BadgerBlitz.com's Wisconsin player draft: Round 18

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 18?

With the quarterback of choice now on my roster, I knew it was time to get him another weapon to use to try and move the ball down the field. I already had Reggie Love and Kyle Penniston to work with, but I wanted to add some athleticism and playmaking ability down the field. And even though he's just about to start his first semester with the team, I think A.J. Taylor brings that to the table.

Taylor is a smart guy, so I don't think he'll have trouble learning Wisconsin's playbook and what the coaching staff wants him to do. In addition, I think his athleticism would allow him to do some different things on the field - you could possibly take a page out of Randall Cobb's playbook and line him up in the backfield to give the offense some versatility. Guys like Taylor don't come by all the time, and I was glad he was still available for me to pick up. I'll be very interested to see how he performs in his first season with the team.

The time has come and the first quarterback is off the board. Being in the middle of the snake draft format allowed me to hold off on a quarterback until someone else jumped first. I was able to make that decision as soon as I was given the 2nd pick, primarily because there doesn't seem to be a ton of separation in either’s ability to run the offense. If I were being completely honest, I would have to agree with John that I think Alex Hornibrook has shown some real improvement throughout the course of the spring and may have even taken over the driver's seat in the battle for the starting spot this coming fall. His youth and growth at the position are intriguing.

But, with all that Hornibrook has shown, it still has been in non-game situations. Practice is a decent gauge of potential performance more often than not, but Bart Houston has real game experience and that's where he excels. I’m sure we all remember the 232 yards he put up on Illinois along with a pair of scores. That type of experience will far outweigh anything that can be replicated in a spring game or practice.

Overall, I’m happy with Houston. He has legitimate experience, seniority and may still be the starter come fall’s first kickoff.

I'm kicking myself right now for not being the one to start the quarterback run. Now, I'm left with Kare' Lyles, a true freshman who missed all of spring camp with an injury. It's not the worst thing in the world, but certainly not ideal.

To try and cheer myself up, I took Taiwan Deal, who I'm very high on despite being No. 3 depth chart behind Corey Clement and Dare Ogunbowale. In this draft, you really couldn't go wrong at tailback, but Deal gives me a between-the-tackles runner who carries the ball with power. The former four-star prospect rushed for 503 yards and six touchdowns in 2015, but he played his best football at the end of the year. I think he'll continue to progress during his sophomore season at Wisconsin.

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