Former Badgers reportedly visiting, working out with NFL teams

After all 32 NFL teams were represented at Wisconsin’s Pro Day on March 14, there is no surprise those organizations would want to bring in some former Badgers for visits.

On Tuesday, I reported that fullback Austin Ramesh, who put together an impressive Pro Day performance, is receiving some interest from teams. According to his agent, Ramesh worked out for the Detroit Lions running backs coach on campus earlier this week and would fly out for a top-30 visit with the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday.

NFL teams only have 30 visits for potential players, so that’s huge for Ramesh—a versatile player who showed he can block, run, and catch in his time at UW. He was frequently used in short-yardage and goal-line situations, averaging over 5.2 yards per carry with two touchdowns. He also showed off his receiving skills during Wisconsin’s Orange Bowl win over Miami, reeling in three receptions for 27 yards.

The Lions appear to be intrigued with Wisconsin. On Thursday, WOZN and the Wisconsin Sports Zone Network’s Zach Heilprin tweeted that linebackers coach Al Golden was in Madison to work out linebackers Leon Jacobs, Garret Dooley, and Jack Cichy.

On Tuesday’s, Pro Football Weekly’s Eric Edholm reported safety Natrell Jamerson participated in a private workout in Madison with defensive backs coach Brian Stewart.

The Green Bay Packers also seem interested in a couple of Badgers. On Thursday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein reported Cichy would take part in a visit to Green Bay sometime next week (unconfirmed if it is a top-30 visit).

Cichy appears to have been a busy man, especially after running some drills during Pro Day last month. He told reporters after his workout that he had a visit with the Minnesota Vikings this month, with NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reporting that the former walk-on visited the Minnesota on Wednesday. On March 25, DraftAnalyst.com’s Tony Pauline reported Cichy would work out for the Atlanta Falcons that week (also unconfirmed if it was a top-30 visit).

Back to Ramesh: Silverstein previously reported late last month that the Wisconsin fullback would visit the Packers on April 9. Though the veteran reporter noted in his tweet earlier on Thursday that he would visit the organization on Friday, Ramesh’s agent told B5Q just earlier this afternoon that it will indeed be on Monday. His agent believes this will be a local visit and not designated as a top-30.

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson on Thursday, cornerback Nick Nelson worked out with the Houston Texans. Nelson ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, then followed up that performance with an eye-opening 3.88-second 20-yard shuttle on Pro Day that would have been best among anyone who participated in the combine in Indianapolis.