Friday was a particularly busy day for Badgers in the 2023 NFL Draft, as Keeanu Benton and Joe Tippmann went in quick order on day two.
A pair of Badgers ended up together on the Pittsburgh Steelers, while others were signed after the draft had concluded.
In all, four Badgers found new NFL homes as the 2023 NFL Draft came to a close. Tippmann and Benton were joined by Nick Herbig and Tyler Beach in officially being on NFL rosters as of the conclusion of the draft weekend.
Here is a look at where those four players ended up, and reactions to each of the picks;
A look at every Badger who has been signed as an undrafted free agent
The end of the 2022 NFL draft didn’t mark the end of rookie Wisconsin Badgers finding their place in the league.
With the end of the seventh round came the beginning of the undrafted free agent process, where a number of Badger hopefuls were quickly signed by teams. There is a chance that even more Wisconsin products will sign NFL deals in the coming days, but as it stands quite a few undrafted free agent Badgers have already been picked up.
Here is a look at undrafted free agent Badgers (and a former Badger) who signed undrafted free agent deals on Saturday:
Where Wisconsin hopefuls are expected to land in the NFL draft per PFF
A number of Badger hopefuls are anxiously awaiting the 2022 NFL draft, which begins on Thursday night.
Stars on both sides of the football are hoping to hear their names called anytime between Thursday and Saturday. The prep work is all but finished, and it’s now time to see dreams realized.
Pro Football Focus recently released their final NFL draft prospect rankings for 2022, and four Badgers made their list of the top 250 players hoping to see professional dreams play out.
A pair of offensive and defensive stars from the 2021 Badgers are listed, with the top Wisconsin player coming in at No. 36 overall. Here is a look at where the four Badgers stand according to Pro Football Focus:
Former Badgers running back – Jonathan Taylor finishes with the most fan-votes among all NFL players for the 2022 Pro-Bowl.
Fan voting for the 2022 NFL Pro-Bowl formally wrapped up today, and the player that received the most votes was non other than former Wisconsin Badgers running back – Jonathan Taylor.
Jonathan Taylor would finish with 265,370 fan votes, narrowly edging out Nick Bosa of the 49ers and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
October 24, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
It hardly comes as a surprise given that Jonathan Taylor has been among the most dangerous and productive offensive players in the NFL all season long for the Indianapolis Colts.
Thus far, Jonathan Taylor has carried the ball 270 times for a league leading 1,518 yards (5.6 YPC – 1st in the NFL), and 17 touchdowns (1st in the NFL). The next closest rusher is Joe Mixon with 1,094 yards rushing.
In short, he’s been the best running back in the league, and by a large margin. This is a well deserved honor for the former two-time Doak Walker award winner (2018, 2019).
Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.
Quintez Cephus sets career marks on Monday Night Football
Despite the Green Bay Packers ultimately pulling out a 35-17 victory over the Detroit Lions, it was a successful Monday Night Football return to Wisconsin for former Badger WR Quintez Cephus.
Cephus opened the night by taking over on the first drive, grabbing a touchdown and setting up Detroit with a catch and run into Green Bay territory.
It was a career evening for the Georgia native, who finished with 4 catches for 63 yards and the opening score. The four catches are a career-best for Cephus and 63 yards ties his career mark.
He was also close to coming up with possibly the greatest one-handed catch since Odell Beckham Jr. reeled in his signature grab.
Former Wisconsin FB Alec Ingold gave us a classic lesson: Tails Never Fails
Jon Gruden knew what he was doing when naming former Wisconsin FB Alec Ingold as a captain of the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2021 season. In Week 1’s Monday Night Football thriller against the Baltimore Ravens, Ingold made one of the biggest plays of the game just because of his captaincy and a little bit of luck.
With the game headed to overtime and the NFL’s overtime rules still making very little sense, winning the coin toss became imperative for two offenses who had just stormed down the field in the fourth quarter. Ingold trotted out to midfield and all he had to do was let his opponent pick heads. The coin landed on tails, and the Raiders got the football and should have had the win on their first possession of overtime. A couple of turnovers later, Las Vegas got their win on a long touchdown grab by Zay Jones.
Immediately after the game, Ingold took to Twitter with a classic message:
Former Wisconsin Badger T.J. Watt is in a contract dispute with the Steelers:
Following a tremendous 2016 season at Wisconsin, T.J. Watt has become one of the best outside linebacker’s in the NFL. He’s now trying to get paid like one.
The 2020 All-Pro selection has had a busy offseason battling for a new contract extension, and despite not yet having signed one he returned to practice this week.
No people have been bigger advocates for the former Badger than his own teammates, who have constantly backed him up in his quest for a new deal. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was as clear as it gets regarding a new deal for Pittsburgh’s best defensive player:
Ben Roethlisberger incredibly firm on his teamâs negotiations with Watt: âTJ Watt should get whatever the heck he wants. Heâs one of the best players in the NFL, not just defensively.
Says he took less money so the team could do things like sign Watt.
Cam Heyward: âWe all feel like TJ should be paid. ⊠heâs a game-changer. My conversations to him are, he should be paid.â pic.twitter.com/NH4wtNiJi0
Jonathan Taylor now has an NFL home as he heads to Indianapolis in the second round
[jwplayer DXvJCSyf-er0jUifI]
[lawrence-newsletter]One of Wisconsin’s greatest players now has an NFL home. Jonathan Taylor is now a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts selected the Badger standout with the number 41 overall pick in the NFL draft. The Colts traded with Cleveland up to 41 in order to land their prized RB prospect.
After 6,174 rushing yards over his three-year Badger career, the two-time Doak Walker Award winner becomes the third running back drafted in the 2020 NFL draft. Taylor is the first Badger off the board this year.
In this still image from video provided by the NFL, Jonathan Taylor, second from left, talks on the phone and is selected by the Indianapolis Colts during the second round of the NFL football draft, Friday, April 24, 2020. (NFL via AP)
Despite any questions about his collegiate workload or ability as a pass protector, Taylor is one of the greatest pure runners that college football has ever seen. For three straight years, the New Jersey native averaged over six yards per carry. This past season, Taylor expanded his game and became a legit receiving threat while racking up 252 yards through the air and five touchdowns. The three-time All-American finished college football with the fourth most rushing yards in the history of FBS.
Badger fans are ready to see Taylor in a situation where he can immediately step into a major role. It would be hard to script a better place than Indianapolis for Taylor to showcase his skills at the next level.
