The month of March converges the madness of college basketball with the rumblings, ravings and analysis associated with NFL Draft season. For the latter, the NFL Scouting Combine commences in Indianapolis this week. On-field activities start on Thursday with the tight ends, quarterbacks and wide receivers, according to NFL.com and its schedule:

*Thursday: Tight ends, quarterbacks, wide receivers

*Friday: Offensive linemen and running backs

*Saturday: Defensive linemen and linebackers

*Sunday: Placekickers, defensive backs

Four Badgers received invites to the annual extravaganza that includes media interviews and physical testing.

Chenal declared his intentions to forego his senior season and enter the draft in January. He noted a couple factors in his decision.

"The biggest thing for me, I would say, is just wanting to move on to the next chapter of my life," Chenal told BadgerBlitz.com in January. "Now being engaged, I want to start a family soon. Just these goals that I have, it just felt right."

"You could look back and say, 'OK I had a statistically good season. I still need to work on this or that.' But in reality, what it came down to was just this gut feeling -- 'OK, it's time to go to the next thing and do what's best for me and my future family.'"

UW listed Chenal -- who recently announced via social media that he married his fiancée -- at 6-foot-2 and 261 pounds for his junior season, one where he accumulated multiple accolades. He claimed the Big Ten's Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award and became a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection and second-team All-American by the Associated Press.

The Grantsburg, Wis., native played in 11 of Wisconsin's 13 regular-season games, in 2021 leading the program in tackles (115), tackles for loss (18.5) and quarterback hurries (five). His eight sacks placed second on the team behind outside linebacker Nick Herbig.

Chenal's impressive bench pressing numbers certainly stand out. Videos previously went viral of the Badger bench pressing 225 pounds 40 times, and 315 pounds 18 times. He told BadgerBlitz.com in late January that he was "down a little bit right now," but was working his way back and progressing. He believed the linebacker record is 41 reps at 225 pounds.

"Right now, being realistic, it's looking to be anywhere between 38-40 [reps], hopefully," Chenal said. "I'm hoping for 42, so that's all I say."

Chenal's strength will not be taken lightly, but it should be interesting to see how the former three-star prospect fares both in overall measurements, including weight but also his speed and agility in the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. The 'backer has been training at EXOS in the Phoenix area.

ESPN lists Chenal as the No. 52 player overall, while CBSSports.com ranks Chenal as the No. 11 linebacker and No. 117 prospect overall for this year's draft. Kyle Crabbs from The Draft Network sees him as a "fourth-grade value," and the site overall places him as the No. 97 prospect.

Sanborn finished his Wisconsin career with 45 career games played between 2018-21. In those contests, he recorded 230 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks.

The Deer Park, Ill., native wrapped up his senior year with 91 tackles and 16 tackles for loss, good for second on the team behind Chenal's numbers. He received a first-team all-Big Ten nod by the coaches as well, second-team by the media.

Sanborn participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl with former Badger teammates Jack Coan, Matt Henningsen and Josh Seltzner. He told BadgerBlitz.com that he worked at all three linebackers spots within a 4-3 defense during that week.

Since January, Sanborn has been training at California Strength in Los Gatos, Calif. He described his routine, which by his accounts included a variety of different workouts.

"We'll typically be on the field pretty much every single day doing some type of movement, whether it be like linear work, speed work," Sanborn told BadgerBlitz.com last month. "We'll also do some position work, things like that, football-related. And then we're typically in the weight room about four or five days a week as well, doing a bunch of different stuff -- whether it be like lower body, upper body, things like that.

"So it's definitely busy, and then you got yoga and stuff like that, that we're doing mixed in there throughout the week. So it definitely keeps you busy. It definitely is tiring on the body at times, but it's a joy, and I think everyone here is having fun."

Sanborn's NFL.com's draft profile displays measurements of 6-foot-1 1/2" and 239 pounds, plus 30 3/4" arms and 9 3/8" hands. The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs evaluated the 'backer as a "third-round value," and the site places him as the No. 147 prospect in this class. ESPN projects him as the No. 187 player available.

NFL.com's draft profile of Ferguson already shows him measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, with 32 1/4" arms and 9 3/8" hands. He, like Sanborn, took part in a collegiate all-star event.

The grandson of former Wisconsin head coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez participated in the Senior Bowl, leading the National team with three receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Ferguson ended his time in Madison with 145 career receptions for 1,618 yards and 13 touchdowns between 2018-21. He caught a pass in every single game he played in as a Badger. Last season, he led UW in catches (46) on way to 450 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded Ferguson with an 88.3 in 2021, which ranked No. 1 among all Wisconsin offensive players. CBSSports.com ranks him as the sixth tight end and No. 99 prospect overall in this draft class, while The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs holds him as the No. 7 player at that position (with a "third-round value").

The Draft Network also views him as the No. 120 prospect overall, while ESPN projects him as the No. 134 player available.

Bruss told multiple reporters in December, including BadgerBlitz.com, that he would not return for a sixth year in the program. The Kimberly, Wis., product played in 42 career games, 35 of them starts from three different positions. His versatility shined, playing both right guard and right tackle on the line, and he also started three games as a blocking tight end during the 2018 season.

All 10 of Bruss' starts in 2021 -- a consensus second-team all-Big Ten season -- came at right tackle. However, he did not participate in Wisconsin's Las Vegas Bowl win over Arizona State. Former offensive line coach Joe Rudolph told reporters in December prior to the matchup with the Pac-12 program that Bruss dealt with a foot injury during part of the year. The upperclassman confirmed that in December.

ESPN projects him as the No. 198 player available, while The Draft Network currently places Bruss as the No. 339 prospect in this class.

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