BadgerBlitz.com's Wisconsin player draft: Round 5

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 5?

Who's stock is higher than Jack Cichy's after his two-quarter performance against USC in the Holiday Bowl? The former walk-on took reps at inside linebacker this spring but could certainly move to the outside if needed. With him and T.J. Watt on my roster, I feel very good about the linebacker position.

It will be interesting to see how new coordinator Justin Wilcox uses Cichy this fall. I think he might have a slight edge over Chris Orr at this point on the inside, but you'll likely see a number of different combinations to get the best players on the field at once. Certainly not a bad problem for a coordinator to have.

With things getting a little thicker, I wanted to make a pick at a high-value position. With plenty of backs still available and no one jumping on a quarterback yet, I went with a tight end and selected Troy Fumagalli.

At 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds, Fumagalli is a big-bodied target with some of the surest hands on the team. While there are other tight ends who could be productive - especially the up-and-coming Kyle Penniston, who had a solid spring - Fumagalli is still in his own class at this point and a favorite for all-conference honors this coming season.

We have seen how valuable the tight end can be in recent years, and Fumagalli gives me a solid red-zone target and great hands in the middle of the field. The combination of Fumagalli and Rob Wheelwright should make my unnamed quarterback smile, as he will have two of the top targets to throw to, creating matchup problems for opposing rosters.

Fumagalli should add a good dimension to my offense, and if he can improve on his blocking, I might have just gotten one of the better tight ends in all the Big Ten.

Three of my first four picks came on the offensive side of the ball, so I knew I needed to shore some things up on defense before I could fully focus on my strategy of building up a strong running game with Corey Clement and significant contributors on the offensive line.

After looking things over, I figured Chris Orr would be a good pick - the Badgers have more depth there now than they did in previous years and with two spots to fill I needed to make sure I picked up one of the three players who will get the most reps there this fall. Jack Cichy and T.J. Edwards were already off the board, but Orr showed some upside during his freshman season and I don't think there's a major drop off between the three of them, which is partially why the Badgers seem committed to mixing and matching their starting lineup on the inside to take advantage of their different skill sets.

Miss a round?

Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 |