*Leo Chenal, Wisconsin Football News: Draft Scout Player News

12/17/21 - ILB *Leo Chenal, Jr/2022, Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin athletic department held a ceremonial groundbreaking on the "CR Future" project at Camp Randall Stadium on Wednesday. There are a lot of voices in the ears of Leo Chenal right now. Same goes the University of Wisconsin linebacker's teammates Keeanu Benton and Faion Hicks. They're a few of the Badgers football players who have a decision in front of them regarding the next steps in their careers. Staying another year at UW or taking a shot at the NFL has weighed on all three players' minds.

UW players are still waiting to hear from the NFL College Advisory Committee regarding their projected draft positions, a big factor in their decisions, but not the only one. "You want as much information as you can to make the most careful decision and most thoughtful decision," Chenal said Tuesday. "I'm not going to really put a (draft-round) number on it or anything like that. It's more than just a number, it's weighing a lot of factors. There's a lot of special stuff going on here, a lot of things we could do next year. It's more than just like potential this or potential that. A lot of it is things you want to accomplish, too." Chenal - a second-team All-American per a number of voting bodies, including the Associated Press - could forgo his senior year and enter the NFL draft, but he is running into a positional debate. There's doubt that Chenal can cover enough space in pass coverage to be an inside linebacker at the pro level. Chenal's downhill, hard-charging playstyle was a better fit in the pros before passing offense evolved to control the game. He led the Badgers and was second in the Big Ten with 106 tackles despite missing the first two games after contracting COVID-19. His seven sacks are a team-high, as are his 17 tackles for loss. He ranks fourth in the league in sacks and second in tackles for loss, but he had the most tackles for loss per game (1.7) in the Big Ten. - Wisconsin State Journal

Jr/2022