On his way to the Atlanta Falcons Jack Nelson gives a shoutout to Wisconsin

It was a long wait for Wisconsin fans to finally hear a Badger name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. It came on the second pick of the 7th round or the 218th overall pick. Wisconsin offensive lineman Jack Nelson is headed to the Atlanta Falcons.

Wisconsin lineman Jack Nelson was the first Wisconsin draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft

It was somewhat surprising that it took until the seventh round to see a Wisconsin Badger selected, as many mock drafts had Hunter Wohler and Jack Nelson projected as high as the fourth or fifth round. Both slipped all the way into the final round of the draft. However, the fit seems to be perfect for Nelson, providing the Falcons with depth at the position and allowing Nelson to learn from veteran tackles Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary.

After the selection, the Wisconsin Football social media team sent out a video message from Nelson, and he spent more time shouting out Wisconsin than he did talking about Atlanta.

It was a short but sweet video in which the former Badger gave love to Wisconsin on his way to Atlanta. "Hey everybody, I just wanted to say I really appreciate the support. I love Wisconsin, thank you Badger Nation for all your support and I'm really excited to get down to Atlanta and get to work. Thanks again!"

He may have expected the call sooner, but realizing your NFL dream at any round or even as an undrafted free agent is one of the most exciting moments of a football player's life. It's also an excellent opportunity for Wisconsin fans to cheer on another impressive lineman that has come out of Madison. He's part of a long line of successful Wisconsin offensive lineman to make their way to the NFL.

Badger safety, Hunter Wohler was drafted later in the seventh round to the Indianapolis Colts.