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Former Badgers QB Graham Mertz taken before Quinn Ewers and all current Wisconsin players in 2025 NFL Draft

Graham Mertz was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round after transferring to Florida and battling through injuries
Lorin Cox|
Nov 26, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz (5) during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium.
Nov 26, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz (5) during the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The lineage of mediocre former Wisconsin Badgers quarterbacks sneaking into the NFL continues... somehow.

The latest addition to the professional brotherhood is Graham Mertz, who was recruited by Paul Chyrst in 2019 but transferred to the Florida Gators in 2023.

He missed most of his sixth collegiate season with injuries, but that didn't stop the Houston Texans from taking him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Mertz was largely projected to be an undrafted free agent, but instead he comes off the board ahead of other quarterbacks like Quinn Ewers of Texas and Kurtis Rourke of Indiana.

Somehow, Mertz went only 11 picks later than Will Howard, who won the national championship this year at Ohio State.

He was selected before any current Badgers were taken in the draft, despite the likes of Hunter Wohler, Joe Huber and Jack Nelson projected to be picked as early as the fifth round.

It's a surprise for a quarterback that went 7-9 over his final two seasons at Florida, but his high completion percentage and 26-5 TD-INT ratio were enough to entice the Texans to bring him in.

In Houston, he'll compete with Davis Mills to be a backup to C.J. Stroud. He's also joining up with former Wisconsin running back Dare Ogunbowale in the backfield.

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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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