BadgerBlitz.com's Wisconsin player draft: Round 14

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 14?

I stuck with the offensive side of the ball and drafted Kyle Penniston to fill my tight end spot, and I was very happy to get him after watching him improve during spring camp this year. He really seemed to take a step forward as a receiver and made more than his fair share of highlight plays, on top of making the routine catches that you'd expect him to have to make over the middle as a tight end in Paul Chryst's offense.

Penniston, a former four-star prospect, was already comfortable as a receiver coming out of high school, though, so he'll have to take some steps forward as a blocker before he can be an every down option for the Badgers. But considering where my team was at for this draft, I thought Penniston made for a pretty good addition, both in the short term and the long term.

With my defense nearly wrapped up, I wanted to see if I could still grab a starter on offense, even though we were already at pick No. 41 in the draft. Since I was doing the draft without Internet access, I searched my sheets and I came across a name I was pretty excited about: Alec Ingold.

Ingold, the 2014 AP Wisconsin High School Player of the Year recipient, is a great find this late in the draft. Amidst all of the backfield drama last season, Ingold made the transition from linebacker to tailback, with some fullback work sprinkled in here and there. Being a quarterback in high school, Ingold quickly found his rhythm and has since made the change a permanent one.

At 6-foot-2 and weighing 235 pounds, Ingold is has excellent size and has already demonstrated his strength and natural talent at the college level despite the fact that he has only had one year in the program. He’s a really gritty kid who doesn’t shy away from competition or earning what he thinks is his spot on the team. The competition between himself and Austin Ramesh seems to have lit a fire under Ingold, making both individuals perform at a higher level.

From everything I have seen this spring I expect Ingold to take over the full-time role in front of Corey Clement in sets with a fullback. Dare Ogunbowale will undoubtedly be the main rotator at tailback but I would be surprised if we didn't see Ingold take a couple of snaps this season at halfback as well as the Badgers get into the red zone. With Ingold's early success and the amount of potential he possesses, I think this was a major steal this late in the draft.

It's been a long time since I took a look at offensive linemen and John V. has done a nice job of draining the talent at that position in his draft. With Jessi in a similar situation as myself, I needed to address my need, even if it didn't fit my best player available philosophy.

After triple checking my options, I settled on Brett Connors, a former walk-on from New Berlin. Now, there were a handful of scholarship players I passed on, but I liked Connors for a few reasons. A 6-foot-6 and 313 pounds, Connors has worked at both right tackle and center and was listed as No. 2 on the depth chart for both positions for the USC game last season. His versatility could help me later in the draft.

Connors also seems to have won the respect of his teammates and coaches, a hurdle that's not easy to climb as a walk-on. He may not ever be a starter for the Badgers but could be someone who earns a scholarship later in his career.

I’ve appreciated Brett, the way that he works, he does a number of different things for us,” Paul Chryst said this spring. "He’s a young offensive lineman and he’s continuing to improve because it’s important to him.

"He takes coaching. Certainly, he’s going to be able to and needs to provide us with depth, which we all know is huge."

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