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Published Jul 15, 2017
Wisconsin's defense: Examining fall camp battles at every position
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Jon McNamara  •  BadgerBlitz
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Defensive line

What to watch: Defensive line is pretty straightforward with seniors Chikwe Obasih, Conor Sheehy and Alec James on the outside, and junior Olive Sagapolu in the middle. Those four will demand the bulk of the reps. During camp, you could argue there's a bit of competition between Obasih and James, though the staff found a way to use both effectively the last two seasons.

Behind them is worth paying attention to, because it would appear 2017 signees Isaiahh Loudermilk and Garrett Rand have passed up class of 2o15 ends David Pfaff and Kraig Howe on the depth chart. Neither redshirt sophomore played in 2016 and this will be a crucial camp for each.

Behind Sagapolu, there could be a mini battle between Billy Hirschfeld, a converted end and Jeremy Patterson, who has been largely (no pun intended) disappointing since arriving on campus. It would benefit the Badgers if one or both could eat up some reps in 2017 so Sagapolu doesn't get run down.

Too early prediction: Obasih OR James, Rand | Sagapolu, Hirschfeld | Sheehy, Loudermilk

Linebackers

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