Wisconsin has already finished nine of its 15 allotted 2021 spring practices heading into this week. Three of those have been open to reporters, and though that's a third of the total sample size, takeaways can be made from provided availabilities.

RELATED: Q&A: Linebacker Maema Njongmeta Describes Multiple Heath Scares | Wisconsin Growing ILB Depth Behind Chenal and Sanborn | Notes: Njongmeta and Grass stepping up, next growth for young players | TE Hayden Rucci Looks to Fill Bigger Role in Wisconsin's Offense | Assistant coach Bob Bostad talks inside linebacker depth during spring camp | Wisconsin TEs coach Mickey Turner looking for depth behind Jake Ferguson |

Effective depth was a huge question at this position given what happened after Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor were sidelined last year. Both are proven contributors that were missed during 2020's modified season, but the trio of open sessions has shown others emerging with big plays.

I feel A.J. Abbott has put together three very solid practices from what we have seen. The fourth-year Michigan native shined the most on Tuesday, reeling in a couple of deep throws from quarterbacks Graham Mertz and Chase Wolf, but he also made some solid receptions on the two Saturday sessions.

I remember seeing Abbott flash at times when looking back on previous spring practices or fall camps. We have seen more consistent demonstration of getting open and making plays in the small sample of spring ball allotted to us.

Chimere Dike was the star during Saturday's session. The second-year wide out hauled in five touchdowns between red zone "skelley" (see: "7-on-7") and red zone "team" (11-on-11) to finish practice, according to my notes.

It was not just during the red zone work that Dike shined, however. Earlier in the practice, Mertz found the former Waukesha (WI) North standout for a nice gain off of a rollout in a team period, while Wolf connected with the receiver for a significant gain during a "skelley" session.

I called this out during Saturday's recap -- Dike can reel in passes with his hands and make those catches against the opposing secondary. He has shown during the past two sessions that he has the ability to get off the line of scrimmage and use his speed to separate.

"When you talk about guys, you want them to have purpose, and to practice with purpose. I think he's doing a tremendous job of that, and I think it's paying off," head coach Paul Chryst said on Saturday. "There's a guy, Chim got a ton of reps, and a lot of experience, and I think has done a nice job of taking that experience and building off of it. I've been impressed, you know, really from first time we got to be with Chim, and I think he's done a nice job this spring of taking advantage of spring and continuing to improve."

Saturday, fellow second-year wide receiver Devin Chandler ran underneath a deep throw by Wolf for a long completion. In that particular rep, he also showcased his speed in getting past two defenders to haul it in but also out run them to the end zone.

For what it's worth, I also feel Jack Dunn has performed well during these practices open to the media as well. Pryor, who returned to the field on Tuesday, also has shown his abilities that resulted in a red zone touchdown on Saturday.