3. Russell Wilson, QB – Seattle Seahawks
Wilson was the 6th-best quarterback in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus, which classifies him as an above-average player at his position.
Wilson had a rough go of it last year in Seattle, missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. His numbers were still impressive, but his support system was lacking. Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at creating and extending plays with his feet. He’s an incredible athlete and can still make the throws necessary off unstable foundations. That aspect of his game is a big part of why he’s stuck around so long in the league when most mobile quarterbacks fall to the wayside after a couple seasons.
Wilson is the only quarterback on this list (sorry, Scott Tolzein) because Wisconsin’s tradition isn’t rich with quarterbacks. There aren’t any receivers on this list either. Most successful Badgers are offensive linemen and defenders that thrive in the trenches, or running backs that can eat up yards in different ways. Wilson is the exception.
At Wisconsin
His lone season in Madison was an historic one. He was the most efficient passer in the NCAA and Wisconsin’s offense was as close to unstoppable as it could have been. Wisconsin lost two back-to-back games that year on the road on late fourth-quarter deep passes. Many Badger fans would agree that Wisconsin’s team was good enough to play for, and win, a national championship. Especially considering the snooze-fest the actual title game ended up being that year. Wilson had arguably the best season ever for a Wisconsin quarterback.
It’s hard to believe Wilson was an underdog coming out of college. He was taken in the third round, which was still a bit of a gamble. The Seahawks had just signed Matt Flynn to a large contract the same offseason. When Wilson was getting buzz about taking snaps from Flynn, it was obvious how good he was. No franchise would sign a quarterback to a big contract only to give a so-so rookie snaps in front of him. Wilson was earning his playing time. The rest was history. Wilson and White are the only Badgers on this list with a Super Bowl ring.