Badgers’ Baun selected by Saints in third round of 2020 NFL draft

Zack Baun is finally off the board.

The former Wisconsin linebacker was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 74rd overall pick (third round) of the 2020 NFL draft.

New Orleans traded up in the third round to select Baun. He’ll join Alex Anzalone, Kiko Alonso and Demario Davis as linebackers in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s 4-3 defense.

After a redshirting as a freshman, Baun saw limited action during his redshirt freshman year in 2016 and missed the rest of the next season with a foot injury. Baun made his first real impact in 2018 with 63 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

He was a team captain and a defensive leader of the Badgers’ 2019 Rose Bowl team and finished the season with 76 tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception and 19.5 tackles for loss — including 12.5 sacks. As a result, Baun was named the first consensus first-team All-American linebacker in UW history.