MADISON — Spring practice is a learning experience for players, coaches and media alike. In fact, there's no other time in the offseason during which my opinion on the Wisconsin football team changes more. Watching 15 practices, you learn players' strengths and weaknesses but also their personalities. You learn coaches' schemes and styles but also how they conduct themselves around the team.

After watching the Badgers practice this spring, and laying out my expectations for the offense, here's my take on what we can expect from the defense, position-by-position:

BEST PLAYER: Hunter Wohler

BIGGEST LIABILITY: Skillsets of second-stringers

MY EXPECTATION: This is a room that will look very similar to last season personnel-wise. Wohler is again the clear-cut top player at the group. He can line up almost anywhere and is the heart and soul of this defense. Forget best player in the safety room, he might be the best player on the team.

This figures to be the year that Austin Brown finally gets a shot at a full-time starting role. Like Wohler, he's flashed the versatility that Mike Tressel covets. He made plays in run support and in coverage all spring. A top two of Wohler and Brown is incredibly promising.

The depth should be very familiar. Though they were held out for the majority of the spring, Preston Zachman and Kamo'i Latu figure to be the third and fourth safeties, respectively. Zachman is more of a centerfielder, adept at reading the quarterback's eyes, while Latu just wants to lay somebody out with a massive hit. Zachman showed tremendous growth last season and became the Badgers second-most used safety, but Latu is still somewhat of a liability in coverage and has struggled with missed tackles in the past. Braedyn Moore is also a candidate to get some reserve snaps this fall.

With a rock-solid top two, this room should be more than serviceable for Alex Grinch. Zachman rotating off the bench, with Latu doing the same — albeit sparingly — seems like the formula for success. Last year's performance should be the floor, but Wohler and Brown could feasibly develop into one of the better safety tandems in the conference.

BEST PLAYER: Ricardo Hallman

BIGGEST LIABILITY: Lack of size.

MY EXPECTATION: Even though he didn't log a single practice this spring, Hallman is still the best cornerback in the room until proven otherwise. He'll be the Badgers starting field corner as long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks in his recovery.

What Hallman will do for an encore after his NCAA-leading seven-interception season is intriguing, but I'll be closely tracking the development of Nyzier Fourqurean. The D-II transfer was very serviceable last season, but he looked absolutely lights out this spring in coverage. He's a sneaky pick to have a un-heralded breakout season, flying under the radar while quietly shutting down receiver after receiver in coverage. At 6-foot-1 — and I think he's really closer to 6-foot-2, although the hair does factor in — he has the best size of any Wisconsin corner slated to get significant playing time this spring.

But therein lies my concern for this unit. When faced with some of the taller receivers in this conference, the Badgers aren't going to have an answer in terms of size. They'll rely on the technique of their corners, which oftentimes isn't enough when you're simply getting boxed out by a huge jump-ball receiver. Redshirt freshman Amare Snowden is 6-foot-4, but he likely has another year before he sees legitimate playing time.

Still, I'm nitpicking with that concern. This is a room that looks much deeper than last year and returns its top two players — one of whom is already one of the better corners in the country, while the other was singled-out by his head coach as one of the most improved players on the roster.

BEST PLAYER: Jaheim Thomas

BIGGEST LIABILITY: N/A

MY EXPECTATION: Without question, this is the position group Badgers fans should be the most excited for. I'm not sure what's more promising: the solid chunk of time it took for me to decide that Thomas is the best player, or the few seconds it took me to recognize that there's no liabilities in this room.

The top of the room is absolutely loaded with Thomas, Jake Chaney, Tackett Curtis and Christian Alliegro. Still, I believe Thomas will be the best of the bunch. His versatility, namely his pass-rushing acumen, sets him apart from the rest. He's fast and violent with a nose for the football that can't be taught.

Chaney is experienced and was the most productive linebacker a year ago for a reason. Alliegro can fly around the field and already appears to have the full trust of the coaching staff as a true sophomore. Curtis embodies the physicality and nastiness that this program wants to embrace, and he plays like a heat-seeking missile.

With how many players that look capable of being game-changers in this room, I wouldn't expect one backer to dominate the reps, and thus the stats. But I have to imagine Thomas leads the way statistically for this unit and flirts with 100 tackles. This room should also provide a myriad of splash plays, sacks and turnovers. This will be the Badgers' best inside linebacker room since they trotted out Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn.

BEST PLAYER: John Pius

BIGGEST LIABILITY: Aaron Witt's injury history.

MY EXPECTATION: Much like their counterparts on the inside, this outside linebacker room is one that, at least in theory, should be vastly improved from a season ago. And just like the inside backers, a group of transfers is the main reason why.

Throughout spring camp, especially in the first handful of practices, transfers John Pius and Leon Lowery stole the show. Pius, from FCS William & Mary, looked like a seamless fit into Matt Mitchell's outside linebacker room. The coach said Pius has the best get-off of any pass-rusher on the Badgers, and that was extremely apparent all spring. Pius looks like the most natural pass-rusher Wisconsin has had since Nick Herbig.

Lowery, meanwhile, also put on a show. While Pius wins with his bend and natural ability to get into the backfield, Lowery is more powerful and appears to be sightly better in run support. Both have put themselves in position for starter-level reps this fall.

Mitchell has mentioned that he wants to rotate his outside linebackers more this fall, and so Darryl Peterson and Witt figure to be heavily involved as well. While Peterson had a great spring and certainly looks improved from last season, Witt sustained yet another injury in camp and had his arm in a sling for what amounted to the second half of practice. That's my biggest concern for this room — that any kind of sustained injury to Witt will force the Badgers to deploy a limited three-man rotation, causing the same durability and conditioning issues as last season.

It's also worth noting the two true freshman outside linebackers, Anelu Lafaele and Thomas Heiberger, both flashed this spring, especially the former. Nonetheless, they shouldn't be used for anything but garbage time this fall.

I would expect this room to significantly surpass the statistics it put up a season ago. Last season, the outside linebackers logged 9.5 sacks in total. I would expect one of either Pius or Lowery to come close to that number, and for the room as a whole to smash that total.

BEST PLAYER: James Thompson Jr.

BIGGEST LIABILITY: Lack of playmakers.

MY EXPECTATION: If you've been following our spring practice coverage even casually, you're familiar with the fact that Wisconsin's defensive line looks like the weakest position on the roster right now.

Simply put, it's a unit that lacks difference-makers. Thompson started the season hot last year, with three sacks in four games. His production completely fell off, however, as he failed to log a sack after September. Regardless, I do believe he remains the best the Badgers have at that position with his unique length/power combination. If Wisconsin needs anyone to fully come into their own this year, it's Thompson.

The rest of the returning players who figure to get snaps this fall — Curt Neal, Ben Barten and Cade McDonald — have almost nothing to speak of in terms of production. Last season, those three combined for 28 tackles and one sack. Neal figures to be the top player of that bunch, and is my favorite right now to start alongside Thompson. But the distinct lack of proven playmakers is certainly concerning.

Albany transfer Elijah Hills has flashed at times this spring, but like the rest of the players in EJ Whitlow's room, not consistently. Highly-touted youngsters Jamel Howard and Ernest Willor Jr. are promising prospects, but neither consistently cracked even the second team this spring. The staff clearly believes they still have some developing to do before they're ready to contribute on a consistent basis.

I've said it before, but due to the glaring lack of playmakers on this defensive front, I'd expect plenty of two defensive linemen — 2-4-5 and/or 2-3-6 — looks this fall. A meager handful of sacks and tackles is all I can expect from this group after what I've seen.

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