Kevin Zeitler started the Badgers off on the right foot Thursday night when we was drafted no. 27 overall in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Zeitler, the second guard and fourth lineman taken in the draft, made it a second consecutive year and third time in the last six years that a Badger lineman was taken in the first round of the draft.
Zeitler, a first-team All-American his senior year, was taken by the Bengals and looks to move right into their Offensive Line.
The next Badger drafted was Peter Konz at no. 55 overall in the second round. Konz is going to Atlanta. He likely expected tobe picked a bit earlier, but he was the first guard taken by any team in the draft.
Konz is projected to spend time at guard for the Falcons, who have a 13-year veteran at center at the moment. There are apparently concerns that Konz has an injury history and that he might have durability issues - those things may have made him drop a bit lower in the draft numbers, but he was till the first center taken, meaning they have faith he'll come around.
Following Konz was QB Russell Wilson, selected at no. 75 overall in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks. There is concern that Wilson's 5'10" stature won't work in the NFL, but the Seahawks took him slightly earlier than I think most thought he'd go.
The draft pick is an interseting one, as Seattle's starter was Tavaris Jackson and they recently signed Aaron Rodgers' backup, Matt Flynn. Presumablythe job is Flynn's to lose, so Wilson may be fighting Jackson for the no. 2 role?
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Nick Toon was taken 122nd overall, in the fourth round, by the New Orleans Saints.
Apropos of nothing, I read a transcript of Toon's New Orleans introduction and the second question was "Is there anything better, in your eyes, than coming to the Saints and playing with Drew Brees?" I... that's some piss poor journalism, Saints press guys. Nothing like a leading question there and they didn't even work up to it.
The Saints say they think Toon is like Marquest Colston and they like his hands. Despite their great offensive output, just two of their receivers were in the tops in regards to catches and yards. They relied on TEs quite a bit. Toon's ability to make acrobatic catches should serve him well.
Brady Ewing will join Peter Konz in Atlanta - they drafted him 157th overall in the fifth round of the draft. He was the third fullback taken.
Ewing walked on to the Badger football team, so this whole thing must have quite the air of surreality to it.
Capping off the Badgers draft was punter Brad Nortan, who was taken with the final pick of the sixth round by the Panthers.
Despite going undrafted, Antonio Fenelus' day was made when he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Indianapolis Colts
