BadgerBlitz.com's Wisconsin player draft: Round 21

This summer, the Badgers will be divided.

That is, they'll be separated into three imaginary teams, set against each other by a BadgerBlitz.com.com Wisconsin player draft, a daily selection in which separate groups of 23 are assembled.

Over the next four weeks, BadgerBlitz.com reporters Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis and Jessi Schoville will draft Badgers, picking players one-by-one and placing them on their respective teams, trying to assemble the best 11 on offense and defense, plus one reserve.

Then, in late July, we'll decide — based on BadgerBlitz.com.com staff and member feedback — which team would win.

Who will be selected when? How will the teams develop? What reasoning will be used?

And most importantly, do you agree with the picks? Be sure to discuss in the Badgers' Den.

Ready for Round 21?

Technically Eric Steffes is a tight end, but I'm going to use him as a fullback who can move from the backfield to the line of scrimmage during the course of the game. This will be similar to what current tight ends coach Mickey Turner did during his senior season at Wisconsin.

Entering his final season at UW, Steffes has only three career catches but has primarily been used as a blocking weapon for the Badgers. That role will likely continue this fall as he works in a rotation along with Troy Fumagalli, Kyle Penniston and potentially David Edwards.

Following my strategy from the last round, I chose an offensive lineman for a second consecutive time. This round I went with Ben Hemer, an in-state junior out of Medford.

Hemer, who began his career as a preferred walk-on, is a natural athlete with a solid pedigree. His older brother, Ethan, played on the defensive line for the Badgers and had a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014. Ethan had more success than Ben has experienced during his career here at Wisconsin, but sometimes a junior season can be an “ah-ha” moment of sort, especially at cerebral positions like the offensive line.

Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing 299 pounds, Hemer has potential to be a solid guard in either a passing or run heavy offense, but his reserve role will likely continue in 2016. While this isn’t a splashy pick by any means, I think he is respectable enough to be on the field against these opposing defenses. Though Hemer is a slight drop off from my first three linemen I selected, I don't think the difference is as significant as many may perceive.

I'm still filling out my defense, so I took Zander Neuville to complete my line and hopefully boost my pass rush. Considering how late I waited on a few defensive spots I was OK with grabbing Neuville here, in part because he had a lot of buzz around him last fall as the Badgers were working through their pre-season camp.

The coaching staff likes his ability to pass rush from the defensive end spot, but he wasn't credited with a tackle in 13 games last year. He's still got a few years ahead of him, though, so maybe this is the year he takes another step forward on to the scene. Neuville and Alec James were used last year in Dave Aranda's "peso package."

Miss a round?

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