BadgerBlitz.com's Wisconsin player draft: Round 10

This summer, the Badgers will be divided.

That is, they'll be separated into three imaginary teams, set against each other by a BadgerBlitz.com.com Wisconsin player draft, a daily selection in which separate groups of 23 are assembled.

Over the next four weeks, BadgerBlitz.com reporters Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis and Jessi Schoville will draft Badgers, picking players one-by-one and placing them on their respective teams, trying to assemble the best 11 on offense and defense, plus one reserve.

Then, in late July, we'll decide — based on BadgerBlitz.com.com staff and member feedback — which team would win.

Who will be selected when? How will the teams develop? What reasoning will be used?

And most importantly, do you agree with the picks? Be sure to discuss in the Badgers' Den.

Ready for Round 9?

I took a bit of a reach with this pick, sticking on the defensive side of the ball to take Garrett Rand - an incoming freshman who is reportedly strong enough to start playing college football right away in his first year on campus. He's also versatile enough to be able to play either nose guard or defensive end, which makes for a good fit on my roster since I already drafted Olive Sagapolu.

Rand, a four-star prospect, was a big get out of Arizona for Paul Chryst and his coaching staff, especially considering they were able to hang on to him despite losing Dave Aranda to LSU. He hasn't played a down yet for the Badgers, but the raw potential is there for him to be a difference maker on the defensive line. Wisconsin won a pretty heated recruiting battle for him, and my bet is that he'll show Badger fans why so many teams were after him sooner rather than later.

I’m stacking the “D” and going with Billy “Big City” Hirschfeld.

Hirschfeld, at 6-foot-6 and 280 pounds, is an imposing figure coming around the edge. I’m not saying he’s J.J. Watt, but all padded up and swimming past offensive linemen, the two do look eerily similar. Hirschfeld’s size coupled with his basketball athleticism makes him the perfect fit in the Badgers 3-4 system and a nice addition to my defensive unit.

The homegrown Arrowhead High School alumnus is still fairly green when it comes to college football but his potential is legit. He used his redshirt season in 2014 and has put on size while maintaining his athletic playmaking ability. I expect it to show this coming season as he was already making some noise and showing further improvement in spring ball.

I think this selection could prove to be a steal when reviewed after the season. Let’s hope I’m right.

There's a lot of questions surrounding the safety position heading into the fall after the graduation of Mike Caputo and Tanner McEvoy. Both jobs in the secondary are definitely opening heading into camp, but I'm banking on D'Cota Dixon winning a starting position in 2016.

“I’ve got a lot of guys that want it right now, which is perfect,” position coach Jim Leonhard said this spring. “They’ll be pushing each other all spring, all summer and all fall camp; we’ll have a better picture then of what’s going on but I like where we’re at.”

Last season, Dixon played in all 13 games and registered 16 total tackles. His strength is in his tackling ability, so it's likely Dixon fits best as a strong safety closer to the line of scrimmage, much like Caputo did for the Badgers during his career.

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