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Badger Football’s Ryan Ramcyzk may be an Immediate NFL Starter

By Noah Seligman

Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk poses after being selected as the number 32 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk poses after being selected as the number 32 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the first round the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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ex-Badger Football OT Ryan Ramcyzk may be an immediate NFL starter for the Saints

Ramcyzk was drafted 32nd overall in the 2017 NFL Draft after just a single season in Madison.  He was the last pick of the first round by the New Orleans Saints.

As Badger of Honor reported on draft night, the former Badger Football LT figured to be in line to be a value pick stashed on the NOLA depth chart.  But he now may need to start day one for the Saints in the 2017 season.

New broke on Friday that Saints starting LT Terron Armstead will miss 4-6 months with a torn labrum.

In 2013, Armstead was a 3rd round pick of the New Orleans Saints out of Arkansas Pine-Bluff.  He delivered an incredible NFL Combine performance to rocket up draft boards.  At 6’5″ and 306 pounds he ran a 4.71 40-yard dash, 34.5″ vertical leap, and a 112″ broad jump.

Armstead has played in 40 games in his four NFL seasons.  He signed a massive 5-year $65 million contract ($38 million) to stay in New Orleans which kicks in for 2018.  Armstead figured to man the left side of the New Orleans line through the 2018-2019 season at a minimum.

Related Story: Badger Football's Watt and Ramcyzk Drafted in 1st Round

Armstead tore a labrum in his shoulder, while Ramcyzk had surgery after the Badger Football season for a labrum injury in his hip.  Ramcyzk’s injury prevented him from participating in the NFL Combine or Badger Football Pro day.  A report from the New Orleans Times Picayune suggested Ramcyzk may be back on the field for Saints’ training camp.

The immediate parallel to this situation is the 2013 Green Bay Packers.  The Packers drafted David Bakhtiari in the 4th round of the 2013 NFL Draft.  Green Bay had planned on inverting its OL that season switching Josh Sitton to LG and Brian Bulaga from RT to LT.  But Bulaga tore his ACL during the Packers Family Night scrimmage.  Green Bay promptly inserted the rookie Bakhtiari in as LT and he’s kept the job since, playing in 62 games in his four NFL seasons.

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New Orleans’ incumbent RT Zach Strief will turn 34 early in the 2017 season and his dead cap figure will be just $1.1 million in 2018 before he reaches free agency in 2019.  It’s hard to envision him being much of a long-term solution on either side of the line.

Thus, the sooner the former Badger Football star Ramcyzk can return to the field the better for New Orleans.  Of course, Ramcyzk is the only remaining unsigned draft pick.

But Ramcyzk very well may go from playing at Division III UW-Stevens Point to starting LT in the NFL in just three years time.