The Wisconsin Badgers have had many memorable players throughout the years. While they definitely specialize in some positions more than others, the Badgers have overall put good talent all over the field. Today, we look at the Wisconsin Badgers’ top 5 tight ends of all time.
#5 Owen Daniels (2002-05)
Daniels is probably more known for his time in the NFL with the Texans but he had some solid years with the Wisconsin Badgers. He was originally recruited as a QB and his freshman season was listed as such on the depth chart. However, he switched to tight end and had 852 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns in the final three years in Madison. While his stat lines won’t light up a page, his solid production and ability to switch positions are why he is a top 5 tight end of all time for the Wisconsin Badgers.
#4 Lance Kendricks (2008-10)
Sticking with the theme of players switching positions, we have Lance Kendricks next on the list. Kendricks was listed as a wide receiver his first two years but played his final year for the Wisconsin Badgers at tight end. In that one year, he had 663 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. In his career at Wisconsin, he eclipsed 1,000 yards and had 8 total scores. This is another player that many will remember more for his pro career but is absolutely one of the top 5 tight ends of all time for the Badgers.
#3 Jake Pedersen (2010-13)
Pedersen never had a season over 600 yards. However, he was the model of consistency for the Badgers year after year. In his career, he caught 104 balls for 1,394 yards and 17 touchdowns. In his senior year, he had the most yards of his career at 551 but it was his sophomore year that saw the highest touchdown output with 8. What makes Pederson so good is his consistency. He was sure-handed and was always good for a key first-down catch. His entire career for the Wisconsin Badgers lands him on this list.
#2 Garrett Graham (2007-09)
Graham saw an increase in production every year he was in Wisconsin. His best year was his senior year when he caught 51 balls for 624 yards and 7 touchdowns. In his career, he had just under 1,500 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. The challenge in evaluating the tight end position for the Wisconsin Badgers is that the offense runs the ball a lot. This makes the opportunities for the tight ends limited. Graham made the most of his opportunities and landed on the list of top 5 tight ends of all time for the Badgers.
#1 Travis Beckum (2005-08)
Beckum is number one on the list and is the biggest what-if for the Wisconsin Badgers. Originally recruited as a linebacker, he switched to tight end for his sophomore season and it could not have gone better. He caught 61 passes for 903 yards and 5 scores. He followed that up with a 75 catch, 982 yards, and 6 touchdown season the next year. Unfortunately, he broke his leg midway through his senior season. He struggled to stay healthy in his pro career. What makes him number one on the list of top 5 tight ends of all time for the Wisconsin Badgers is the massive amount of production coupled with the switching positions.
That’s my list of the top 5 tight ends of all time for the Wisconsin Badgers. Did I miss one? Tweet at me and let me know who I missed.
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2 Comments
You missed one of the best TE’s in Wisconsin football history — Larry Malik
Not the only one missed. Apparently, there was no UW Football before 2002? Based upon the 5 named, a little research for those born after 1990 would have also ascertained Stu Voigt, Larry Mialik, and Jack Novak, who was also born in Wisconsin. In fact, based upon the 5 named, Tim Straka, a Madison West graduate, should have been on the list. Makes it tough to read articles when knowing the information is clearly lacking in accuracy. Please do some journalistic research before writing an article with historic perspective. I remember the days of Glenn Miller and Tom Butler at the WSJ with the peach colored sports section, whom the sports writers of today could have learned a lot from. Thank you.