NFL Draft 2018: Arizona Cardinals to sign Wisconsin FB Austin Ramesh as undrafted free agent

Austin Ramesh apparently will find a home as the Arizona Cardinals will sign the versatile fullback as an undrafted free agent.

B5Q confirmed with Ramesh’s agent that the former Badger standout will sign a contract with the NFC West organization. The Wisconsin State Journal’s Jason Galloway first reported the news earlier on Saturday evening.

This appears to be a great landing spot for Ramesh, as looking at Arizona’s roster, there are no fullbacks currently on its roster.

Ramesh epitomized what a Wisconsin fullback could bring to an offense in his time at Wisconsin, showcasing his abilities in several ways. He was a lead blocker for a nearly 2,000-yard performance by Jonathan Taylor, displayed the consistency to be a reliable goal line and short yardage ball carrier (5.2 yards per carry, two touchdowns), and also showed the tendencies to be a reliable pass catcher out of the backfield.

“He’s got all the athletic ability, so he’s faster than they’re going to give him credit for,” Wisconsin tight ends coach Mickey Turner said on April 17. “You saw him hurdle a guy against Miami, so he’s got plenty of athleticism there, but he’s weighing 250 [pounds]. Not a lot of guys that can be that stocky and strong and move like that.

“Then, he’s got good hands, he understands things. You saw a couple screen passes he caught and turned it up pretty easily. A couple of handoffs out of the backfield and all of a sudden he’s screaming down the sideline.”

From our article earlier this month:

Turner, who himself played a bit of fullback in his time at Wisconsin while working as a tight end, mentioned someone previously telling him that for NFL teams, a player has to be “the very best at one particular thing, or you gotta be pretty darn good at a lot of things.”

“They’ve got a guy that’s a burner, he’s not going to be the fastest guy on the team, he’s not going to be the strongest guy on the team, but if he can be a good blend, now you’re in there for a lot of plays,” Turner said. “Then they’re going to love him for special teams, too, because he’s played a number of those, but it’ll be key for him.”

Ramesh finished the 2017 season with 89 yards rushing with two touhdowns with six receptions for 76 yards. Overall for his Wisconsin career, he played in 40 games with 18 starts, accumulating 147 yards rushing and 130 yards receiving with six total touchdowns.

After the season, Ramesh played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, then performed at Wisconsin’s Pro Day on March 14.

Inside the McClain Center, Ramesh ran a 4.78-second 40-yard dash and bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times. According to Wisconsin, he also recoreded a 4.06-second 20-yard shuttle and 6.75-second three-cone drill. Those latter two numbers would have placed him as the top running back—not just fullback—at the combine.

*Height and weight from Ramesh’s UWBadgers.com profile; pro day results as reported on March 14

According to his agent, Ramesh took at Top 30 visit to the Oakland Raiders, while also taking part in an apparent local visit with his home state Green Bay Packers. He also worked out with the Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions with the former signing him to a contract.

Ramesh could join Wisconsin fullbacks Chris Pressley, Bradie Ewing and Derek Watt as those who have played in the NFL at that position.