2/13/2016 football Edit

2017 Target Board: Outside Linebackers

Jon McNamara • BadgerBlitz

Editor

Jon McNamara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has covered UW athletics since 2002 and has worked at Rivals.com since 2006.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

2016 class: Wisconsin signed Griffin Grady, Noah Burks and Mason Stokke

2016 seniors: Vince Biegel

2017 projection: Wisconsin signs one, possibly two, in the 2017 class

2017 top 5 targets: Pete Werner, James Houston, Louis Acceus, Kenny Robinson and Cade Mashburn

Other top targets: Drew Singleton, De'Andre Wilder, Antjuan Simmons, Santino Marchiol, Ayinde Eley, Chandler Wooten, Israel Pitchford, Avery Roberts, Robert McWilliams, Edward Jacobson and Noah Larson, among others

Early outlook: Wisconsin is well stocked at outside linebacker after it added Burks, Grady and Stokke in the 2016 class. They join a unit headed by senior Vince Biegel and also features T.J. Watt, Garrett Dooley, Jake Whalen, Zack Baun and, potentially, Jack Cichy, who can play inside as well. That said, outside backer isn't a huge position of need in 2017.

Werner, a four-star prospect from Indiana, picked up an offer during an unofficial visit this fall. He's one of the top junior prospects in the Midwest. Houston earned an early scholarship from the Badgers and has seen his recruitment pick up ever since. Mashburn, from Oklahoma, has family ties to the state and has already visited unofficially. Robinson, a standout from Pittsburgh, figures to be someone the staff evaluates closely this off-season.