Wisconsin's 15 spring practices are in the books, which means it's time to take a look back at what we learned at each position group and see what the Badgers still need to work out before they kick off their 2017 season against Utah State on Friday, Sep. 1.

Our look back at Wisconsin's defensive line is included below.

We knew that Wisconsin's defensive line was going to be a deep group in 2017 since they don't have to replace any seniors from what was already a solid group. But we did get a better look at just how many players the Badgers have that will be battling for a spot in the two deep - especially since the team gave plenty of reps to younger players while resting veterans like Chikwe Obasih.

The defensive end spots in particular already seem to have four or five players that the Badgers feel like they can depend on in games this fall, starting with returning starters Obasih and Conor Sheehy. Alec James is also in line to get a lot of snaps this fall to spell the starters and give the defense's pass rush a bit of a boost. The Badgers also moved Garrett Rand to defensive end full-time instead of having him play nose guard, which is a better fit for his body and technique at the moment.

Having four players you can depend on is already a good base to work with, but the Badgers also saw redshirt freshman Isaiahh Loudermilk take some big steps forward this spring. His redshirt season payed off both in the weight room and on the practice field, and he looks ready to contribute if the Badgers think he can play consistently. This is a senior-heavy defensive line now, so it would probably serve the Badgers well to make sure Loudermilk (and Rand) get work this fall to prepare them for 2018.

The top of the depth chart at nose guard is set, with Olive Sagapolu returning for his junior season as UW's man in the middle. But the depth behind him is unproven, especially now that Rand is playing at defensive end. Billy Hirschfeld and Jeremy Patterson both got reps behind Sagapolu this spring, but neither player has a lot of in-game experience. Considering Sagapolu's injury history, the Badgers would be wise to get someone ready to step in if they need a capable backup.

Hirschfeld would probably be the next man in at the moment, but the Badgers could also move Sheehy over to nose to fill in if needed. Sheehy played a lot of nose last fall when Sagapolu missed a few games with a hand injury and acquitted himself well, and with the depth the Badgers have at defensive end they could probably keep their three best lineman out on the field by moving Sheehy inside if Sagapolu were to miss any time.

DEFENSIVE END

1. CHIKWE OBASIH

2. ALEC JAMES

NOSE GUARD

1. OLIVE SAGAPOLU

2. BILLY HIRSCHFELD

DEFENSIVE END

1. CONOR SHEEHY

2. GARRETT RAND

-OR-

ISAIAHH LOUDERMILK

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John Veldhuis covers Wisconsin football, basketball, and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnVeldhuis.