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Wisconsin Badgers' embarrassing first-round NFL Draft drought is reaching historic levels

The last NFL Draft with Wisconsin Badgers taken in the first round was 2017
Lorin Cox|
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell welcomes fans to the 2025 NFL Draft before the first round on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell welcomes fans to the 2025 NFL Draft before the first round on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Wisconsin Badgers

The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft came and went without any Wisconsin Badgers selected, as expected.

It extended a Wisconsin draft drought that has now reached historic levels.

The last NFL Draft with Badgers taken in the first round was 2017, when the Pittsburgh Steelers took edge rusher T.J. Watt and the New Orleans Saints drafted offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk.

This year now marks seven straight drafts without a first-round pick from Wisconsin. That's the longest stretch without a first round pick since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970.

This current stretch broke the previous record six-year drought between 1992 (Troy Vincent) and 1999 (Aaron Gibson).

The lack of first-round talent coincides with the program's limited success over that same span. 2017 was the last season the Badgers won more than 10 games.

In their defense, Wisconsin has seen five players drafted in the Top 100 over the last seven years, with Jonathan Taylor, Joe Tippmann and Keeanu Benton taken in the Top 50.

The current Badgers roster doesn't have an obvious candidate to break the first-round drought, but it's up to Luke Fickell to identify and develop the transcendent talent that translates to the next level.

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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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