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

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

Originally posted on Wisconsin Badgers on SI
By Lorin Cox | Last updated Apr 25, 2025 12:43 PM ET

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.

The second round of the NFL Draft starts tonight at 6 p.m. CT.

Last night, the #Badgers went without a first-round draft pick for the seventh straight draft. That's the longest in the modern NFL draft era, dating back to the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
— Benjamin Worgull (@TheBadgerNation) April 25, 2025

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.