Arlington Heights native Daniel Sobkowicz is ranked as the No. 2 FCS prospect for the upcoming April NFL Draft. He is the Illinois State career leader in receptions and touchdowns. (Photo by GoRedbirds.com)
By Dan Verdun
A walk-on at Illinois State, receiver Daniel Sobkowicz made great strides during his record-setting collegiate career.
Now he’s doing the same as he prepares for what he hopes is a path to the NFL.
His first steps began the week after ISU’s 35-34 overtime loss to Montana State in the FCS national championship game in Nashville. After giving his body a short reprieve from the rigors of a 17-game season, Sobkowicz trained in Fort Myers, Fla., for about two months.
“When you go to those facilities, everyone is training for the 40-yard dash, (improving) your speed and change of direction and getting stronger too,” Sobkowicz told Prairie State Pigskin Tuesday.
The Rolling Meadows High School graduate returned to Normal this week. On Thursday, he and several ISU teammates will participate in a pro day, which will be held in the Redbirds’ indoor facility located north of Hancock Stadium. He has also been invited to Northwestern’s pro day March 17 in Evanston.
“The pro days are where I’m going to be able to show my skills. That’s where I’m at right now,” he said.
Sobkowicz said he worked mostly in the receiver-defensive back group during his time in Florida.
“There were maybe 12 or 13 guys (in that group) and closer to about 40 with all the positions,” he said. “It was more just fine tuning. There wasn’t one specific thing I was working on.”
As with most potential pros, Sobkowicz is striving to get faster, bigger and stronger.
Sobkowicz said several pro scouts have either talked to him or his agent.
“A lot of it is filling out questionnaires at this point,” he said.
Following his pro days, Sobkowicz may either continue his training in Illinois or return to Florida in preparation of the NFL Draft, which runs April 23-25.
“We’ll see how it goes,” he said.
Sobkowicz set numerous records in his time with the Redbirds. Yet, the Arlington Heights native’s fondest memories come from the connections he made and shared.
“This past year stands out the most with the run that we made,” Sobkowicz said. “Being able to do it with the guys that I grew up at college with was one of the coolest things about it.”
He added that “the relationships I made with the coaches and the other players feels like almost home.”
Illinois State listed Sobkowicz at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds this past season. He leaves the Redbirds as the program’s all-time leader with 41 receiving touchdowns. Sobkowicz set the career record with 252 catches. He fell six yards short of the Redbird career yardage mark.
Sobkowicz caught 83 balls for 1,141 yards while his 19 touchdown receptions established a single-season ISU record last fall.
“He’s one of the best receivers we’ve ever had here, and we’ve had some great ones,” ISU head coach Brock Spack told Prairie State Pigskin. “He’s right up there with all those guys. He had a really special career, especially for being a walk-on player. I hope he plays a long time (at the next level).”
Sobowicz is ranked as the No. 2 FCS prospect for the NFL Draft by FCS Football Central. If selected, he would be the first ISU player drafted since defensive back Davonte Harris in 2018.
“It would mean a lot,” he said. “Being a walk-on at Illinois State was something that I was thankful for. Being drafted would be another whole step. It would be something that I would appreciate and love, but at the end of the day I feel like I have a really good shot at playing at that level whether it’s drafted or undrafted.”
Dan Verdun is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin. He has written four books: NIU Huskies Football, EIU Panthers Football, ISU Redbirds Football and SIU Salukis Football.
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