The National Football League draft took place from April 25 to April 27, where recent graduate of UW-Platteville, Justin Blazek, signed a free-agent deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Blazek marks the fourth UW-Platteville alum that has been selected in the draft, following Robert Bergum (1969), Glen Keppy (1970) and Jim Bunch (1971) according to UW-Platteville Athletics – Football.
Blazek was signed after the draft had ended on April 27. “I found myself in the (draft) due to the hard work I put into this sport, the people that have believed in me and the belief I’ve had in myself. I began to realize that I had a real chance at playing football after college during the summer going into my senior year, and it has been rewarding to see the process start to unfold,” Blazek said in an interview with the Exponent.
In Dec. 2023, Blazek graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a minor in Business Administration and a certificate in Engineering Management.
Coming to UW-Platteville, Blazek started as a tight-end his freshman season then transitioned to a defensive end during his sophomore season. By his junior and senior years, he was entirely a defensive player, playing the occasional quarterback or fullback positions during short yardage and goal line situations.
“My time at Platteville was quite the adventure, but I loved every second of it. The people in Platteville and the culture they’ve created stand second to none,” Blazek continued. “Throughout trying times and a coaching staff change, the group of guys that I came in with never wavered, and we began to build something very special.”
Blazek has won a multitude of awards throughout his time with UW-Platteville including AFCA First Team All-America, D3football.com First Team All-America, Associated Press First Team All-America, D3 Region 6 Defensive Player of the Year, First Team D3 All-Region, WIAC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-WIAC and team MVP in 2023 as stated in his bio page on UW-Platteville Athletics – Football.
“My greatest experience playing football has come in the form of relationships built through the sport. The bonds I’ve formed with my teammates and coaches have proven unbreakable through shared wins and losses, both on and off the field,” Blazek said.
