Wisconsin Football: 6 Badgers Make TDN’s Top-250 Prospects List
By Paul Bretl
The Draft Network has its prospect rankings for the 2020 college season, and six members of the Wisconsin Football team crack the top-250.
The Student-Athletes are back on campus, and it won’t be long before college football is back. And when it comes to the Wisconsin Football program, once again, they have their eyes set on the Big Ten Title Game.
Despite losing some key offensive players – Jonathan Taylor, Quintez Cephus, and Tyler Biadasz – as well as some stalwarts on the defensive side of the ball – Zack Baun and Chris Orr – the Badgers are always reloading and remaining competitive.
While the 2021 NFL Draft is still a ways away and undoubtedly a lot is going to change between now and then, the Wisconsin Badgers over the last two decades have a rich history of players being drafted and finding NFL success. In looking ahead, there once again could be several Badgers who hear their names called over the course of the three-day draft.
As it currently stands, there are six Wisconsin Football players in The Draft Network’s (TDN) top-250 college prospects for the 2020 season. As I mentioned, things are going to change depending on play and several other factors this season, but with 255 picks in the 2020 draft, all six of these players could be selected next April.
So without further ado, here’s who those six players are and where they stand in TDN’s rankings.
No. 64: Jack Sanborn, LB
With Baun and Orr now in the NFL, this Badgers’ linebacking unit belongs to Jack Sanborn. Sanborn is coming off a 2019 season where he totaled 80 tackles, nine of which were for a loss, along with 5.5 sacks, and three interceptions. Effective against both the run and pass, another strong performance in 2020 will all but cement Sanborn as a top-100 pick in April.
No. 113: Jake Ferguson, TE
Jake Ferguson was a safety blanket for Jack Coan last season and should see more opportunities this season since Taylor and Cephus are gone. In 2019, Ferguson hauled in 33 receptions for 407 yards with two touchdowns. He’s developed into a well-rounded tight end, and as I said, I expect his production to increase this season.
No. 138: Cole Van Lanen, OT
After an excellent 2018 season, Cole Van Lanen entered 2019 as one of Pro Football Focus’ top-50 returning college players. Unfortunately, playing through injuries resulted in Van Lanen taking a step backwards this past season. However, if he can regain his 2018 form, he could enter the conversation as one of the top tackles in this year’s class.
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No. 189: Danny Davis, WR
In 12 games last season, Danny Davis hauled in 30 receptions for 250 yards with a touchdown. He also had nine rushing attempts for 110 yards with an additional touchdown. Similar to Ferguson, Davis is going to play a much larger role in the offense this season, and his playmaking ability is going to play a key role in the Badgers’ success.
No. 202: Eric Burrell, S
We saw Eric Burrell put together a very good junior season where he would total 55 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions, and six pass breakups. He’s emerged as one of the best cover safeties in the Big Ten Conference and was recently listed by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as one of the best players returning to the Big Ten this season.
No. 245: Jack Coan, QB
While fans impatiently await the day that Graham Mertz will be under center, Jack Coan’s 2019 performance has flown a bit under the radar. Coan ran the offense very efficiently by completing almost 70 percent of his passes for 2,727 yards with 18 touchdowns to only five interceptions. Although never likely to take over a game, Coan’s experience and ability to run the offense will be enough to rack up a number of wins once again in 2020. And this should boost his draft stock a bit as well.
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Honorable Mention
No. 357: Kendric Pryor, WR
Kendric Pryor has been a versatile player for Wisconsin and has shown an ability to create some big plays as well. Last season he would make 23 receptions for 278 yards. Just like the other pass-catchers listed before him, his role in this offense should expand in 2020.
All stats courtesy of UW Athletics.