The 2018 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night in Dallas, and a few former Wisconsin Badgers are hoping to hear their names called during the course of the three-day event.
BadgerBlitz.com's draft preview is included below, along with our predictions for where the members of Wisconsin's draft class will wind up as they start their NFL careers.
Nick Nelson - CB
PROJECTED RANGE
Rounds 3-5
THE SCOOP
Nelson has to be one of the most interesting draft prospects to come out of Wisconsin in a while. He's certainly athletically talented, and he played very well in his one season on the field for the Badgers after transferring to UW from Hawaii. But Nelson did suffer a meniscus injury during a pre-draft workout, and he was a little too handsy at times in pass coverage for the Badgers. Still, I could have listed every team as needing a cornerback in this draft - in the NFL these days you are never "set" on the outside. Nelson could be a value pick for a team that misses out on the top-rated options in the early rounds.
PREDICTION
Green Bay Packers -- Fifth Round, No. 138 overall.
Leon Jacobs - LB / EDGE
PROJECTED RANGE
Rounds 4-6
THE SCOOP
Leon Jacobs probably did the most to help his draft stock over the last few months. He flashed at the combine in several workouts and felt good enough about his results to not work out at Wisconsin's Pro Day in March. His one year as a starter for the Badgers was solid, and I think some team will buy in to him thinking they can improve him even more by getting settled at one position. Don't be surprised if Jacobs winds up being the first UW player picked during the draft.
PREDICTION
New Orleans Saints -- Fifth Round, No. 147 overall.
Jack Cichy - LB
PROJECTED RANGE
Rounds 4-7
THE SCOOP
Jack Cichy decided to turn pro after his senior season, even though he hasn't played in a game for the Badgers since the middle of 2016. A torn ACL in fall camp last year robbed him of the chance to improve on his draft stock with another year's worth of tape, but Cichy has been on the road to recovery and has tested well both at the Combine and at Wisconsin's Pro Day over the last few weeks. I put wider range on Cichy's projected range because I think there's more uncertainty with him - some team could love his tape from 2015 and 2016 and take him higher than you'd expect, or else teams could be scared off by back-to-back season ending injuries in 2016 and 2017. I think Cichy will make a good pro player - it's jut a matter of where he winds up.
PREDICTION
Minnesota Vikings -- Sixth Round, No. 213 overall.
Natrell Jamerson - DB
PROJECTED RANGE
Rounds 5-7
THE SCOOP
Jamerson also fits the profile of an intriguing athletic prospect who flashed during their one season as a starter for the Badgers. Jamerson put up some impressive numbers at Wisconsin's Pro Day, and you can see an NFL team taking a flyer on him given that he could at least be a special teams contributor. Jamerson is still learning how to play defensive back, too, so there's definitely a higher ceiling there.
PREDICTION
New England Patriots -- Sixth Round, No. 210 overall.
Troy Fumagalli - TE
PROJECTED RANGE
Rounds 4-6
THE SCOOP
Fumagalli has generally been ranked in the second tier of tight ends in this draft, and teams will have to rely more on his college tape than on his pre-drat workouts - he didn't do much at the combine and didn't work out at Wisconsin's Pro Day. I don't think that will have hurt him, though, because his college tape is pretty consistent. Plus, once teams realize that his missing index finger isn't an issue I think they'll view him as a good addition to their depth at tight end in the long run.
PREDICTION
Seattle Seahawks -- Fifth Round, No. 156 overall.
Garret Dooley - EDGE
PROJECTED RANGE
Late Rounds or Free Agent
THE SCOOP
Dooley put together a solid season as a starting outside linebacker for the Badgers in 2017, and his combine measurements were good as well - apart from his 40-yard dash time, which he was able to improve on at his Pro Day. I wouldn't be surprised if Dooley was taken on the third day of the draft, but if his name isn't called he should have quite a few teams interested in signing him as an undrafted free agent.
PREDICTION
Oakland Raiders -- Seventh Round, No. 228 overall.
Austin Ramesh - FB
PROJECTED RANGE
Late Rounds or Free Agent
THE SCOOP
Ramesh didn't get a combine invite but tested well at Wisconsin's Pro Day, and he has a lot of good film to fall back on from his years as the team's primary fullback. Ramesh has great vision for the position and is more athletic than he gets credit for, but the emphasis on the passing game in the NFL could limit the number of teams that are looking for fullbacks.
PREDICTION
Free Agent
Alec James - DE
PROJECTED RANGE
Late Rounds or Free Agent
THE SCOOP
James was a highly-touted recruit who took a little while to develop into the player we saw during his senior season, but the NFL seems to view him as a kind of tweener - stuck between what teams look for as interior defensive linemen or as pass rushers. I still think James could crack an NFL roster, but he'll likely need to turn some heads during training camp.
PREDICTION
Free Agent
Conor Sheehy - DE
PROJECTED RANGE
Late Rounds or Free Agent
THE SCOOP
Sheehy was a reliable defensive end for the Badgers over the last several seasons, but he might also have to impress a coaching staff during training camp to make an NFL roster this fall. I wouldn't bet against him - he's the kind of gritty player who will make the most of whatever opportunity he gets.
PREDICTION
Free Agent
Other hopefuls
Joe Ferguson, Lubern Figaro, Rachid Ibrahim, and Derrick Tindal all worked out at Wisconsin's Pro Day in March and are hoping that their results and any other workouts or interviews they did will have caught the eye of an NFL team. Getting drafted might be a bit of a stretch, but I wouldn't be surprised to see any of them sign with a team as a free agent.
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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.
