Wisconsin Football: Where NFL mock drafts have Badgers going

The 2019 NFL Draft is just a couple of weeks away. There are multiple prospects from the Wisconsin Football program hoping to hear their name called.

The NFL Draft has become a national spectacle where millions of people tune in to see who their favorite team will draft, but also where players from their favorite college program will end up. Wisconsin football had five players drafted last year and has multiple players eligible to be drafted this year.

There aren’t any Badgers that are projected to go in the first round. But there are some comprehensive 7-round mock drafts that include multiple Badgers in them. The draft is wild and widely unpredictable, so many experts do their best to predict where players will go based on team need and where a player could fit within a specific system.

Here’s the list of Wisconsin football players in the draft with a short draft preview from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlien and where they are projected to possibly land.

OL Beau Benzschawel

Benzschawel was a first-team AP All-American and All-Conference as a senior last year and started all 13 games for Wisconsin football last year. He was a big piece of the elite Wisconsin offensive line last season.

"Tall, pass-blocking specialist who will need to prove he can be serviceable against NFL power in the run game to become a future starter. Benzschawel plays with good technique and an understanding of blocking concepts in the run game, but might lack the play strength at point of attack NFL teams look for. However, his allure to GMs and offensive coaches could be his ability to match up against athletic, sub-package rushers in today’s quickness-oriented rush approaches."

• Round 3 – Pick 102 – Baltimore Ravens (R.J. White, CBS Sports)
• Round 4 – Pick 114 – Carolina Panthers (Luke Easterling, Draftwire)
• Round 4 – Pick 113 – Buffalo Bills (Joe Romano, FanSided)

OL David Edwards

Edwards came to the Wisconsin football program as a quarterback and converted to an offensive tackle. He became one of the best in NCAA and was regarded highly as a possible first-round pick before the season started. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury slowed him down quite a bit during his redshirt junior season, but still managed to make the second All-Big Ten team.

"Quarterback-turned-tight-end-turned-right-tackle who has maintained his light feet but is missing functional strength and body control to hold his ground against NFL power. Edwards isn’t the technician we’ve come to expect from the Wisconsin program and he’ll need additional technique work to help make up for some of his physical deficiencies. He’s still a pup as an offensive lineman and he should improve with more experience and weight room work, but it’s tough to project him behind average backup to low-end starter at this point."

• Round 2 – Pick 47 – Carolina Panthers (Joe Romano, FanSided)
• Round 3 – Pick 94 – Los Angeles Rams (Luke Easterling, Draftwire)
• Round 6 – Pick 174 – Seattle Seahawks (R.J. White, CBS Sports)

OL Michael Deiter

Deiter played left guard for the Badgers last season. He earned second-team AP All-American and first-team honors his senior season. During his time in the Wisconsin football program, he played center, guard, and tackle.

"Durable, capable guard/center prospect who knows how to play the game but might lack the athletic elements needed to become a full-time starter on the next level. Dieter’s experience in a variety of pro-style rushing schemes and his overall technique work are in his favor while his experience across the line offer flexibility that could lock him into an NFL roster as an early backup with the potential to step in and start if needed."

• Round 3 – Pick 68 – New York Jets (Joe Romano, FanSided)
• Round 3 – Pick 75 – Green Bay Packers (Luke Easterling, Draftwire)
• Round 4 – Pick 108 – New York Giants (R.J. White, CBS Sports)

ILB T.J. Edwards

T.J. Edwards is a four-year starter who was the heart of the Wisconsin defense. He could have entered the draft last season after a great junior season but chose to come back to Wisconsin. His senior season was still productive and he achieved second-team all-conference honors.

"Stout four-year starter who shows up and does his job each week as a banger in the box with surprising ball skills to flip the field. He improved each season and his off-season weight loss is indicative of how seriously he takes the game. He lacks desired chase speed and might be maxed out as a player, but he doesn’t make many dire mistakes that hurt his team. Edwards is a backup inside linebacker for a 3-4 or 4-3 defense with the ability to step up and handle starter’s duties if needed."

• Round 5 – Pick 162 – Chicago Bears (R.J. White, CBS Sports)
• Round 7 – Pick 215 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Luke Easterling, Draftwire)
• Round 7 – Pick 216 – Kansas City Chiefs (Joe Romano, FanSided)

Others

LB Ryan Connelly

• Round 7 – Pick 238 – Chicago Bears (Luke Easterling, Draftwire)

S D’Cota Dixon

• Round 7 – Pick 251 – Minnesota Vikings (Joe Romano, FanSided)

FB Alec Ingold

• Undrafted

Andrew Van Ginkel

• Undrafted

Although there may not be many high picks this year, this year’s draft class is still loaded with talent from Wisconsin, particularly on the offensive line. Last year, five Badgers were drafted. We’ll see if this year’s class can match.