Wisconsin Football has had a long history of consistently producing talent to the NFL, dating back to 1937 when Eddie Jankowski became the first Badger ever drafted.
This spring, the pipeline hit a snag: no player was selected in the draft and none of the undrafted free agents made it to a 53-man NFL roster.
Still, 19 players currently represent Wisconsin at the highest level of football as the season heads into week four, and several rank amongst the most productive players at their positions.
Andrew Van Ginkel (2017-18)
The veteran outside linebacker is the centerpiece of a Minnesota Vikings defense that has led the team to a 3-0 start. Through three games, Van Ginkel has nine tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. The interception came in the final minutes of Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the Vikings sacked Baker Mayfield six times.
Van Ginkel picked off the quarterback’s final attempted pass on fourth down. With Minnesota’s offense struggling for a second straight week, Van Ginkel and the defense remain the team's clearest strength. Van Ginkel is a catalyst in this Vikings defense that has been wreaking havoc so far this season. He’s one of Vikings’ Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores’ favorite weapons in their blitz heavy defense, where he perfectly fits in with his aggressive playstyle.
Van Ginkel also opened the season with a strip-sack of Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
T.J. Watt (2013-16)
The 10th-year Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker delivered one of the best individual performances in the week one win over Atlanta. He finished with four tackles, two sacks and an interception which he returned 35 yards for a touchdown.
With the pick, he joins Hall of Famer Julius Peppers as the only players with at least 100 sacks and 10 interceptions. Watt now has nine tackles and 3.5 sacks, tied for fourth across the league.
Jonathan Taylor (2017-19)
The Indianapolis running back remains the star of the Colts’ offense in his seventh season with the franchise. Taylor rushed for 190 yards and scored four touchdowns through the first two weeks, giving the Colts a physical identity even as they started 0-2.
Houston held him to 68 yards on 23 carries Sunday, but the Colts escaped closely with a 19-17 win that finally ended a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Joe Huber (2023-24)
The second-year guard has carved out a role as the Vikings' interior backup after making the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2025. Huber, who began his college career as a walk-on at Cincinnati before following Head Coach Luke Fickell to Wisconsin, opened the season listed as the backup to starting left guard Donovan Jackson.
He has yet to play an offensive snap this season, contributing instead on special teams, where he has logged 13 snaps across three games.
Tanor Bortolini (2020-23)
The Indianapolis center enters 2026 as one of the Colts’ foundational young players after a breakout 2025 season.
In his first year as the full-time starter, Bortolini played 937 offensive snaps without allowing a sack, and his Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade ranked third among all centers, earning him a spot on NFL.com’s All-Under-25 Team.
His start to this season has been rockier. Through three games, he has played 190 snaps and allowed one sack and three total pressures without a penalty. The Wisconsin native will look to regain his form from previous seasons as he suits up this Sunday in London against the Washington Commanders.
Nick Herbig (2020-22)
Fresh off a four-year, $100 million extension signed in June, the Steelers linebacker has continued to prove his worth. Herbig has 10 tackles and a forced fumble this season. His best performance so far came in a week two loss against the Patriots, where he posted a season-high seven tackles and forced a fumble.
Keeanu Benton (2019-22)
Continuing the tradition of Badgers on Pittsburgh’s defensive line, the Steelers defensive tackle earned a four-year, $72 million deal this offseason that made him the highest-paid defensive tackle in Steelers history. Benton has three tackles through three games as a key part of the Pittsburgh defensive line’s rotation.
Jake Ferguson (2017-21)
The Madison local signed for a 4-year, $52 million contract extension in July 2025, making him the highest paid tight end in Cowboys’ organization history.
Ferguson has become one of Dallas’ most reliable red zone targets since being drafted in the fourth round in 2022. He has nine receptions for 72 yards and three touchdowns this season. In Sunday’s game in Rio de Janeiro, he slipped free on a wheel route for a 19-yard touchdown, though he also fumbled on a shovel pass to open the second half.
David Edwards (2015-18)
The offensive guard signed a four-year, $61 million contract with New Orleans in March after three seasons in Buffalo. The Saints brought him in to stabilize an offensive line that has ranked near the bottom of the league in recent years, and he slotted in as the starting left guard.
Edwards arrived as one of the league’s steadiest pass protectors, posting a career-high 75.0 PFF pass-blocking grade last season while allowing just four sacks and committing three penalties. He has taken 232 offensive snaps and allowed zero sacks for the 1-2 Saints.
Hunter Wohler (2021-24)
Colts safety Hunter Wohler gets his long-awaited first regular season action after suffering a Lisfranc foot injury in the 2025 preseason, which ended his rookie year before it began.
Wohler has 13 tackles this season, eight of which came from the Colts’ overtime loss against the Chiefs during Week 2. Wohler continues to work alongside starter AJ Haulcy as the team’s strong safeties. The former seventh round pick is proving to be a steal for Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, who also happens to be a former Wisconsin Badger.
T.J. Edwards (2014-18)
The linebacker is fresh off a viral moment from Monday Night Football with the Chicago Bears. With the Eagles trailing 20-7 and facing fourth-and-5 in the third quarter, the broadcast showed Edwards standing near Philadelphia’s huddle before he intercepted Jalen Hurts on the ensuing play.
Edwards signed with the Chicago Bears in 2023 as a free agent after spending his first four seasons in Philadelphia. Since then, he has been a consistent force for the Bears’ defense. He finished the 27-7 win with three tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception.
Cole Van Lanen (2016-20)
The fifth-year tackle has returned from offseason knee surgery to reclaim a starting spot with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Van Lanen, a former Packers draft pick, has started all three games at right tackle and played 155 offensive snaps for the Jaguars. He allowed a few edge pressures and was whistled for an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty that negated a Parker Washington touchdown in the third quarter in the win against New England Sunday.
Zack Baun (2015-19)
Baun was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after the 2026 season opener, when he recorded 12 tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass breakups against the Washington Commanders with the Philadelphia Eagles. The linebacker has had two consecutive pro-bowl selections, a Super Bowl ring and an AP all-pro honor since joining the Eagles.
Joe Tippmann (2019-22)
Tippmann started every game for the New York Jets at center in 2024, then moved to guard last season when Alijah Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending injury.
He thrived in the position to earn a four-year, $66.4 million extension in June. This season, Tippmann has played 207 offensive snaps and allowed 0 sacks so far.
Leo Chenal (2019-21)
The Commanders linebacker's first season in Washington ended Sunday. Chenal suffered a neck fracture while making a tackle against the Seattle Seahawks and was scheduled for season-ending surgery Monday. Before the injury, Chenal had been one of Washington’s most active defenders, posting 12 tackles in a week two loss to Dallas and three more before leaving Sunday’s game in the second quarter.
Braelon Allen (2021-23)
The young New York Jets running back returns to the field after a knee injury limited his 2025 season to four games. Allen has 19 carries for 61 yards, and his lone touchdown came against Green Bay, a 5-yard run in a 20-17 overtime loss. His role could expand quickly as starter Breece Hall suffered a quad injury against Detroit and is considered week-to-week.
Alec Ingold (2015-18)
The eighth-year fullback has reunited with Mike McDaniel in Los Angeles, his former head coach in Miami and now the Chargers' offensive coordinator. Ingold started his first season as a Charger with three receptions for 35 yards. Despite the heavy use of 21-personnel, the team averages 2.9 yards per carry and is yet to see a win.
Jack Sanborn (2018-2021)
Sanborn has appeared in all three games for the Chicago Bears, recording his lone stats of the season with two tackles in the week two loss to Minnesota. He plays as the backup behind Bears inside linebacker Devin Bush.
Hayden Rucci (2019-23)
The tight end joined the Chargers when they signed him off Jacksonville’s practice squad on Sept. 22. Los Angeles needed help after placing tight end David Njoku on injured reserve, leaving two healthy tight ends on the roster. Rucci did not record a stat in his Chargers debut, a 24-16 loss at Buffalo.
