A Look at How Barry Alvarez' Wisconsin Players Fared in the NFL

The Vikings cut ties to defensive end Erasmus James, bringing an end to the former first-round draft pick's career with Minnesota. It also marked another failure for a player from the Wisconsin Badgers, one of the top football programs in the country.

Wisconsin enjoyed tremendous success under former coach Barry Alvarez. The Badgers had a 118-73-4 record in 16 years under Alvarez. His first team went 1-10 and was winless in the Big 10 Conference. But Alvarez turned things around and took Wisconsin to 11 bowl games, where the team went 8-3, including 3-0 in the Rose Bowl.

But while the Badgers were a powerhouse under Alvarez, the success the players enjoyed in college did not transfer to the NFL. Alvarez' first year at Wisconsin was 1990, so the first players to graduate that spent four years with his program was 1993. From 1993 until Alvarez' last year with the Badgers in 2005, the team had 28 players drafted in the first four rounds, including eight that were first-round picks.

Those 28 players combined for two Pro Bowl selections in their career. By contrast, North Carolina State, not a program known for being a football powerhouse, had five players combine for 11 Pro Bowl appearances in that same time period.

Here's a look at the first-round picks from Wisconsin under the Alvarez regime and what they did in the NFL:

Aaron Gibson - A two-time Big Ten Conference offensive lineman selection, Gibson went 27th to the Detroit Lions in the 1999 draft. He played parts of five seasons in the NFL and is best known for being the league's first 400-pound player.

Ron Dayne - Heisman Trophy winner was the 11th player selected in the 2000 draft. Dayne is still active but in his seven-year career has been his team's full-time starter in just one season.

Chris McIntosh - The first player in Wisconsin history to start 50 games, McIntosh was co-captain and All-American his senior season. Seattle made him the 22nd pick of the 2000 draft. A holdout limited him in his first season and a neck injury ended his career after just two seasons.