Wisconsin Badgers defensive lineman declares for NFL Draft after tumultuous college career

After transferring to Wisconsin for one season, a Badgers defensive lineman is heading to the NFL with the hopes of continuing his already improbable football career.

Wisconsin Badgers defensive lineman Jay'Viar Suggs (31) declared for the NFL Draft after transferring to Madison for one season. | Gary Cosby-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Jay'Viar Suggs took an unconventional path to the Wisconsin Badgers last winter in the transfer portal.

Now, he's hoping his unconventional path will take him to the NFL.

On Sunday, the seventh-year defensive lineman formally declared for the NFL Draft in a post on Instagram.

He projects as a long shot to hear his name called on NFL Draft weekend, but his whole career has been a bit of a long shot.

He first enrolled at Division-II Grand Valley State, where current Badgers outside linebackers coach Matt Mitchell was the head coach, and Suggs redshirted his freshman season in 2019.

His 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID, and then he didn't see any game action in 2021. He finally earned playing time in 2022 and 2023, and he did enough to attract an offer from LSU in the transfer portal for the 2024.

Suggs came off the bench in Baton Rouge and entered the transfer portal again last winter when he joined a Wisconsin defensive line in need of added bulk up front.

He became a starter this season, playing the second-most snaps of any Badgers defensive lineman behind Ben Barten. Now, Suggs has exhausted his eligibility after seven years in college, and he's off to the pros.

He projects as an undrafted free agent, given his lack of high level college experience and his advanced age for an NFL rookie.

He played just over 450 snaps at the Division-I level in his college career and doesn't have the type of production that gets players drafted.

But scouts could still fall in love with Suggs' traits and upside to give him a shot as an undrafted free agent or a rookie minicamp invitation at the very least.

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