Gardens, Fla./Monsignor Pace) Jordan Huff (Mobile, Ala./St. Paul's Episcopal) and Corey Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Lindblom Math & Science Academy) were all invited to rookie mini camps.
 
Beebe received an invitation to the Indianapolis Colts' camp, while Jones IV returns to his home state to participate in the Jacksonville Jaguars' rookie camp. Tampa Bay invited Huff to its rookie camp, while Thomas, who played at NIU from 2013-16, has an opportunity with the Chicago Bears.
 
Blake finished his career with 972 yards receiving on 83 catches. He tallied a career-high 41 catches and four touchdown receptions in 2017. Wimann recorded a career-high seven touchdown receptions in 2017, the most by a Huskie tight end in school history. He also posted single season bests in receptions (30) and yards receiving (283). Wimann finished his career with 17 touchdowns, also a school best for a tight end, and 635 yards on 65 catches.
 
NIU's leading tackler, Jones finished 2017 with a career-high 107 stops and 233 for his career. The Huskie linebacker tallied 12.5 tackles for loss, including five sacks, and recorded his first interception this season. Beebe led the team in average yards receiving with a 46.3 yards per game and finished his career with a 930 yards receiving on 64 receptions. He recorded single-season bests in receiving yards (417) and catches (28) in 2017 as well.
 
Huff led the Huskies in rushing with 740 yards on 127 attempts and scored four rushing touchdowns. He finished his career with 2,167 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns. Thomas, who was in camp with the Atlanta Falcons last year, tallied 102 tackles in his Huskie career, including six sacks.
 
The NIU Football team opens its 2018 home schedule on September 8, 2018 versus Utah after kicking off the 2018 season at Iowa on September 1. Season tickets for NIU's five home contests are available now at prices beginning at just $55 for the Family Pack (minimum of four tickets) on the West Side. Season tickets are also available in the Huskies' premium seating areas, including the Sky Box and Sky Club, for 2018.  For more information or to purchase, call 815-753-PACK (7225) or go online to NIUHuskies.com/tickets. 
 
-NIU-