MADISON, Wis. — After a short, four-day spring break for the players, spring practices resumed.

The Wisconsin Badgers were inside the McClain Center for the fourth open practice of the spring. BadgerBlitz.com was present for Tuesday’s action.

Here are my three biggest takeaways.

Even though we’re only four practices in, certain things became evident right away. Perhaps the most palpable change was with the sheer size of the defensive line.

It was part of a conscious effort by the coaching staff.

“The emphasis was [to] get bigger and get more physical. If you look across the Big Ten, I would say that was our biggest issue last year. Just the size of us up front and our ability to play physical. Obviously, towards the end of the year in particular, with the numbers and the depth,” coach Luke Fickell said after practice.

“If you look at us, maybe we had one guy, maybe not one guy who was 300 pounds last year. And I think we’ve got at least five right now, just playing on the interior.”

There were so many additions that the rep distribution was pretty chaotic for the first few practices. Certain guys would see first team reps one day, then seemingly disappear the next.

Tuesday was the first time I began to notice some persisting trends.

On the first team defensive line, we’ve mostly seen Parker Petersen (listed at 315 pounds), Charles Perkins (316) and Jay’Viar Suggs (299). At edge, it's been Micheal Garner (300) and Corey Walker (297).

The only first team linemen or edge rusher under 290 pounds is Darryl Peterson (260), a two-year starter.

Tuesday was probably their best practice yet. Perkins and Suggs were disruptive in the pass game, while Petersen stifled multiple runs before they began.

The Badgers objectively succeeded in getting bigger. But it won’t matter if they don’t make a noticeable impact.