Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson was picked with the 77th overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks.

Though he was selected earlier than anticipated, it appears likely that he will serve as a backup to newly acquired starter Matt Flynn. 

Wilson is now the third Badger drafted in this year's draft. Check back later this evening for more information on Russell Wilson and the rest of the Badgers' who have been selected.

Wisconsin junior center Peter Konz has been selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He is currently the second Badger to have his name called. Keep it here for continuing coverage of this developing story.

Wisconsin football is known for a few things such as big offensive lineman and running backs.  But it's also known for it's amazing ability to pluck walk-on's that become stars by the end of their time in the Badger program.  One such person is now former Badger fullback Bradie Ewing, who's sitting beside the phone and tv waiting to see if he becomes the latest walk-on to NFL draftee out of Wisconsin.

The process of getting to where he is now has been paved in hard work from the time he came to Wisconsin as a freshman through now.  The process of the NFL Draft has been a different animal altogether though.

"It was a little unexpected, kind of crazy," said Ewing of the draft process to date.  "Probably the biggest shocker to me was the combine.  All the medical stuff and the psychological testing, it kind of opened my eyes."

It wasn't all hard though, there's got to be some fun involved in the process, right?

"I consider myself kind of an average Joe, so getting to compete with the guys that you hear about at the combine and the Senior Bowl [was] interesting," said Ewing about the fun part of his draft process.

There's that and the fact that Ewing, amid the chaos of the NFL Draft process, found time to squeeze in a wedding.

Badger fans know what Bradie Ewing is capable of as we've seen him open gaping holes for running backs like Montee Ball, John Clay, and James White.  It's also known that he's much more than just a typical fullback.  But, what does Bradie see as helping him gain an edge in possibly hearing his name over the next two days?

"Being a former running back and having some of the experience that way can help," he said.

"Showing I'm more than just a put my head down and hit people kind of guy is big.  A lot of guys can do that, [but] being athletic and bringing some running back skills as well as being able to catch the ball out of the backfield helps me separate from the competition."

Besides that there's an area that most rookies are thrust in to and that's special teams.  

"I've played Special Teams all four years in college.  Especially as a fullback, and as a rookie in general I think it's something you need to do," Ewing said.  "There's only 53 roster spots and to be one of the 53 you need to be able to do a lot of things.  It gives me an edge, but at the same time you have to produce."

Some would say fullback is a dying art in the NFL, but a former Badger named Chris Pressley is providing some hope in that area for not just Ewing but all aspiring to the position at the highest level.  

"Being able to see someone like that [Chris Pressley]," he said.  "It kind of gives you optimism and excitement." 

Now that it's down to the draft itself what does Bradie hope to have happen this weekend?  Growing up in Richland Center, Bradie was naturally two things: a Badger fan and a Packer fan.  He's gotten to live out one dream and another dream could be on the horizon, just not the same as the one growing up.

"Obviously being from this state and growing up a Packer fan you know that would be, much like playing for the Badgers, a dream come true." said Ewing.  "But, at the same time I'm just looking forward to hearing my name called.  Any team that's willing to invest in me and my talents, I'm excited to be a part of that program and buy in to what they've got going on."

Back at the University of Wisconsin he finds that this program and it's tradition of walk-on success is in good hands.

He believes that guys like Jared Abbrederis, Ethan Hemer, and Ethan Armstrong will be able to pass along the tradition of walk-on to star at the University of Wisconsin and some, like Abbrederis have already done that.

"I think that's what this program is all about.  Kids that come in and work hard, have opportunities and make the most of them," said Ewing about the walk-on tradition at the university.

In true low key Bradie Ewing fashion he plans on watching the draft with his new bride and his immediate family.  He's hoping to see all of his hard work pay off by hearing his name called over the next few days but knows that's just the beginning of more hard work ahead.

On Tuesday's edition of Badgers Power Hour Arman and myself talked about some of the things we'd be watching for on Saturday in the Spring football game and if you haven't checked that out already I highly suggest doing so as it's pretty in depth and player specific.  However, things have been changing over this week with injuries, announcements, etc. involving the roster of players available for the game on Saturday.

With the changes and all that's happened since just Tuesday we present you with a small guide to the positions and players you should be watching for in Saturday's spring football game.  After all the score doesn't matter, it's all about player development, right?

Things We'll Be Watching on Saturday: 

1. Melvin Gordon: All indications are that Gordon has really been explosive behind the new offensive line and with almost, if not all, other running backs out of the game on Saturday look for this to be as good a chance as any for Gordon to plant his flag as a candidate for the top backup spot behind Montee Ball.  Ball will be one of those players on the sidelines, but that's do to coaches decision and not any injury at all.  

Don't forget, Gordon isn't wearing number 3 this season and is now back to his high school number of 25.

Gordon flashed a bit in the small sample size during his freshman season last year, however a groin injury that nagged him could've been a blessing in disguise as he was able to redshirt and with a great spring game he's got a chance to really launch himself into major playing time this season. 

Looking at Gordon and watching to see if he's 1) EXplosive going to the line and 2) if he can handle the full-time carries load should be something worth seeing on Saturday.  He'll need to show that he's not just an edge guy and by all reports he's already begun to prove that, but doing it in a "game" format instead of practice are two different things.

It took twenty-seven picks, but the Badgers got another offensive lineman drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night as Kevin Zeitler was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals.  He was the 2nd of the Bengals first round picks after they went for Dre Kirkpatrick with the No. 17 overall pick.  

Proving the draft can be a funny business Kevin Zeitler had his big Draft party planned for tomorrow night according to this article by Tom Mulhern of the Wisconsin State Journal.  He was thinking he would be drafted in the 2nd round.  Instead he ended up with just 16 people around when he did get selected by the Bengals.

Zeitler's pick made it two straight years with a Badger offensive lineman in the first round and just the fifth lineman selected in the first round since Barry Alvarez took over this program.  He also became the 3rd such pick since Bret Bielema took over at coach, joining Joe Thomas and Gabe Carimi as first round offensive line selections under Bielema.

That's all well and good for the Badger program, but what was being said over in Cincinnati about Zeitler's selection?

Some wondered if Cincinnati's signing of two guards in the free agent market would affect Zeitler's ability to contribute right away, but that appears not to be the case.

"We drafted them to play and that's what we expect them to do," said Bengals Head Coach Marvin Lewis in reference to Zeitler and Kirkpatrick.

Bengals Offensive Line coach Paul Alexander went even a step further when asked if Zeitler would start: "That's the definition of a first-round pick... Every one I've had has."

"He's fun to watch on tape, he's one of the guys when you put the tape on he stands out." said Lewis when asked what he liked about Zeitler.

He continued saying: "He's a versitale guy, can backup at center - play guard. He's done a great job in gap blocking, pulling."

In the first day press conference position coach Jay Alexander got down to the nuts and bolts of picking Zeitler and had some interesting praise for him.

"I've liked him since the first time I saw him, so did our scouts," said O-Line coach Jay Alexander.  "I don't think we've had a guy quite like this, he's unique in a lot of ways."

In a funny moment Alexander played a little with Zeitler saying: "The only player he can't block apparently is [Bengals assistant] Jay Haye's son."  That would be Badgers redshirt freshman defensive lineman Jessie Hayes.  

Overall it's clear that the Bengals expect him to come in and compete at the very least for the starting job at right guard, but they won't push him if he's not ready as there is depth at the position as well.

Zeitler will join former Badgers Chris Pressley (FB) and Nick Hayden (DT) on the Bengals, so he won't be a lonely Badger on the roster in his rookie campaign in the NFL.

It's been an interesting start so far to the MTB College Sports Bucket List as the first two games are probably ones folks outside of those involved in the programs may not know too much about and we hope you've explored them a bit more.  Well, today we may just be breaking out of that particular mold.  In fact we're breaking out of just about any mold you can think of with this one.  

But first, don't forget to take a gander at No. 99 on our list - Adrian vs. MSOE in DIII Hockey.  

So, who slides in at the No. 98 spot on our spring/summer long journey across the best games/events in college sports?  Hint #2 this one is in the South!

No. 98 - "Military Classic of the South"  (FCS Football) 

We've already highlighted one of the service academies, but this has a whole different twist on it and we're talking about The Citadel vs. VMI - a.k.a. "The Military Classic of the South." Since 1920 these two teams have only missed games in 1956, 2004, and 2008-2010.  As a result it is the 13th oldest rivalry in FCS football.

These two schools both represent great Southern Military traditions as well as great educational institutions.  Besides pride in their traditions and hard lives led by the cadets at these schools they both were founded as public institutions and have a great level of support from the surrounding communities and alumni.  

On the field this has been a pretty fierce rivalry and only twice has their been any sort of separation in the series, a series that The Citadel leads 35-30-2.  The Bulldogs only lead the series by that margin thanks to winning 5 straight over the Keydets of VMI. However, VMI holds the longest winning streak in the series, winning 7 straight from 1950 to 1957 and held an 18-8-1 advantage over the Bulldogs of The Citadel in 1967.  Also, this series has been tied across the board 4 times in it's history.

As with Army vs. Navy, these two schools aren't very fond of each other and they play ever year for the "Silver Shako" trophy which was introduced in 1976.  What more could you want out of a rivalry than for it to be competitive and between institutions that are rooted in the communities they represent.  

Just like Army vs. Navy these schools like to have a bit of fun with the rivalry, just like this video shows you:

Today we're debuting a brand new feature here at MTB and it's called "The Jump Around" which will be our attempt to give you the best of news and notes from around the Internet and videos along with our commentary on those pieces.  Normally this will be done by our newest writer Nate Woelfel, but for the debut we wanted to get out in front of the NFL draft and some of the other bigger stories today.  So we hope you enjoy our newest feature here and ON WISCONSIN!! 

First up is some hockey news that broke late yesterday and that's that Wisconsin vs. Minnesota will take place at Soldier Field next season, something that was long rumored to be happening, but never confirmed till yesterday.  It replaces one of the home games for Wisconsin, but the $250,000 payday is pretty much in line with what Wisconsin makes from a home date according to the article.

I love me some outdoor hockey, having been to the Lambeau Field game between Wisconsin and Ohio State back in the day (2006), way before these events became all to common place.  What has me excited by this is it's not just a one off event, there will actually be two games played on that day, giving hockey fans a true bang for their buck with Notre Dame vs. Miami (OH) being the other game.

Lot's of football news and notes to go through, so let's check it out after the jump.... 

The futures of defensemen Justin Schultz and John Ramage have been a source of great speculation in the Wisconsin hockey community and beyond.  Both have been drafted- Schultz by the Anaheim Ducks (43^rd overall) in 2008 and Ramage by the Calgary Flames (103^rd overall) in 2010.

Though they both have a chance to make an impact at the next level, their paths to get there will likely vary significantly. Not surprising considering they are two different breeds of player.

Schultz has received the bulk of the attention and deservedly so. His impressive resume partnered with a unique situation brought about by a loophole in the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement have made him a valued commodity at the professional level despite not having officially voiced his intentions.

In a nutshell, Schultz has three options. He could sign with Anaheim, the team that drafted him in the first place, although that would've most likely happened already according to most reports.

Thanks to language in the CBA, Schultz could also opt to wait until July 1 when he would become a free agent and sign with the franchise of his choice.

The final, albeit, unlikely option is that Schultz returns to the Badgers for his final season of eligibility and hits the NHL free agent market afterward.

At the moment, the consensus appears to be that Schultz will turn pro, however, which avenue he will take remains to be seen.

The two-time Hobey Baker finalist has come to be known as a confident puck handler with great vision. His opportunism on the offensive end compares to that of a center. He knows when to distribute or when it’s his time to make something happen.

His size and play in his own zone have raised some concerns, but there are few professional coaching staffs that will not be able to work with the array talents that Schultz possesses.

Ramage, on the other hand, is a physical force who will go toe-to-toe with just about anyone.

He comes from a NHL pedigree with his father playing in the league for 15 seasons.

While jumping into the pros is certainly an option for Ramage, his situation differs a bit from that of Schultz.  Calgary owns the rights to Ramage beyond the July 1 deadline that has been set for Schultz. This makes the Flames the only option for Ramage.

The 2011 campaign brought mixed reviews for the junior from Ontario. That coupled with a laundry list of skills that could use a bit of polishing make it likely that he will don the white and cardinal sweater for one more season.

On the up side, one of his strongest attributes is his character. By many accounts, Ramage is a natural leader who isn’t afraid to take charge.

That is good news for head coach Mike Eaves who will be dealing with a large amount of inexperience on the blueline.

It will likely be at least a month until more definitive information comes to the surface. In the meantime, it is important to remember that neither player has made a final decision.  A lot can change in the coming days.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are days where fans of NFL teams and us college sports fans all anticipate to see where our favorite players go and what our favorite NFL teams (Packers here and for most of you too I'm guessing) do to improve their fortunes for the years to come.  Of course around this time of year there are literally thousands of sites that get together and produce their own mock drafts and while that's all well and good, we're not going to be one of them.  We'll leave that up to the "experts" out there.  

But, what we will be doing for you today is giving you a look at the mock draft positions of all the Badgers that could be selected in the NFL draft this weekend.  We took only the sites and people that publish their crazy SEVEN round mock drafts, so you won't be seeing Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, or the like, but you will see some of the most trusted names in the game, so here's a look at where your favorite Badgers could be headed this weekend:

Walter Football: (Updated on April 25th) 

- Peter Konz: 1st Round - 31st to New England Patriots

- Kevin Zeitler: 2nd Round - 50th to Chicago Bears

- Nick Toon: 3rd Round - 76 to Houston Texans

- Russell Wilson: 5th Round - 147 to Buffalo Bills

- Aaron Henry: 6th Round - 182 to Kansas City Chiefs

- Bradie Ewing: 6th Round - 195 to Houston Texans

One things for sure, if these picks hold out the Texans are basically becoming the Wisconsin Badgers South as they'll have Toon, Ewing, Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham, and JJ Watt on their team.  

Draft Tek: (Updated on April 24th - FINAL UPDATE) 

- Peter Konz: 1st Round - 29 to Baltimore Ravens

- Kevin Zeitler: 2nd Round - 56 to Pittsburgh Steelers

- Nick Toon: 3rd Round - 88 to Philadelphia Eagles

 - Russell Wilson: 6th Round - 188 to Denver Broncos

- Aaron Henry: 6th Round - 199 to San Francisco 49ers

Personally I think they missed the boat by not even having Bradie Ewing drafted, but it's a possibility I guess.

NFL.com's Chad Reuters: (Published April 23rd) 

- Peter Konz: 1st Round - 29 to Baltimore Ravens

- Kevin Zeitler: 2nd Round - 34 to Indianapolis Colts

- Nick Toon: 4th Round - 111 to Chicago Bears

- Russell Wilson: 4th Round - 114 to Philadelphia Eagles

- Aaron Henry: 6th Round - 172 to Philadelphia Eagles

- Bradie Ewing: 7th Round - 238 to Kansas City Chiefs

A rookie pairing of Wilson and Henry in Philly would certainly be interesting.  I mean these guys are about a diametrically opposed to the style of the Philly fan as possible, which might actually be a good thing for the duo if that were to happen.

Fox Sports' Peter Schrager: (Updates April 25th) 

- Kevin Zeitler: 1st Round - 30th to San Francisco 49ers

- Peter Konz: 1st Round - 32 to New York Giants

- Nick Toon: 3rd Round - 77 to New York Jets

- Aaron Henry: 4th Round - 161 to Houston Texans

- Bradie Ewing: 6th Round - 180 to Carolina Panthers

- Russell Wilson: 7th Round - 217 to Buffalo Bills

Um ya, are you kidding me... Nick Toon to the place that his dad made his name in in the NFL.  Ya, sure, no pressure there.  Also, really... Russell Wilson the last Badger picked?  I don't see that happening at all.

DraftSite.com Official Mock Draft 

- Peter Konz: 2nd Round - 48 to New England Patriots

- Kevin Zeitler: 2nd Round - 54 to Detroit Lions

- Nick Toon: 3rd Round - 67 to Cleveland Browns

- Russell Wilson: 4th Round - 122 to New Orleans Saints

- Aaron Henry: 6th Round - 171 to St. Louis Rams

I have to say I think this one is way off on Peter Konz and Kevin Zeitler.  I just don't see them lasting past the end of 1st/beginning of 2nd round.  What I do love is the Saints picking Wilson.  He reminds me so much of Brees, not in his style of play, which I think is very different, but in the way he handles himself and for an organization that's going through some things to be able to get him would be a smart move.  It also could be the QB in waiting in NOLA.  

All this excersice points out is that predicting the draft is a total crap shoot, but a fun one at that.  Enjoy the festivities over the next few days and ON WISCONSIN!