The Wisconsin Badgers are poised to have only one player drafted in the NFL Draft this year (Mason Reiger). That would be the first time in 18 drafts that the Badgers haven't had at least two NFL Draft picks. Last year, it was close to happening when two were selected in the seventh round.
That should have been the low point, but it may not have been. Now, it could simply be one name called, and that's it. That's embarrassing, and it's a problem that needs to be fixed for the Badgers going forward. There has to be development of NFL talent, like the Wisconsin of old.
Wisconsin most likely won't have two players drafted for the first time in 18 years
Mason Reiger doesn't count as development, or at least barely. He came to Wisconsin via Louisville for his final season of eligibility, already pretty polished but needing the exposure of a high-major. While Wisconsin did help him in his process, he was a 'one-year and done' guy. He could foreseeably get drafted in the 4th-6th round, but it's hard to know. Reiger is considered a dark horse in the NFL Draft.
Vinny Anthony II is the only other player who got invited to the NFL Combine, but his prospects of being drafted are low. He's mostly been forecasted as a UDFA and a special team player in his NFL future. He didn't do much to elevate his stock at the NFL Combine or at Wisconsin's Pro Day. There could be a team that takes a flier on him in the 7th round, but it appears that he won't get drafted.
The latest ESPN 7 round mock draft basically puts the staple in the paper on that, as Anthony is nowhere to be found. That's not ideal for Anthony nor for Wisconsin.
It's not just that Wisconsin won't have two players drafted, for even if Anthony sneaks into the 7th round and keeps the streak alive. Badger fans can't be excited about two years in a row of only popping up in the lowest rounds of the draft.
The last time Wisconsin had a first-round draft pick was in 2017 with TJ Watt and Ryan Ramczyk, and it was 2023 that the Badgers even had a second/third-round pick. It's embarrassing, and hopefully Luke Fickell's new strategy and more NIL money are helping fix that. But there also has to be development of the players to send to the NFL.