While some former Wisconsin Badgers players are dazzling in the early stages of the NFL season, other players are struggling to stick.
Hunter Wohler has arguably been one of the brightest late round selections in the NFL draft through camp and the first week of preseason play. Wohler has been nothing short of impressive and his play has led to many asking how the defensive back ever even made his way into the seventh round.
Wohler has been exceptional for the Colts, but across the NFL a former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback is struggling to find his role within the team. Former Wisconsin and Florida quarterback Graham Mertz missed nearly all of last season due to an ACL injury which led to the prominent development of DJ Lagway. Despite the injury and the shortened season, Mertz entered the NFL draft and managed to be selected in the sixth round by the Houston Texans.
While Mertz was drafted by the Texans, there is no guarantee the quarterback will remain on the roster during the upcoming season and could become a practice squad candidate if he is not able to impress during the preseason.
Former Wisconsin Badgers Quarterback Graham Mertz Struggles in Debut, Casts Doubt on Future in NFL
Writing Mertz off after just one preseason game seems incredibly harsh and likely will not be the exact reason why he does not make the roster, but could be part of the reason in the future. Currently, Mertz is still in the process of returning to the field after a difficult ACL injury that both ended his collegiate career prematurely and also made entering the NFL difficult as many teams did not want to take the chance.
However, the Houston Texans did in the end and could seek to end the experiment in the near future if Mertz continues to struggle with the team. The biggest issue is not his physical tools but rather the mental skills that NFL teams seek out of the quarterback position desperately.
The mistakes that Mertz made during the game were not physical but rather mental which puts a damper on the skills the Texans hoped Mertz would impress with. Mertz has lost virtually all of his mobility, which was already limited, following the injury and the quarterback is also one of the oldest in the incoming rookie class at 24. The Texans have another quarterback who is the same age in Kedon Slovis, but Slovis has the advantage of being a former practice squad player and has spent a full year around NFL staff.
Mertz truly needed to impress in order to catch on as the third-string quarterback for the Texans, but doing so now might be a grim task. The quarterback is already behind given his age, college efficiency, and injury status, and now being outperformed by Slovis may prove to be a road bump Mertz cannot overcome.
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