All-Access: Whitney Mercilus on NFL draft day

Former Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus didn't have to wait long to hear his name called during the 2012 NFL Draft. With the 26th pick of Thursday night's first round, the Houston Texans selected Mercilus, the first of four Illinois players taken in the opening 48 picks. Check out all the Big Ten draft picks and see who inked free-agent contracts. BTN cameras were at Mercilus' family draft watching party in Akron, Ohio, to capture the nerves and jubilation of the memorable night. Watch the behind-the-scenes feature now.

Mercilus is the second Big Ten defensive end the Texans have selected in the first round in as many years. A year ago, of course, Houston took Wisconsin star J.J. Watt with its first pick. That decision turned out pretty well.

View FoxSports.com's scouting report on Mercilus

View Mercilus' FightingIllini.com player profile

Here's a picture of Mercilus being introduced by the Texans:

And here's our favorite picture of Mercilus from this past season: