Wisconsin football has no players selected in 2026 NFL draft

For the first time in nearly five decades, the Wisconsin Badgers did not have any players selected in the NFL draft . The Badgers were shut out in all 257 picks in the 2026 draft, marking their first year without any selections since 1978. Ex- Wisconsin players who finished their careers elsewhere and got drafted included UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell and Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski .

Bell was the Buffalo Bills’ fourth-round pick, and Nowakowski was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fifth-round pick. Edge rusher Mason Reiger and wide receiver Vinny Anthony II were the Badgers ’ only combine participants following an underwhelming 2025 season. UW went 4-8 and suffered their first back-to-back losing seasons since the early 1990s.

It was Wisconsin’s second consecutive draft without any selections in the first six rounds. Offensive lineman Jack Nelson and safety Hunter Wohler were seventh-round selections in the 2025 draft. Before 2025 and 2026, the last time that UW did not have any players selected in the first 200 picks was 1990, when the Kansas City Chiefs selected Craig Hudson with the 263rd overall pick.

Along with Reiger and Anthony, other UW alumni who could be undrafted free agents include safety Austin Brown, cornerback Ricardo Hallman, offensive lineman Riley Mahlman and tight end Lance Mason. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Did Wisconsin football have any players picked in 2026 NFL draft?