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 during camp and see what the Badgers still need to work out before they kick off their 2018 season against Western Kentucky on Friday, Aug. 31.
Our look back at Wisconsin's offensive line is included below.
What We Learned
We were hoping to get a good look at what the Badgers were thinking about doing with their offensive line this spring camp, but that went by the wayside on Day 1 when the Badgers announced that Michael Deiter and Jon Dietzen would sit out for the whole spring to keep rehabbing injuries and rest up for fall camp. In addition, Beau Benzschawel's reps were limited, and David Edwards practiced a few times before an injury flared up that kept him from practicing for the rest of the spring.
The Badgers are bringing back enough talent to their offensive line that it's not a big deal for them to miss out on those spring reps - we'll just have to wait until the fall to see where all of the pieces fit the best. But we did get an extended look at younger players like Kayden Lyles, who got work with the first team at both center and guard throughout camp. There might not be a starting spot available for him this year, but the Badgers will only be able to keep Lyles off the field for so long. Cole Van Lanen also got every first team rep at left tackle during the spring, giving him a great chance to prove to the coaching staff that he's ready to take over the position in the fall.
What's Left?
As mentioned above, the Badgers have a lot of talented and experienced offensive linemen coming back to the team in 2018, but only five starting spots to play them in. The Badgers will want to put their best five players on the field, but we won't know what combination they think gives them the best chance to win games until fall camp opens in August.
The Badgers seem to want to move Michael Deiter back inside to guard after he played a little out of position at left tackle in 2017. But to move him inside the Badgers would need to think that Cole Van Lanen - or someone else - can handle that position better than Deiter could. And if they move Deiter back inside, he would take the spot of someone like Jon Dietzen, who has struggled with injuries but been effective when he's on the field. The right side of the line seems set, unless the Badgers decide that David Edwards would be their best left tackle - and promote Patrick Kasl to the first team in his place.
It's a good problem to have, and the Badgers will probably try a few different combinations early in the fall to see how things shake out. But they'll want to make a decision as quickly as possible and get their five starters as many reps together as they can - the faster they can build chemistry together, the better.
Projected Fall Camp Depth Chart
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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.
