Wisconsin Badgers RB Braelon Allen selected by New York Jets in 2024 NFL draft

Former Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen has his NFL home:

Former Wisconsin Badgers running back Braelon Allen was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft with the No. 134 pick by the New York Jets.

The star running back entered the draft after rushing for 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns during his three-year college career. Those marks have him ranked No. 9 on Wisconsin’s all-time rushing yards leaderboard.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

He joins a Jets team that struggled in 2023 after Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles’ injury. Breece Hall returns to lead the backfield, though there could be an available opportunity for Allen to get immediate carries.

Allen was the 10th running back selected in the draft. He was also the third former Badger taken, following Tanor Bortolini to the Colts and Isaac Guerendo to the 49ers. The rest of the Wisconsin players in the draft are expected to be signed as undrafted free agents.

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Instant reactions to Colts selecting Wisconsin IOL Tanor Bortolini

Here are the instant reactions to the Colts selecting Wisconsin interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini in the fourth-round.

After the Colts selected Wisconsin interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini, here are some instant reactions to that pick:

– Bortolini crushed the NFL Combine, posting an elite Relative Athletic Score of 9.77 that included a 4.94-second 40-yard dash. He was one of the top-performing interior linemen at that event. Ballard loves drafting top athletes and Bortolini certainly fits that mold.

– Bortolini brings versatility to the Colts’ interior offensive line. While the majority of his snaps at Wisconsin came at center, he has guard experience as well. At the NFL level, he will be able to play all three interior spots.

– The Colts interior offensive line is in very good shape for 2024, with Nelson, Fries, and Kelly, but as we take a peak ahead to the 2025 offseason, as of now, both Fries and Kelly are slated to be free agents.

– Last season, Bortolini allowed one sack and 11 pressures. He ranked 28th in pass-blocking efficiency and 70th in PFF’s run-blocking grade out of 200 eligible centers.

– During Chris Ballard’s pre-draft press conference, while several questions were about putting playmakers around Anthony Richardson, Ballard kept brining it all back to importance of offensive line play. Success starts in the trenches, and in a very good offensive line class, the Colts invested two of their first four picks on the trenches.

– Bortolini was the 139th-ranked prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board.

Wisconsin Badgers OL Tanor Bortolini selected by Indianapolis Colts in 2024 NFL draft

Former Wisconsin OL Tanor Bortolini gets first NFL home:

Former Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini was selected with the No. 117 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts

Borolini entered the draft after a productive collegiate career playing all across the offensive line. He finished with 27 starts over four years — 13 at center, 13 at left or right guard and one at tight end. The versatile lineman started all 12 games at center for the 2023 Badgers under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, and allowed only one sack in 477 chances according to PFF.

Related: Wisconsin football 2024 spring transfer portal window tracker

He joins a Colts team in need of a resurgent season after a 9-8 2023 campaign.

Bortolini is the first former Badger to be selected in this year’s draft, with running back Braelon Allen likely to follow. Other former Wisconsin players project to be signed as undrafted free agents.

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

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Breaking down Colts picking IOL Tanor Bortolini in 4th-round

The Colts selected Wisconsin interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini in the fourth-round. Here is a quick breakdown of that pick.

With the 117th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Wisconsin interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini . Here is a quick breakdown of the pick.

Height: 6-4

Weight: 303

RAS: 9.77

Stats to know: Bortolini played almost 2,000 career snaps at Wisconsin with 1,058 coming at center and over 600 at guard. During the 2023 season, Bortolini allowed one sack and 11 pressures, ranking 28th in pass-blocking efficiency.

Fit with Colts: The Colts interior offensive line is set up well for 2024, but as we look ahead to 2025, both Ryan Kelly and Will Fries are set to be free agents. Bortolini can play all three interior positions.

What Lance Zierlein had to say: “Bortolini offer center/guard flexibility with good mass and below-average length. He’s well-schooled from a technique standpoint and will fit his blocks with hand placement and footwork to put him in position to succeed. He has decent strength but won’t root out single blocks and could have issues dealing with a two-gapping NFL nose tackle. He’s fluid on the move as a pulling center and has played in every run-blocking scheme. He’s fundamentally sound in pass protection but is inconsistent sliding and catching rushers in the A-gap. He’s solid in most areas and could become a backup with two-position flexibility in the future.”

How to watch former Wisconsin Badgers in the 2024 NFL draft

How to watch former Wisconsin Badgers in the 2024 NFL draft

The wait is over: the 2024 NFL draft finally begins on Thursday night.

That wait is likely arduous for fans of teams drafting in the top five, specifically those in need of a quarterback. For others, it’s just another glimmer of hope entering the upcoming 2024 season.

Related: Updated NFL draft projections for every former Wisconsin Badger

Numerous former Wisconsin Badgers are hoping to hear their names called during this weekend’s event. Only a few received draftable grades; the rest may have to wait until the post-draft free-agency period.

For Badgers fans who want to monitor the action to see where Braelon Allen, Tanor Bortolini and others are selected, here is how to watch every minute of the action:

Round 1:

  • Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024
  • Time: 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central
  • TV Channel: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

Rounds 2-3:

  • Date: Friday, April 26, 2024
  • Time: 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central
  • TV Channel: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

Rounds 4-7:

  • Date: Saturday, April 27, 2024
  • Time: noon Eastern, 11 a.m. Central
  • TV Channel: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

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

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Wisconsin OL Tanor Bortolini completes 5 Top-30 visits ahead of 2024 NFL Draft

Former Wisconsin lineman Tanor Bortolini is a big riser in the 2024 NFL Draft. He completed five Top-30 visits ahead of the event

The 2024 NFL draft is set to kick off on Thursday, Apr. 25 at 7 PM CT. Soon all the rumors and speculation will be put to rest, and a clear draft landscape will take shape. Heading closer to the event, several prospects rising up draft boards.

That includes former Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini, who has had a massive rise during the draft process. It began with his performance down at the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, which was a very strong week for the 6-4, 303-pound center. 

Then Bortolini shocked folks at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, testing on a historical level at the position. That included a 4.94 forty-yard dash (1.69 10-yard split), 32.5” vertical jump, 9 ‘4” in the broad jump, 7.16-second 3-cone drill and 4.28-second short shuttle. 

In a recent interview, Bortolini disclosed what the rest of his draft process has looked like. That includes five Top-30 visits to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, and Green Bay Packers. Top 30 visits don’t always mean much, with some deception being a part of the interview process, but clearly, the wanting to do deeper research in Bortolini could be big. 

After a strong draft process, Bortolini is a slam dunk to hear his name called during the event. There is some day two (rounds 2-3) buzz but more than likely, Bortolini should come off the board somewhere on day three (rounds 4-7). The physical gifts are clear, Bortolini’s process has been strong and the interest is very high.

Former Wisconsin Badger one of NFL Draft’s ‘under-the-radar day three prospects’

What type of NFL career will Tanor Bortolini have?

Former Wisconsin offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini was named an under-the-radar day-three NFL Draft prospect by ProFootballFocus.

The versatile lineman set social media by storm with his NFL combine performance last month. He had an up-and-down Wisconsin career on the field, but his pure measurables and athleticism are record-breaking.

Related: Evaluating the Big Ten’s next targets for conference expansion

Bortolini’s college career ends after 27 starts over four years — 13 at center, 13 at left or right guard and one at tight end. He started all 12 games at center for the 2023 Badgers under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, and allowed only one sack in 477 chances according to PFF.

The former Badger made PFF’s list of interesting day three prospects along with Georgia S Tykee Smith, Washington State CB Chau Smith-Wade, Louisville RB Isaac Guerendo, Northern Iowa DL Khristian Boyd, Florida State TE Jaheim Bell, South Dakota State RB Isaiah Davis, Kentucky and QB Devin Leary.

Here’s what PFF had to say about the promising lineman:

Bortolini’s athleticism will allow an NFL offensive coordinator to get creative with any run concept that requires a pulling lineman, much like how Kelce was used with the Eagles…He is a bit undersized at his position, which tends to pop up in his run blocking, where his grade dropped in each of the past three seasons, bottoming out at 61.1 in 2023. On the contrary, his pass blocking improved in every year of his college career, topping out at 80.3. He surrendered just 23 career pressures across 962 pass-blocking snaps. While Bortolini may need to bulk up a bit, his athleticism is extremely rare for his position and would make him a very interesting pick on Day 3.

Bortolini is projected to be a late pick in the draft, but his stock could still rise between now and April 25.

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

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Two Wisconsin Badgers included in ESPN’s latest seven-round NFL Mock Draft

Where will Braelon Allen and Tanor Bortolini be selected?

Two now-former Wisconsin Badgers were included in ESPN’s Matt Miller’s latest seven-round 2024 NFL Mock Draft Wednesday morning.

The two players are no surprise: running back Braelon Allen and offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini.

Related: If Wisconsin decides to move on from Greg Gard, who could it target as its next head coach?

ESPN projected them to go within 10 picks of each other — Allen No. 101 overall to the Carolina Panthers and Bortolini No. 109 to the Atlanta Falcons. Both were early fourth-round selections, which is in line with most of the current projections.

Also, former Wisconsin and Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo is included as pick No. 157 overall in the fifth round.

Allen, Bortolini and Guerendo were the three former Badgers to receive combine invites and the three who are projected to be selected in the upcoming draft. Inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta, QB Tanner Mordecai and others are likely to be signed as undrafted free agents.

The start of the 2024 NFL Draft is now just 29 days away. It’ll likely be 30 or 31 days until Allen, Bortolini and other former Badgers are selected.

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

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These 4 players helped their chances of being drafted by Chargers at NFL Combine

Here are four players who improved their chances of being a Charger this fall.

The NFL Combine is generally regarded as the event that begins to solidify draft boards, as players rise and fall based on their testing and interview sessions during the week in Indianapolis.

Here are four players who improved their chances of being a Charger this fall.

Fiske was already on many people’s radars after a stellar performance at the Senior Bowl in February, but his draft stock had only jumped from Day 3 to…earlier Day 3. Not so after his performance in Indianapolis, as Fiske posted elite numbers in every testing event except the bench press. His 9.88 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was just outside the top ten for any player present at the Combine.

Fiske is now ranked as the 83rd best player in the draft by Jack Lichtenstein’s consensus big board, which aggregates ranks from 20 of the internet’s most reputable draft coverage sources. That could put him well in play for the Chargers’ third-round pick at 69th overall, especially considering that new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter prefers his interior defenders to be plus athletes.

Wilson blew up the testing portion of the festivities in Indianapolis, leading the linebackers with a 4.43 40 yard dash and testing above the 70th percentile in both the vertical and broad jump. But all of that was expected, to some extent. What was more worth celebrating for Wilson was his medicals, which reportedly came back clean after a college career wrought by shoulder injuries.

If Wilson truly is a green flag on the medical front, the only thing stopping him from being a top 40 pick is the positional value of linebackers. His film is arguably the best of any prospect’s at the position this year. Ranked at #61 on Lichtenstein’s consensus big board, Wilson could slip to 69th overall, but a clean bill of health could also just as well put him in contention at 37th overall.

A Chargers Wire favorite this cycle, Reiman vindicated the staff of this website by testing as the tenth-best tight end ever, per RAS. He ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at 271 pounds and posted elite agility times for the position despite a 97th percentile weight. Reiman also drew notable crowd reactions for his work in blocking drills once the tight ends hit the field.

That last section will be key for the Chargers, who will be searching for tight ends who can bang as in-line blockers under new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman’s offense, because of its run-heavy tendencies, also utilizes tight ends in the pass game fairly often. Reiman showed in Indianapolis that he has a bit more to him than draftniks have given him credit for—he’s ranked on only two of the 20 sites used to form the consensus board.

Breaking records at the Combine is generally pretty good. It’s even more notable when the record you’re breaking is Jason Kelce’s, which is exactly what Bortolini did by throwing down a 7.16 3-cone drill in Indianapolis. The rest of his testing was similarly elite, with his shuttle, jumps, and 40-yard dash all ranking at the 95th percentile or higher.

Bortolini isn’t an exceedingly powerful player—his 21 reps on the bench were around the 25th percentile for centers—which may cloud his fit with the Chargers. But Los Angeles needs a center, and Bortolini’s added versatility at guard could prove useful as a swing lineman early in his career while new strength coach Ben Herbert adds power to his frame. Ranked 176th on the consensus board, Bortolini is a name to watch closely on Day 3.

Panthers 2024 mock draft 4.0: Post-combine edition

How did this year’s edition of the underwear olympics affect our latest mock draft for the Panthers?

So, how’s the landscape looking after this year’s underwear olympics?

With the 2024 combine now in the books, here’s our latest mock draft for the Carolina Panthers: