Tag: profootballfocus

A Wisconsin WR was the Big Ten’s leader in slot receiving yards in 2023

Wisconsin WR was the Big Ten’s leader in slot receiving yards in 2023

Wisconsin wide receiver Will Pauling led the Big Ten in slot receiving yards in 2023, according to ProFootballFocus.

PFF notes that the rising star recorded 820 of his 837 team-leading total receiving yards last year while lined up position. That means only 17 of his yards came while lined up elsewhere.

Related: Where every member of Wisconsin’s record-breaking recruiting class of 2021 is now

Pauling enters 2024 poised to improve upon his breakout 2023 campaign. The former Cincinnati transfer led the Badgers with 74 catches (36 more than the second-highest), 837 yards and six touchdowns. He was the biggest bright spot on a mostly inconsistent offensive unit.

He now enters 2024 as one of PFF’s top 10 returning Big Ten wide receivers and poised for a massive season with transfer quarterback Tyler Van Dyke under center.

Wisconsin has big-time threats outside with Bryson Green, Joseph Griffin Jr. and C.J. Williams. But the Badgers best offensive weapon is Pauling, even though he operates in the slot.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

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Former Wisconsin ILB an ‘UDFA to watch’ entering 2024 NFL season

Former Wisconsin Badgers ILB an ‘UDFA to watch’ entering 2024 NFL season

Former Wisconsin inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta was named an ‘undrafted free agent to watch’ entering the 2024 NFL season by ProFootballFocus.

Njongmeta was PFF’s selection for the Cincinnati Bengals, as the service picked one ‘UDFA to watch’ on each NFL team.

Related: Post-spring Big Ten football 2024 power rankings, starting quarterback rankings

After two years as Wisconsin’s defensive leader, the inside linebacker signed with the Bengals after the 2024 NFL draft. He totaled 154 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 1 interception and 2 pass deflections over those two years starting for the Badgers.

Njongmeta was a breakout star in 2022 during the final year of Jim Leonhard’s tenure as defensive coordinator, then had an up-and-down 2023 in the first year under Mike Tressel and Luke Fickell.

Wisconsin has a terrific recent history of sending productive inside linebackers to the NFL — with T.J. Edwards, Jack Sanborn and Leo Chenal all in the last few seasons. Edwards and Sanborn weren’t highly-regarded entering the draft, then each turned into star contributors upon arriving in the league.

Here’s what PFF had to say about Njongmeta entering his first year with the Bengals:

Njongmeta has been a force at linebacker for Wisconsin over the last two years, registering 146 total tackles over 26 games. He earned a 76.7 grade in 2023 and an excellent 88.5 grade in 2022. Njongmeta could feasibly be a real special teams asset for the Bengals.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

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Star safety is Wisconsin’s highest-graded returning player

Who is Wisconsin’s best player entering 2024?

Wisconsin safety Hunter Wohler is the Badgers’ highest-graded returning player per PFF College’s latest post on X.

With the departures of running back Braelon Allen and quarterback Tanner Mordecai, Wohler is slated to lead the Badgers in his fourth season representing the Scarlet and Red. 

Wohler, a rising senior, spearheaded UW’s secondary a season ago. The Muskego native led all Big Ten defensive backs with 120 total tackles and was voted First-Team All-Big Ten by the Associated Press. 

His 74 solo tackles also ranked first among defensive backs across NCAA Division I college football, and he became the first Big Ten DB to post 110+ tackles, a sack and multiple INTs in the same season since 2010.

As one of the most intense athletes in Wisconsin’s defensive unit, Wohler will look to showcase his prowess against an expanded Big Ten conference next season. With games against Alabama, USC, Penn State and Oregon littered throughout UW’s schedule, the Badgers’ defensive anchor will look to do just that.

Former Wisconsin Badger one of PFF’s 2024 NFL draft Sleeper Prospects

Former Wisconsin Badger one of PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft Sleeper Prospects

NFL draft preparation season is officially underway. The 2023 NFL season came to a close nine days ago, sparking the time of year when everybody becomes an NFL draft expert on the internet.

Wisconsin has a few NFL prospects this season, though none are in the headlines. Running back Braelon Allen leads the way, and is joined by offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini and inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta. All three project to be later-round picks or signed as undrafted free agents.

Related: Which Big Ten football team has the toughest conference schedule in 2024?

ProFootballFocus’ recent piece on five sleepers to know entering the 2024 NFL draft did include a former Wisconsin Badger, however. Here are those prospects, along with their 2023 stats and projected round:

Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai had one of the nation’s best bowl performances

Wisconsin QB Tanner Mordecai had one of the nation’s best bowl performances

Wisconsin quarterback Tanner Mordecai closed his Badger career on a high note in the ReliaQuest Bowl against LSU. He completed 27/40 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the Badgers’ first 300-yard passer since Jack Coan in 2019.

Despite the final drive, the senior’s performance deserved to be complemented with a win. It was by far the best game of his Wisconsin career, and on the short list of his best games ever.

ProFootballFocus recently released its top-graded offensive bowl game performances and Mordecai fell at No. 9 with a grade of 85.7.

He was only surpassed by the following performances:

  • Washington QB Michael Penix Jr: 29/38, 430 yards, two touchdowns
  • Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart: 25/40, 379 yards, three touchdowns, eight carries, 14 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown
  • Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins: nine receptions, 214 yards, one touchdown
  • USC QB Miller Moss: 23/33, 372 yards, six touchdowns, one interception
  • Oregon QB Bo Nix: 28/35, 363 yards, five touchdowns
  • Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman: 34/49, 402 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions
  • Oregon WR Tez Johnson: 11 receptions, 172 yards, one touchdown
  • Notre Dame WR Jordan Faison: five receptions, 115 yards, one touchdown

A Wisconsin Badger was PFF’s highest-graded RB of Week 4

A big night from Braelon Allen:

Wisconsin defeated Purdue 38-17 Friday night thanks to a three-turnover night from the Badger defense and another dominant performance from Braelon Allen.

The junior running back took 16 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, an average of 7.3 yards per carry. The big day brings Allen’s numbers up to 371 yards and six touchdowns on the season, plus 16 receptions for 50 receiving yards.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 4: The Big Ten West is really, really, bad

The dominant night was enough for an 83.6 ProFootballFocus grade, the highest of any Power Five running back this weekend.

More of a burden will be on Allen’s shoulders moving forward with Chez Mellusi now reportedly out for the season. While the Mellusi news is extremely tough to hear given all he’s been through the last few seasons, Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to still have a healthy dominant force to carry the football.

Wisconsin boasts two of PFF’s highest-graded returning Big Ten linebackers

Wisconsin’s defense will be strong on the second-level this season

The story of Wisconsin’s offseason, aside from the hiring of Luke Fickell, was the facelift on offense with Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo coming to town. It will likely also be the story of the season, whether that story is positive or negative.

Fickell is a defensive head coach and brought Mike Tressel with him from Cincinnati. And it’s Wisconsin. Both the 2023 defense and future units shouldn’t miss a beat from what we know to be the Wisconsin standard.

ProFootballFocus has high expectations for the Badgers’ group, and the linebacking core specifically. The service listed both Maema Njongmeta and Jake Chaney in its highest-graded returning Big Ten linebackers.

Njongmeta, PFF’s highest-graded linebacker on the list, returns to the starting lineup after tallying a team-high 95 tackles last year in addition to 12.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks and one interception.

Chaney, on the other hand, was more of a blitz specialist for the 2022 unit. He finished the season with 38 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, one sack and one interception.

These two with Jordan Turner make up one of the conference’s best inside linebacking cores. For what Tressel likes to do schematically, it’s a perfect fit for the first year of the new regime.

Wisconsin Badger one of PFF’s highest-graded returning Big Ten defensive tackles

PFF sees a depth piece emerging along Wisconsin’s 2023 defensive line

Wisconsin’s 2023 defense returns a slew of talent from its 2022 group. It’s a pleasant surprise, as a program that goes through a coaching change often sees high roster turnover on both sides of the football.

That was not the case with Luke Fickell taking over in Madison. The defense returns the bulk of its secondary, both inside linebackers, a chunk of its outside linebacking core and several players along the defensive line.

That all said, the losses are noteworthy. The 2022 defense was led in large part by defensive tackle Keeanu Benton and outside linebacker Nick Herbig. Both were selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2023 NFL Draft. The two players combined for 15.5 of the teams sacks, 83 tackles and 25.5 tackles-for-loss. If you watched the unit play, it was clear the two players were much of the engine behind the group operating successfully.

The program is well-equipped to replace Herbig’s production at outside linebacker with several ascending players set to take on big roles. More questions remain along the defensive line.

If ProFootballFocus’ grades are any indication, one answer may come from a depth piece entering the year. The service had James Thompson Jr. as one of its highest-graded returning Big Ten defensive linemen with a mark of 72.9.

Thompson Jr. recorded 22 tackles, two sacks and 6.5 tackles-for-loss in limited action last season. The defensive end group is projected to be led by Isaiah Mullens and Rodas Johnson, with Thompson Jr. and transfer portal addition Darian Varner also playing significant snaps.

I’ve always been a big fan of what Thompson Jr. could bring to a defense. It shouldn’t surprise anybody if he cracks the starting group as the 2023 season progresses.

Wisconsin Badger one of PFF’s ‘Top 5 Runnings Backs In The 2024 NFL Draft’

Braelon Allen is in for a big season.

Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen entered the 2022 season with sky-high expectations. He had closed 2021 with 1268 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns after not really playing until midway through the season and figured to make a leap in his first full season as the starter.

Unfortunately, that leap did not come to fruition. Allen battled injuries all season and operated in a largely-ineffective offense. 2022 was a season to forget for nearly everybody on that side of the football.

Allen now returns for his third season along with backfield mate Chez Mellusi. If Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo’s comments are any indication, expect those two to be the engine of the program’s new offensive attack.

Some national pundits may forget about Allen with the other young running back talent blossoming across the country. ProFootballFocus does not fall into that category. The service listed Allen as one of its top 5 running back prospects entering the 2024 NFL Draft.

Allen joins Florida State’s Trey Benson, Michigan’s Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards and Ohio State’s Treveyon Henderson.

The Big Ten is loaded at the position as usual, with Allen, Corum, Edwards, Henderson, Penn State’s Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, Maryland’s Roman Hemby and Ohio State’s Miyan Williams.

With health on his side, Braelon Allen has the ability to top that list at the season’s end.

Wisconsin boasts two of PFF’s three highest-graded LBs this season

Wisconsin boasts two of PFF’s three highest-graded LBs this season

It’s no secret how dominant Wisconsin’s defense has been this season. Teams average only 18.4 points, 53.3 rushing yards, 1.9 yards per carry and 223 total yards against the unit. And were it not for numerous turnovers from the offense, we may be looking at even more dominant scoring stats.

Want to dive a little deeper? The Wisconsin defense ranks No. 3 nationally in defensive efficiency, No. 4 in EPA/Rush, No. 6 in EPA/Pass and No. 3 in defensive success rate. And those numbers have come against a schedule that includes some dangerous offensive attacks (Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Purdue).

Related: Re-ranking the teams Wisconsin has faced this season

Every level of Wisconsin’s defense has been dominant this year, but none more than the linebacking position.

How well have inside linebackers Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn played? They are two of PFF’s three highest-graded linebackers in college football this season.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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