Wednesday marked the 2019 Badger NFL Pro Day for the University of Wisconsin football team, with fifteen Badgers participating in drills in front of scouts from nearly every NFL team.
Participants included OLs Michael Deiter, David Edwards, Micah Kapoi and Beau Benzschawel, S D’Cota Dixon, LBs T.J. Edwards, Ryan Connelly and Andrew Van Ginkel, TE Zander Neuville, RBs Taiwan Deal, Chris James, Serge Trezy and Rachid Ibrahim, as well as DL Olive Sagapolu.
After the NFL combine ended March 4, eight of the listed Badgers returned for another chance to show off their skills to visiting NFL scouts.
Highlights from the combine include Dixon’s 20 reps on the bench press — third among safeties. Linebacker Ryan Connelly posted a 4.66 40-yard dash — .24 second behind the leading linebacker — and Wisconsin’s Alec Ingold was the only fullback invited to the NFL Combine.
“I want to be a good enough football player where teams will think ‘maybe we need one,’” Ingold said of the dying fullback position.
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Highlights from the pro day include tight end Neuville’s 27 bench press reps, Trezy’s 39.5 inch vertical and linebacker Van Ginkel’s 4.56 second 40-yard dash.
After testings and evaluations, players worked on positional drills with various NFL scouts. Players will move on to scheduled workouts and visits with specific NFL teams in the time between now and the NFL draft.
Wisconsin’s offensive linemen dominate the mock draft boards, and some have three Badger offensive lineman being drafted — Deiter, Benzschawel and Edwards.
Deiter talked about the possibility of having three Wisconsin offensive lineman drafted by saying, “It’s comforting and it makes it that much more fun.”
The NFL draft will take place April 25 through 27 in Nashville, Tennessee.
