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Wisconsin Football Report: Top Badgers in the NFL

By Tanner Nestle

CARSON, CA - AUGUST 18: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks scrambles out of the pocket during the first quarter of a presseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on August 18, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - AUGUST 18: Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks scrambles out of the pocket during the first quarter of a presseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at StubHub Center on August 18, 2018 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Wisconsin Football Melvin Gordon
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 30: Melvin Gordon #28 of the Los Angeles Chargers takes the field for warm ups before their preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

After week five in the NFL let’s check in on some former Wisconsin football players.

Wisconsin football has been putting multiple players in the NFL for years now. The Badgers have become one of the best programs in the country at developing talent and creating opportunities for players to succeed at the next level.

The players in this post are some of the best at their respective positions in the league, and that doesn’t happen by accident. These guys aren’t four and five-star recruits, they didn’t come up through prestigious private training academies, and they didn’t all get taken early in the first round. These Badgers are excelling at their craft while overcoming the kinds of adversities that could easily derail a career.

Wisconsin is looking at sending another batch of future stars into the league once they’re finished in Madison. Senior defenders like T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly, D’Cota Dixon, and Olive Sagapolu might not be high draft picks, but there isn’t any reason they can’t follow in the footsteps of Badgers before them and become impact defenders.

Along the offensive line, Wisconsin has a deep crop of potential future starters in the league. David Edwards is being mocked in the early first round already. Beau Benzchawel, Tyler Biadasz, and Michael Deiter could all go in the first few rounds as well.

Jonathan Taylor looks like the next Wisconsin running back to take up significant touches in an NFL backfield. Fortunately, for Badger fans, he still has another year of eligibility to tear up the Big Ten.

The Badgers have a lot more guys in the league than this, but I wanted to take a moment to highlight just some of the best performances we’ve seen through five weeks from former Wisconsin greats.