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 the Badger's 2019 spring camp and see what we learned across the UW depth chart.
Miss a position group? Catch up below.
What We Learned
The Badgers are going to have to replace four starters before the start of the 2018 season - and Michael Deiter, Beau Benzschawel, David Edwards and Jon Dietzen are definitely leaving behind big shoes to fill. But I don't think anyone outside the program expected Wisconsin's new-look offensive line to feel like it had this much depth by the end of spring camp.
The good news starts at left tackle, where Cole Van Lanen actually got more snaps at the position in 2018 than Dietzen did, so you should essentially consider him a returning starter at the position; and a damn good one, considering his overall Pro Football Focus grade of 90.8 last year — behind only Jonathan Taylor of UW's significant contributors. The Badgers are also getting Kayden Lyles back on the offensive side of the ball after a one year 'internship' on the defensive line, and he should easily slot in to one of the open guard spots with center Tyler Biadasz returning to school for his junior season after toying with leaving early for the NFL.
But with Van Lanen and Biadasz sitting out of spring camp this year to rehab nagging injuries from last year, we also got a taste of who else could fill out the starting five. Sophomore Logan Bruss spent time at both right guard and right tackle this spring, giving the Badgers a chance to look at both sophomore Tyler Beach and senior David Moorman at both tackle spots. Senior Jason Erdmann could also step up in to the starting lineup after spending the last few years as a key backup on the interior, and he could contribute or back up any of the interior spots along the line. And don't forget about former walk-on Josh Seltzner, who took first team reps at right guard for a good chunk of spring when Bruss was out of the lineup and Moorman played at tackle.
It's a deep, positionally flexible group of players with a high ceiling for 2019. Sure, they are relatively unproven at this point in their careers. And while they might not make the cover of Sports Illustrated this year, this is a group that could surprise people in the fall.
What's Left?
The big question left for the Badgers to answer is what combination they will end up using along the line this fall. The good news is that it looks like they have enough depth to where they will be able to get their five best players on the field - take a look at our projected two-deep below to see where we think the players might line up when fall camp starts. But no matter where the Badgers end up placing their linemen this fall, it will be important for that group to get as many reps together as possible before the games start. Communication is key on any offensive line, especially one with several new starters who don't have as much experience working together as the last group did. Bumps and bruises are part of camp, but starting off the season on a high note on the offensive line will be a lot easier if the Badgers can set a top five early and roll with them throughout camp.
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.
