Closing in on the fifth weekend of Badger football, Wisconsin faces Rutgers at Camp Randall Stadium for a morning game during homecoming weekend. As first in the Big Ten West with a 3-1 record, this season for the Badgers could be promising.
Taking a trip down memory lane, let’s see what some of our most recent 2023 Badger football graduates have been up to.
Last April, the 2023 NFL draft took place outside of Union Station in Kansas City, where four Badgers were drafted to their new NFL homes.
Joe Tippmann, a 22-year-old from Fort Wayne, Indiana, played as an offensive lineman for the Badgers. He helped lead the way for the No. 2 rushing offense in the Big Ten in 2021 and logged the offensive line’s best run blocking grade in 2022.
Tippmann was the highest pick compared to his three colleagues. The New York Jets welcomed Tippmann to his new NFL home in round two with pick 43.
It’s no secret that the Jets are thrilled to have Tippmann as their newest addition.
“Joe Tippmann is a J E T. Plug and play for the next 10 years. The wall up front just got stronger,” NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger tweeted after Tippmann was drafted.
\Keeanu Benton, a 22-year-old nose tackler from Janesville, followed Tippmann. Benton played and started all 12 regular season games last season and totaled 7.0 TFLs over the season’s final four games with the Badgers. The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed Benton on the second day of the draft.
Nick Herbig was drafted to the Steelers later in the night in round four, pick 132, where he and Benton reunited. Herbig, an outside linebacker for Wisconsin, ranked 6th on the team for total tackles last season, and his 1.0 sacks per game average was the most for a Badger since 1996.
“These two Badger boys are headed to the Burgh,” the Pittsburgh Steelers wrote on Twitter after Benton and Herbig were drafted.
Tyler Beach, a 24-year-old offensive lineman, made his way from Wisconsin to Houston, Texas, after the draft to join the Texans as an undrafted free agent. He made nine starts on the offensive line last season.
As for the Badgers in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft, one particular player has been on the radar. Braelon Allen, the 19-year-old running back from Fond du Lac, is one of the PFF’s top RB prospects. With the whole season ahead, anything is possible in the next eight months before the draft.
