Dez Southward’s play in 2013 may have seemed sporadic at best, but when he got in front of the NFL scouts during Wisconsin’s pro day, he shined. It paid off for the safety, as he became the 1st Badger to be selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.
With the 4th pick in the 3rd Rd (68th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft, Falcons select S Dezmen Southward, Wisconsin #FalconsDraft #RiseUp
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 10, 2014
He finished his career at Wisconsin with 152 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 12 passes defensed. While those are good numbers, it was his crazy pro day that saw him shoot up the rankings at Safety.
Southward ran an unofficial 40-yard dash time of 4.35 seconds and had a 42-inch vertical jump as well during UW’s pro day.
Overall, Southward was the fifth safety off the board in the draft. He was also the first safety to go off the board on day two, after four safeties went in the first round.
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