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Former Wisconsin Badgers are well represented on NFL Pro Bowl ballots with fan voting closed

Fan voting for the NFL Pro Bowl closed this week, and former Wisconsin Badgers were well represented across six different positions.
Lorin Cox|
Feb 6, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; AFC running back Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts (28) runs with the ball against the NFC during the third quarter during the Pro Bowl football game at Allegiant Stadium.
Feb 6, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; AFC running back Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts (28) runs with the ball against the NFC during the third quarter during the Pro Bowl football game at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

Fan voting for the NFL Pro Bowl closed this week, and former Wisconsin Badgers were well represented across six different positions.

They won't all be voted in as starters, but UW has a good chance of seeing its graduates honored among the NFL's best at this year's Pro Bowl Games.

The one Pro Bowl starter the Badgers can for sure count on is Jonathan Taylor.

The star Indianapolis Colts running back has been the leading vote receiver in the AFC and leads the NFL in every major rushing category this season.

As long as he's healthy, he will be participating in the events in San Francisco this February.

Former Wisconsin star outside linebacker T.J. Watt has made seven consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, but that streak could be slightly in doubt as he recovers from a lung issue.

He's on pace to fall short of double-digit sacks for just the third time in his career, though that didn't stop him from making the all-star game in 2022.

Pro Bowl voting does still include a fullback, so former Badger Alec Ingold has a chance to make his second appearance with a smaller pool of competition.

His Miami Dolphins team is having a rough season, so that hasn't helped his voting.

Related: Wisconsin Badgers CB Ricardo Hallman will play in new college football all-star game

The same was true for a while for Jake Ferguson. The ex-Wisconsin tight end has had an up-and-down year with the Dallas Cowboys, but his 570 receiving yards ranks fourth at his position in the NFC.

He has a good chance to sneak into his second Pro Bowl as his numbers get back closer to his last all-star season in 2023.

Former Badgers linebacker Zack Baun was the breakout defensive star of the 2024 season, but he hasn't gotten quite the same attention in 2025 despite the Philadelphia Eagles still leading their division.

He was falling behind in fan Pro Bowl voting despite still playing at a high level. He may need some help from the coaches and players who vote as the other two-thirds of the equation with the fan voting.

Also receiving votes was offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler, who is in his 14th NFL season since graduating from Wisconsin.

He's been as consistent as ever this season, but he's playing on a bad Tennessee Titans team that will hurt his chances in the popularity contest.

Still, a handful of these former Badgers will earn the recognition of having a Pro Bowl season and participate in the skills competitions that replaced the old format of an actual football game.

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Lorin Cox
LORIN COX

Lorin Cox is the managing editor of Wisconsin Badgers on SI. He has been covering Badgers sports since 2014, when he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin. He previously wrote for the Wisconsin State Journal, NBC Sports Chicago and USA Today Sports Media Group, and he is a former analyst for Pro Football Focus.

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