Wisconsin football has had a lot of players go to the NFL and have success like they did in college. Some notable names in the NFL now are Jonathon Taylor, T.J. Watt, Russell Wilson, Jake Ferguson, and more.
There have been five Badgers that have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. They have also had 297 players drafted into the NFL and most likely more to come this year in the 2024 NFL Draft. So looking back at all the Badgers that went on to play at the next level, which ones had the greatest careers?
Some of the names on this list are still in the league today, but they have been so dominant at their position or just played such great football that they earned the right to be on this list. So here are the 10 best former Badgers that had the best NFL careers.
Travis Frederick was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the late first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Frederick was an All-American in his final year at Wisconsin after he took over the center position following Peter Knoz's departure for the NFL the year prior.
Frederick became an immediate starter for the Cowboys. While there are not a ton of stats for offensive linemen, Frederick was a solid center in Dallas and started every game in his career. After his rookie season, Frederick was voted to the Pro Bowl for the rest of his career except in 2018 when he missed the season with an injury.
Frederick was also a two-time All-Pro Second Team selection in 2014 and 2015. The 2016 season was Frederick's best as he was a Pro-Bowler and was an All-Pro First Team selection. The All-Pro centered returned in 2019 and started every game that season, however, he decided to retire after the 2019 season due to a nerve disorder.