The Wisconsin football program continued its current trend of producing professional football prospects, as seven former Badgers were selected in the 2005 National Football League draft and two were signed as undrafted free agents following the draft.
Defensive end Erasmus James led the way for the Badgers, as the Minnesota Vikings made James the No. 18 overall pick in the first round Saturday. James, who was in Atlanta with family, is happy with his prospects in Minnesota.
\It was a little long of a wait,"" James said from Atlanta. ""I anticipated I was going to go a little bit earlier, but I'm happy where I'm going.""
Minnesota expressed interest in James were he available when Minnesota picked. James thought he had a chance to go earlier, but after the Chiefs selected Texas linebacker Derrick Johnson, James felt confident the Vikings would pull the trigger.
""They didn't think I was going to be [there] at 18, but they said when they saw me at 18, they had to take me,"" James said. ""Just minutes before [the pick, head] coach [Mike Tice] called me and said, 'Are you ready to be a Viking?,' and I said 'Yes sir, I am.'""
Defensive back Scott Starks made a surprising first-day surge, with the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting him as the No. 23 pick in the third round (No. 87 overall). The selection gave Wisconsin two first-day picks, yet the least surprised person about Starks' early appearance was the defensive back himself.
""Actually, my agent [David Fletcher] told me before the draft that he was projecting me to go between 73 and 93,"" Starks said. ""That's actually where I went, somewhere between there. He kind of hit it right on the money, I wasn't surprised at all.""
Starks met with Jaguars representatives during the combine, but did not have a great feeling they would select him, and certainly not in the third round. But Starks, in St. Louis with family, said both parties were excited after the selection.
""I had only talked to Jacksonville once at the combine and once a couple days before [the draft],"" Starks said. ""But when I got on the phone with them, they sounded really excited to get me down there. I don't know if they were as excited as I was. I really couldn't hear, the coach was talking too much and my family was screaming in the background.""
Offensive guard Dan Buenning was the next Badger selected, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grabbed Buenning with the No. 6 pick in the fourth round (No. 107 overall). Buenning had not worked out with Tampa Bay prior to the draft and the Green Bay native-home for the draft-thought his hometown team might have selected him.
""I thought [Green Bay] might take me, but nothing's for certain,"" Buenning said. ""I wasn't holding anything out for anybody really. Green Bay would've been nice, yes, seeing as it would be easier to move in and stuff like that. But I was really looking forward to going somewhere else and seeing a new area of the country.""
The Indianapolis Colts snatched defensive end Jonathan Welsh off the board in the fifth round (No. 12, No. 148 overall). Welsh met with Indianapolis at the combine but was a little surprised the Colts picked him in the fifth round.
""I know the Giants had a lot of interest, but they ended up taking another [defensive] end. I was seeing a team like Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia [choosing me]. I hadn't thought about the Colts very much.""
Welsh. who spent the draft weekend with his mother in Houston, said the whole ordeal was slightly unsettling.
""I figured it could be anywhere from the fourth to the sixth round,"" Welsh said. ""I hit it on the head, I thought it would be the fifth round. It was just a really nerve-racking time.""
The final two senior defensive linemen-tackles Anttaj Hawthorne and Jason Jefferson-were selected in the sixth round. The Oakland Raiders made Hawthorne the first pick of round six (No. 175 overall) and the New Orleans Saints selected Jefferson at No. 19 (193 overall). Hawthorne experienced a freefall during the draft weekend, perhaps due to the failed drug test at the combine. Jefferson-calling from the United Center during halftime of the Chicago Bulls playoff game-was proud of his and the defensive line's accomplishments.
""It's a real deal, it's a real big accomplishment for me,"" Jefferson said. ""I would have never expected it coming out of high school. It just proves that hard work pays off.""
""I'm real proud of it,"" Jefferson said of all four defensive linemen being drafted. ""We were all able to get to a place. It's quite an accomplishment.""
Indianapolis selected running back Anthony Davis-the final Badger drafted-with the No. 29 pick in the seventh round (No. 243 overall). Davis joins Welsh and former UW quarterback Jim Sorgi in Indianapolis.
Two former Badgers were confirmed to have signed with NFL teams following the conclusion of the draft. Safety Jim Leonhard signed with the Buffalo Bills and offensive lineman Jonathan Clinkscale signed with Tampa Bay. Clinkscale may have also fallen off the draft board due to his failed drug test at the combine. However, Clinkscale is eager to move on and start anew in Tampa.
""I made a bad decision and I paid the consequences,"" Clinkscale said. ""Hopefully this is all past me and I can go ahead and move forward, and I go do what I love to do, and that's play football.""
