Badgers Football Players In The NFL

The Wisconsin Badgers have never been known as a college football program that puts lots of players in the NFL, but there are some. It seems that they tend to fill the ranks of the defensive or offensive line.  Still, there are a few Badgers wideouts in the NFL right now. As for who is making it in the pro ranks at this time, look no further than the list below. 

Lance Kendricks- Kendricks, a tight end, was selected by the Rams in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. He has been sort of slow in his development, but he did show some promise last season, playing in all 16 games and starting 14 of them. Kendricks finished the season with 42 catches for 519 yards and four touchdowns. Since the upcoming season will be his third in the NFL the rams do expect some bigger things from him, and if Sam Bradford is going to continue to take steps as a starting quarterback, Lance Kendricks is going to be a big part of it.

Peter Kontz- A former Badgers center, Kontz was taken in round two of the 2012 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. Kontz has taken nice steps in his first season, and there is no reason to think he won’t continue to improve heading into his second season. Very soon Kontz will be considered to be one of the best centers in the league.

Joe Thomas- A former first round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns in 2007, the career of Joe Thomas has gone exactly as planned, minus the zero playoff appearances. Thomas is probably the best left tackle in the game, and would be the answer to the Packers problems if he left Cleveland in the near future. Expect nothing less than another stellar pro-bowl season out of Thomas in 2013.

J.J. Watt- J.J. Swatt, as he is called, is a monster who has very quickly become the best defensive player in the entire league. Don’t expect him to repeat his 2012 performance this season, as history is not in his favor, but he still will have a great season and will probably make another pro bowl, as he has also become one of the game’s most recognizable names on the defensive side of the ball.

Russell Wilson- The rest of the NFL is probably thinking to themselves right now, “where did he come from’? Wilson, who wasn’t even on many scout’s radars as a starter, is now the unquestioned starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks. However, I am not sold, as I do not think he will repeat his 2012 performance and I am still not sold on him as a long term starter in the NFL. What happens a lot with the young quarterbacks, especially rookies, is the league has very little tape on them. This is not the case anymore with Wilson, as teams now have an entire season of tape on him, and I believe they will adjust properly.