Building The 53 - Top 25 Wisconsin Badger NFL Prospects from 2014 Capital One Bowl

The 19th ranked Wisconsin Badgers played the 8th ranked South Carolina Gamecocks for the first time in the 2014 Capital One Bowl.  This marks the second time in three years that the Gamecocks played in the Capitol One Bowl, two years ago they beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 30-13.  The last time the Badgers appeared in the Capitol One Bowl was 2006 when then first-year Badger head coach Bret Bielema beat the Arkansas Razorbacks 17-14.  Bielema left Wisconsin to become the head coach at Arkansas between the 2012 Big Ten Championship Game and the 2013 Rose Bowl.

Unfortunately the Badgers continued their struggles in bowl games losing their fourth in a row. The Badgers lost three consecutive Rose Bowls: 21-19 to TCU in 2011, 45-38 to Oregon in 2012, and 20-14 to Stanford in 2013.  Following their 34-24 loss to the Gamecocks in the 2014 Capital One Bowl that means the last time the Badgers won a bowl game was the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl 20-14 over Miami.

The Gamecocks have a number of players that will play in the NFL.  The headliner of that group is junior defensive end Jadeveon Clowney that declared for the 2014 NFL Draft right after the Capital One Bowl since he will most likely be the top pick. Other Gamecocks that impressed me were quarterback Connor Shaw, running back Mike Davis, defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles, and linebacker Skai Moore.

There are a number of other outlets where you can get the full recap of the 2014 Capitol One Bowl but I am much more interested in what Badgers from the 2014 Capital One Bowl will succeed in the NFL.  A college player must have been out of high school for three years in order to be eligible for the NFL Draft.  That means if a player red-shirts, he could technically enter the NFL Draft as a red-shirt ("RS") sophomore.  Any underclassmen (RS Sophomore, Junior, or RS Junior) must declare for the 2014 NFL Draft by January 15, 2014.  Here are the Top 25 NFL prospects current on the Badgers' roster:

#25) Young Non-Starting Offensive Lineman:  Seven Badger offensive lineman were taken in the NFL Draft the last three years, which is the most of any school in the country so there is a good chance that one of the following young Badger offensive lineman will be playing in the NFL in three or four years: Ray Ball (SO, G, 6'7" & 321 lbs), Hayden Biegel (FR, T, 6'6" & 281 lbs), Ben Hemer (FR, OL, 6'4" & 275 lbs), Walker Williams (FR, T, 6'7" & 322 lbs), or one of the handful of other big uglies not currently listed on the depth chart.

#24) Kenzel Doe (KR/WR, JR): Every year there is a slightly built but speedy return guy that makes a splash in the NFL.  Doe had a big return in the 2014 Capitol One Bowl to bring the Badgers within three points.  Those are the kind of game-changing plays that could catapult Doe from an undrafted rookie free agent in the 2015 NFL Draft to a spot on the practice squad or even The 53 of an NFL team in 2015.

#23) Vince Biegel (OLB, RS FR): If Biegel can improve his pass rushing moves, look for him to climb this rankings quickly and turn into a nice prospect for the 2017 NFL Draft.

#22) Pat Muldoon (DE, RS SR): This season Muldoon was named All-Big Ten honorable mention but I am not sure that is enough to get him selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.

#21) Ethan Hemer (DE/OLB, SR): Went from walk-on to finally earning a scholarship a year ago.  At 6'6" and 285 lbs, it will be interesting to see if Hemer can go through a Mike Neal-esque transition from defensive line to outside linebacker in the NFL.  Much like Muldoon, I expect Hemer to go undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft.

#20) Derek Landisch (LB, JR): Despite being a middle-of-the-road recruit, Landisch was named Rookie of the Year in 2011.  Landisch's slight build at 6'0" and 230 lbs means he will really have to show well next season to get selected in the 2015 NFL Draft.

#19) Dan Voltz (C, RS FR): Came to Wisconsin as a tackle/guard but has seen action at center so far for the Badgers.  There is a chance that Voltz could swing to one of the guard positions but given that he is only 6'3", I would be shocked if he got a chance at tackle.  Needs to focus on one position to improve and give scours tape to judge whether he looks like a real NFL prospect.

#18) Dallas Lewallen (C, RS JR): Next season is going to be big for Lewallen because injuries really made it hard to tell whether he can play on Sundays.

#17) Kyle Costigan (RG, RS JR): Switched from defensive line to offensive line before the 2012 season.  The transition has gone better than I expected.  Hopefully with another year under his belt next season he will show enough to get drafted towards the end of the 2015 NFL Draft.

#16) Bart Houston (QB, FR):  The former De La Salle High School player had shoulder surgery on December 1, 2012 and only played in two games this season for the Badgers.  At 6'4" and 214 lbs, Houston projects as an athletic spinner with a good chance to start at quarterback for the Badgers in 2015.

#15) Derek Watt (FB, SO): The cliche description of Watt is to talk about his older brother J.J. but let's focus on Derek.  With all the spread offenses run in college and the NFL, the fullback position is continuing to be marginalized.  That means guys like Watt need to be one of the three or four best at the position along with showing that he can be a contributor on special teams in the NFL if he wants to play on Sunday.  I see Watt as a late round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

#14) Joel Stave (QB, RS SO): I really only ranked Stave this high because he plays quarterback.  Stave commits way too many turnovers, which is unacceptable given that the Badgers have arguably the most productive two-headed running back monster in college football.  With 19 games under his belt, the Badgers expect more from Stave.

#13) Beau Allen (DT, SR): I am shocked how many big-time Minnesota recruits in basketball and football decide to go to Wisconsin over Minnesota.  Allen is the next in a long line of natives of Minnesota that chose to become a Badgers over settling for being a Gopher.  It feels like Allen has been at Wisconsin for a million years given that he has played all four years.  Not sure whether Allen will get drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft but at 6'3" and 325 lbs he looks like a big enough space eater to play in the NFL.

#12) Dezmen Southward (S, RS SR): I was tempted to move Southward much higher on this list given that he is 6'2 and 210 lbs but he did not make enough plays on the field to warrant a higher ranking.  The safety position is weak in the 2014 NFL Draft after Alabama safety Ha'Sean "Ha Ha" Clinton-Dix.  If Southward tests well at the NFL Combine and Wisconsin's Pro Day, I could see him creeping up the draft board to possibly be a late round draftee in the 2014 NFL Draft.

#11) Tanner McEvoy (QB/S, RS SO): Let me set the stage.  McEvoy red-shirted for the Gamecocks in 2011 before transferring to Arizona Western College where he excelled at quarterback.  The Badgers played McEvoy at safety even though they are going to give him a chance to win the starting quarterback job next season.  Sure McEvoy might be able to spin the ball but at 6'6" and 223 lbs, given the proliferation of all the tall tight ends and wide receivers in the NFL, I would rather see McEvoy stick at safety since there are very few safeties even 6'2" in the NFL let alone 6'6".

#10) Tyler Marz (LT, RS SO): The NFL is looking for the next Joe Thomas as opposed to Gabe Carimi to come out of Wisconsin.  Meritz clearly had the body to be Thomas but those are pretty big shoes to fill given that Thomas is the best offensive lineman in program history.

#9) Corey Clement (FR, RB): Usually the Badgers have a nice stable of running backs but last year was their high watermark in program history with Montee Ball, James White, and Melvin Gordon because there is a chance that all three of those guys will get meaningful carries in the NFL by 2015.  With Ball getting drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, everyone moved up one spot in the pecking order with White replacing Ball, Gordon replacing White, and Clement replacing Gordon.  In limited action this season Clement looks like the next coming of Melvin Gordon.  How healthy Clement stays will determine whether he turns into a bona fide NFL prospect by the 2016 NFL Draft.

#8) Michael Caputo (S, RS SO): One of the surest tacklers on the team gives the Badgers a real thumper at safety.  Caputo needs to put on some more muscle because I am still not sure he is strong enough to play on Sundays yet but given that he has the ball skills, two years in the weight room could turn him into a mid-round draft pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

#7) James White (RB, SR): After an impressive freshman season, White has been under the radar as he was overshadowed by Montee Ball the last couple years and Melvin Gordon this year.  Given White's shiftiness and ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, I see him as a poor man's Darren Sproles in the NFL.  I see White as a late round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft that could be a one of the steals of the draft.

#6) Rob Havenstein (RT, RS JR): At 6'8" and 327 lbs, Havenstein is almost has too big of a frame for the NFL but if Havenstein can perform well while staying healthy, look for him to be a mid-round prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft.

#5) Ryan Groy (LG, SR):  Although guard looks like his best position, Groy can play any position along the offensive line so I see him being the eighth Badger offensive lineman drafted in the last four years.

#4) Sojourn Shelton (CB, FR): Although Shelton is only 5'9" & 172 pounds, he has been the most consistent defensive back on the team while leading the Badgers in interceptions.  Shelton is a pretty good tackler as well despite his slight frame.  If Shelton continues on his current trajectory, he might even sneak into the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. 

#3) Jared Abbrederis (WR, RS SR): Walk-on turned NFL draftee projects as a poor man's Jordy Nelson in the NFL.  I see Abbrederis as a mid-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft unless he can put up impressive numbers at the NFL combine and his pro day to improve his draft stock.

#2) Chris Borland (LB, SR): The first Badger defender named an All American since defensive end Erasmus James in 2004 is probably the best defensive player in program history.  Given all the injuries that Borland overcame in college, there is no question that he has the mental fortitude to play in the NFL.  Borland plays middle linebacker though so at 5'11" and 246 lbs we are probably looking at the defensive Russell Wilson, which means Borland will drop a little too far in the 2014 NFL Draft and three years from now the other 31 NFL teams will ask their scouting department why they didn't advise taking Borland earlier in the 2014 NFL Draft.  After watching Borland's entire career, trust me, whatever NFL team drafts him will not regret that decision.  My guess is that Borland goes in the 3rd round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

#1) Melvin Gordon (RB, RS SO): Although Gordon is eligible for the 2014 NFL Draft, he recently announced that he is going to return to return for his junior season.  No disrespect to Ron Dayne or Montee Ball but even before the season there was talk that Gordon could be the best running back in Badger history.   If Gordon declared for the draft I would rate him as a late first or early second round pick.  Hopefully Gordon will put together a Heisman worthy season next year for the Badgers to make a push for the Top 10 in the 2015 NFL Draft.

If you enjoyed my extended thoughts on the best NFL prospects for the Badgers, make sure to check back as we get closer to the 2014 NFL Draft for even more draft coverage.

Wisconsin loses to Stanford in the 2013 Rose Bowl

The 99th installment of the "Granddaddy of Them All" was one of the more unlikely match-ups in Rose Bowl history when the 8th ranked Stanford Cardinal (11-2) faced the unranked Wisconsin Badgers (8-5).  I say unlikely because although it involved a Big Ten program playing a Pac 12 (artist formerly known as the Pac 10) program, the Badgers became the first team to participate in the Rose Bowl with five loses.

Take those five loses with a grain of salt though.  The Badgers lost three games in overtime to Michigan State, Ohio State, and Penn State.  Their two non-overtime loses came on the road to Oregon State and Nebraska, which are both currently ranked in the Top 25.  All five of those loses heading into the Rose Bowl were by merely 19 points so the Badgers haven't been blown out this year.

Finishing the Big Ten regular season 7-5 (4-4 in the Big Ten) meant the Badgers were the 3rd best team in the Leaders Division and nominally only the 5th or 6th best team in the Big Ten based on their record.  The top two teams in the Leaders Division (Ohio State and Penn State) were ineligible to play in the Big Ten Championship Game so the Badgers represented the Leaders Division.  Wisconsin walloped the Legends Division representative Nebraska 70-31 to avenge a loss to them earlier in the season and more importantly earn the right to play in the 2013 Rose Bowl.

Stanford is made their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1999 while the Badgers made their third consecutive Rose Bowl appearance.  Wisconsin is the first Big Ten to make three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances since Michigan did the same thing from 1977 to 1979. Chalk it up to geography or too many consecutive Rose Bowl appearances but according to various reports Stanford sold roughly 40,000 tickets while Wisconsin only sold roughly 16,500 tickets.

In games decided by seven points or less heading into the 2013 Rose Bowl, Stanford was 7-2 including 2-1 in overtime (lost 17-13 at Washington and lost 20-13 in overtime at Notre Dame) while Wisconsin is 2-5 including 0-3 in overtime.  Part of Stanford's success in close games came thanks to head coach David Shaw benching junior quarterback Josh Nunes for dual-threat redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan much like previous Standford head coach Jim Harbaugh did recently as head coach for the San Francisco 49ers benching veteran quarterback Alex Smith in favor of second year dual-threat quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Speaking of head coaches, Barry Alvarez decided to coach the Badgers in the 2013 Rose Bowl after Bret Bielema left Wisconsin for Arkansas.  Early returns on Alvarez's performance were not positive thanks to a pair of early first quarter rushing touchdowns for Stanford. Towards the end of the first quarter it looked like the 2013 Rose Bowl was going to be a blow out like many national pundits thought.  That was exacerbated early in the second quarter when Wisconsin running back Montee Ball scored a rushing touchdown that was nullified by a senseless holding penalty by left tackle Rick Wagner.  At the end of that same drive Wisconsin faced a 4th and goal with less than a yard to go.  Stanford stonewalled running back James White so Wisconsin turned the ball over on downs.  I know it seems easy to say now but I would have kicked the field goal, especially since Stanford has one of the best rush defenses in the country.

Instead of going into a shell, Wisconsin forced Stanford to punt after turning the ball over on downs and responded with a second quarter touchdown run by Ball for his FBS record 83rd career touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-7.  That touchdown also made Ball the only player to score a touchdown in three different Rose Bowls.

Stanford quickly countered with a 47-yard field by Jordan Williamson, a kick way out of the range of any Wisconsin kicker.  That is more of a shot at struggling Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby than either Wisconsin Badgers kicker because a 47-yard field goal is a lot to ask of any collegiate kicker, especially in a pressure packed game like the Rose Bowl.  Unfortunately that is also too much to ask of Crosby despite the fact that he earns $3 million (signed a five-year, $15 million contract in 2011).

Wisconsin responded again, this time with a methodical drive at the end of the first half capped off by a four-yard touchdown pass from Curt Phillips to tight end Jordan Fredrick.  That meant the Badgers trailed 17-14 at halftime.  The last time a team trailed the Rose Bowl at halftime and went on to win the Rose Bowl was 2000 when the Badgers trailed Stanford 9-3 but scored 14 unanswered points on to win 17-9.

Following a scoreless third quarter, Williamson converted a 22-yard field goal to give Stanford a 20-14 lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the game.  That meant for the third consecutive Rose Bowl, Wisconsin had the ball with a chance to win the game.  The Badgers moved the ball to midfield but Stanford cornerback Usua Amanam intercepted Phillips with just over two minutes left in the game.  Stanford went on to pick up one first down to secure their first Rose Bowl victory since 1972.

The 2013 Rose Bowl will undoubtedly be remembered as a defensive struggle.  Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown while quarterback Kevin Hogan threw for 123 yards and ran for 54 yards.  Ball rushed for 100 yards and one touchdown while Phillips finished 10 for 16 throwing for 83 yards and rushing for 64 yards for Wisconsin.

The numbers for Wisconsin and Stanford were roughly even, highlighted by the fact that Wisconsin gained 83 yards in the second half while Stanford gained 96 yards.  As discussed earlier, Stanford has one of the best rush defenses in the nation so I am not sure why former starting quarterback Joel Stave didn't see more action than two snaps under center (one hand-off and one incomplete pass attempt).  For those that don't know, the Badgers lost Stave midway through the season to a broken collarbone but doctors recently cleared him to play in the Rose Bowl.  Stave might have been a little rusty but almost everyone was rusty because neither team has played in a month.  It is easy to second guess Alvarez and offensive coordinator Matt Canada but in this instance it seems like justifiable criticism.

Wisconsin just lost their third consecutive Rose Bowl (21-19 to TCU in 2011, 45-38 to Oregon in 2012, and 20-14 to Stanford in 2013) much like Michigan did in the late 1970's (14-6 to USC in 1977, 27-20 to Washington in 1978, and 17-10 to USC in 1979).  Since Wisconsin won consecutive Rose Bowls in 1999 and 2000 the Big Ten has gone 1-9 in the Rose Bowl thanks in large part to Wisconsin and Michigan both losing three Rose Bowls in the last decade.  Here's hoping that new head coach Gary Andersen can help the Badgers win a Rose Bowl soon.

Wisconsin hires Gary Andersen

Former (technically interim) Wisconsin Badgers head football coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez found his replacement for Bret Bielema who shockingly left Wisconsin for Arkansas earlier this month by hiring Gary Andersen.  The 48-year old former Utah State head coach is classified as a defensive minded players coach, which gives Wisconsin their third consecutive defensive first head coach in the mold of Alvarez and Bielema.  Andersen used a spread offense at Utah State.  There is no word yet whether Andersen will stick with the spread offense or adopt Wisconsin's ground and pound approach.

Recent history suggests that it makes sense that Wisconsin hired a defensive minded coach but it was a bit of a shock for both Utah State and Wisconsin that it ended up being Andersen.  Alvarez got to see Andersen's work up close and in-person earlier this year when Wisconsin beat Utah State 16-14 on September 15th in Madison thanks to a missed 37-yard field goal attempt by Utah State kicker Josh Thompson in the waning moments of the game.  Earlier this season Andersen signed a contract extension at Utah State worth roughly $750,000 annually through 2018.  Andersen got a nice raise from Wisconsin by signing a five-year, $10 million contract worth $1.8 million in 2013 that contains $100,000 raises each of the next four years.  Despite Andersen having a chance to interview at California and Colorado earlier this year, he said that he wanted to stay at Utah State.  Apparently the chance to coach Wisconsin (along with a hefty raise) was more enticing than Utah State, Colorado, or California.

Alvarez choose Andersen instead of a number of other strong candidates: Chris Ash (current defensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers and future defensive coordinator for the Arkansas Razorbacks), Paul Chryst (current head coach for the Pittsburgh Panthers and former Wisconsin Badgers assistant), Dave Clawson (current head coach for the Bowling Green Falcons), Dave Doeren (current head coach for N.C. State and former Wisconsin Badger assistant), and Mel Tucker (current defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and a former Wisconsin Badgers defensive back).

Andersen is a native of Utah that started his coaching career in 1988 in Louisiana before coaching out west (Arizona, Idaho, and Utah) at various places from 1989 through 2012.

Andersen served as a defensive assistant at Utah from 1997-2008 (1997-02 defensive line/special teams coach, defensive line coach in 2004, and defensive coordinator from 2005-08) with one unsuccessful season as head coach of Southern Utah in 2003 mixed in where he posted a record of 4–7.  Andersen finished as a Broyles Award finalist in 2008, an annual award given to the top assistant in college football, before becoming the head coach of Utah State in 2009.

When Andersen took over Utah State they were coming off a 3-9 season, which was actually a successful season since Utah State had not won three games since 2005.  Andersen finished 26-24 record overall (1-1 in bowl games) at Utah State: 4-8 in 2009, 4-8 in 2010, 7-6 in 2011 (lost to Ohio University in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl), and 11-2 in 2012 (beat Toledo in the 2012 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl).

Hiring Andersen is the first step for a Wisconsin Badgers football program that will have put together an entirely new coaching staff twice in less than 18 months.  After last season Wisconsin replaced almost all of their assistant coaches, which is what they will end up doing after this season as well since most assistants agreed to coach the Rose Bowl but accepted similar positions with other programs for next season.

It is way too early to see how all the assistant coach positions will shake out but it looks like it will be a mix of current Wisconsin assistant coaches, former Utah State assistants, and a few select assistants from other programs.  According to various reports, Andersen will bring three coaches with him from Utah State: Dave Aranda (defensive coordinator), Bill Busch (special teams coordinator/safeties coach), and T.J. Woods (offensive line).  Andersen hopes to bring former Utah State assistant coach and current Utah defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a with him as well.

In terms of current Wisconsin assistants, since most already accepted positions with other programs, unless Alvarez and Andersen can lure some of those guys back to Wisconsin the early indications are that only Thomas Hammock (running backs coach), Bart Miller (offensive line coach), and Ben Strickland (assistant secondary coach) will stay at Wisconsin.

Fans might have wanted Alvarez and Wisconsin to make a flashier hire than Andersen but that is just not the Wisconsin way.  The recent success of less flashy coaches like Bo Ryan and Bret Bielema in basketball and football respectively shows that bringing in a guy like Andersen is the right move.