Three former Wisconsin Badgers make the NFL 'Top 100 Players of 2022'
The Wisconsin Badgers have almost 40 former players on NFL rosters this preseason. Some players are at the top of the league, while others are just hoping to earn a roster spot or land practice squad opportunities.
Each year the NFL polls players across the league to determine the top 100 players in the NFL.
Entering the 2022 season, three former Wisconsin players made the prestigious list as voted on by their peers.
Here is a look at the former Badgers who were included:
No. 61: Quarterback Russell Wilson
The first former Wisconsin player to make the NFL Top 100 was Russell Wilson, the No. 61 player in the league.
Wilson put together a prolific season for the Badgers back in 2011, completing more than 72% of his passes with over 3,000 yards and 33 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions. Wilson won the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year award that season and led the Badgers to a Rose Bowl berth.
In the NFL, Wilson has become one of the top quarterbacks in the league. With a decade of experience in the league, Wilson is a former Super Bowl Champion with the Seattle Seahawks and is a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. Wilson was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2020 and is widely recognized for his work on and off the field, but was traded this off-season to the Denver Broncos.
He has thrown for over 37,000 yards during his career in the NFL with 292 passing touchdowns.
No. 6: Outside linebacker T.J. Watt
The reigning Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award winner, T.J. Watt, is one of the most dominant players in the NFL after recording 22.5 sacks a season ago, a mark which tied Michael Straham for the most in a single year.
Watt was an All-American and consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection at Wisconsin in 2016. That season he finished with 63 total tackles and 11.5 sacks, with a scoring touchdown on an interception. After that breakout season, he was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Watt has four straight seasons with at least 10 sacks with the Steelers and is a four-time Pro Bowler. Entering his fifth season in the NFL, Watt has led the league in sacks twice, and tied for the league lead in forced fumbles in 2019.
During his NFL career, he has 294 tackles, 72 sacks, 22 forced fumbles, and four interceptions from this outside linebacker position.
Watt was recently hurt in the Steeler's final preseason game, but it is not believed to be serious according to his head coach, Mike Tomlin.
T.J. Watt's brother JJ was previously the No. 1 player on this list in 2015, but did not receive enough votes in 2022.
No. 5: Running back Jonathan Taylor
Entering only his third season in the NFL, former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor has quickly become one of the top players in the entire league. Based on the vote, Taylor is the best running back in the league, and he is coming off of a season in which he led the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns.
Taylor's rise professionally does not come as a surprise to those around the Wisconsin program, as he was a two-time Doak Walker Award winner in college and one of the most productive runners in college football history. He finished his career as a Badger with over 6,100 rushing yards and 55 total touchdowns in only three seasons.
A second-round pick of the Colts back in 2020, Taylor has tallied over 3,600 total yards and 35 touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL. Taylor was a consensus All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection in 2021 and now enters the 2022 season as the No. 1 player in fantasy football.
You can see the entire list here on the NFL's website.
Related links:
- Three takeaways from fall camp for the Wisconsin offense
- Fall Camp Takeaways for the Wisconsin Badgers defense
- Five players make the Senior Bowl watch list
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