BadgerBlitz.com's Wisconsin player draft: Round 8

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 8?

With three spots on my offensive line already filled by Jon Dietzen, Jacob Maxwell and Dan Voltz, I definitely didn't need to double-down on that position (again). But I saw an opportunity to create more positional scarcity and continue to build up a run-heavy offense, with Corey Clement established as my featured running back.

In the end I took Micah Kapoi, who was forced in to action last year thanks to a string of injuries on the offensive line. By the end of the season, Kapoi was definitely a little more comfortable with the first team, and I thought getting an experienced lineman a few rounds into the draft was a good fit for what I was looking for in building my roster.

Kapoi will have his work cut out for him if he wants to retain a starting job and if the Badgers have a completely healthy offensive line this fall, but at the very worst he'd be a key reserve on this year's Wisconsin team. And if I want my team to dominate the trenches, I knew I needed to load up on offensive linemen before Jon and Jessi snatched them out from under me.

After picking up Chikwe Obasih in the Round 6, I was starting to get excited about the defense I had coming together and wanted to create some position scarcity at linebacker. With Chris Orr, T.J. Edwards, Vince Biegel, T.J. Watt and Jack Cichy all gone, things were getting sparse.

I decided to snag Leon Jacobs and stick him back at outside linebacker.

Jacobs, the linebacker turned running back in the spring of 2016, is a natural athlete. He has played both inside and outside and has recently transitioned to a running back role for the Cardinal and White. The Badgers hope to bring back their ability to punch teams in the mouth with downhill running, and they see Jacobs as a prime candidate with his physicality and ability to punish would-be tacklers.

At 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 235 pounds, Jacobs is more than large enough to play outside backer, and that same athleticism that allows him play tailback should transition into some impressive sideline-to-sideline defensive capabilities. He has been clocked in the 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash.

How many linebackers (or halfbacks, for the matter) do you know that are National Prep Classic Slam Dunk Champions? At his height that's more than impressive. What may be even more impressive, though, is how fast he has learned the game of football, indicating his playing ceiling is still high above him. He only played two years of organized football before committing to UW and has continued to impress the coaching staff with his ability to adapt and grow at a variety of positions.

With Biegel, Edwards and Jacobs being in the middle of my defense, I like my chances in battle.

Looking at the players available, I had to stay on the defensive side of the ball and lock up defensive end Alec James. The redshirt junior hasn't quite lived up to the hype surrounding him coming out of high school, but he still has two years to build his legacy at Wisconsin.

James has been used mostly in obvious passing situations and in Dave Aranda's "peso package" from a year ago. But the former three-star prospect could push for more playing time in base packages this fall.

“(James has) done a good job. He’s working hard,” position coach Inoke Breckterfield said during spring camp. “It’s a battle between those three guys right now. Chikwe, Alec and Conor (Sheehy) are battling for a starting spot right now. I’m just kind of rotating them with the ones and trying to see who flashes and who is consistent.”

“They know no one is a starter right now. It’s spring ball, it’s a new year, go get it,” Breckterfield said of the competition.

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