It’s draft day and Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has put out his final mock draft, which includes multiple Wisconsin Football players.
The day has finally come, draft day! Fans from all over the country spend hours watching the draft over these three days to see who will be the future of their teams. Wisconsin football fans will likely be watching for their favorite NFL team’s picks, but it’s always nice to see a Badger selected to an NFL team.
There are multiple draft-eligible Badgers in this year’s draft, but none are projected as Day 1 players. Many of the Badgers taken will be a mid-to-late round pick. And that’s okay. The NFL is wildly unpredictable and many players not taken on the first, second or even the final day go on to have very successful careers.
Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller put out his final 7-round mock draft today. He has six Wisconsin football players being drafted.
OL – David Edwards
His first Badger selected is David Edwards. He has him going in the fourth round to the Buffalo Bills at pick 112, presumably to help protect their second-year quarterback, Josh Allen. Edwards was projected as early as a first-round pick last season before he got injured.
OL – Michael Deiter
Not long after Edwards is taken, Miller has Micheal Deiter going the Tennessee Titans at pick 121, also in the fourth round. Deiter is projected to play in the NFL at the guard position, but as Wisconsin football fans well know, he is versatile and has played at all positions on the Wisconsin line.
OL – Beau Benzschawel
Another Wisconsin lineman is taken, this time in the fifth round. Miller has Benzschawel going to the Denver Broncos at pick 156. Like Deiter, he is projected to play guard, but he also played multiple positions at Wisconsin as well.
ILB – T.J. Edwards
The first non-lineman drafted in the mock draft is T.J. Edwards. Miller has him going in the fifth round to the New Orleans Saints at pick 168, where he will join former Badger Vince Biegel. Edwards likely would have been drafted higher than this last draft but chose to stay in school for his senior year.
LB – Ryan Connelly
Connelly comes off the board in the seventh round, joining teammate David Edwards in Buffalo, with the 225th pick.
S – D’Cota Dixon
Dixon is a part of a safety class that is relatively deep. Unfortunately for Dixon, a lot of teams don’t value safety like they used to. Miller has Dixon going in the seventh round to the Oakland Raiders at pick 235. He will be joining former Badger, Nick Nelson in the silver and black.
Undrafted
- Andrew Van Ginkel
- Alec Ingold
- Olive Sagapolu
I could see the three getting drafted in the late rounds, but even if they do go undrafted, they are sure to find a home as an undrafted free agent. Van Ginkel’s ability to rush the quarterback is worth a flyer for a team.
Ingold could catch onto a team that still values a fullback, like the Chargers with Derek Watt. Being a hometown boy, I could see the Packers taking a chance on him and bring him into camp for some competition for their fullback position.
All in all, these next three days are sure to be exciting. While mock drafts are fun and can give you an idea of where players may go, there is only one thing you can be sure about in the draft.
Anything can happen.