Breaking Down the Badgers: Front Seven

Our breakdown of the 2012 Badgers roster continues with a look at the front seven.

Breakdown

Tackles

1. Beau Allen

He’s the top returning sack man from 2011 when he had a whopping 4. A steadily improving player who could break out in 2012.

2. Ethan Hemer

A very large man who takes up blocks. Won’t be a stat monster but could be the key to the whole line.

3. Warren Herring

Converted end. Moves up in the rotation with Jordan Kohout’s forced departure.

4. Bryce Gilbert

Another guy who could benefit from Kohout’s departure. Had a solid spring.

5. Arthur Goldberg

Three-star recruit coming in. Probably wants to put on 20 pounds. Good motor, they say. Probable redshirt.

6. Jacob Ninneman

Redshirt sophomore. Could figure in the tackle rotation if there’s an injury.

Ends

1. David Gilbert

His injury early in 2011 really hurt the defensive line and especially the pass rush. A return to form in 2012 would obviously help the defense. Going out on a limb and predicting he’ll finish with more than 4.5 sacks (the number Louis Nzegwu had last year when he led the team).

2. Brendan Kelly

Took over for David Gilbert last year and didn’t embarrass himself. Be nice to see him step it up this year and become more than serviceable.

3. Pat Muldoon

Got a couple starts last year opposite Nzegwu. Is pretty much interchangeable with Kelly. Be interesting to see which of those two guys ends up getting more reps.

4. Tyler Dippel

Solid back-up who had injury problems in the spring.

5. James Adeyanju

Three-star recruit seeing his first action. Probably still a year away from being good. Athletic talent is there but he’s raw.

6. Konrad Zagzebski

Part of the defensive end grab bag. Like Dippel, had injury struggles in the spring.

7. Jesse Hayes

Another talented player who needs time. Will be fun to watch him and Adeyanju firing off the edges in 2013.

Linebackers

Strong Side

1. Ethan Armstrong

The former walk-on is now on scholarship. He’ll have to prove he can hold up after undergoing hip surgery.

2. Conor O’Neill

Showed some playmaking ability in the Big Ten title game, forcing a fumble. Should be ready to step in if Armstrong has injury troubles.

3. A.J. Fenton

This guy could be good enough to start. There’s lots of depth across the linebacker corps. Wish we had as much in the secondary.

Middle

1. Chris Borland

One of the best linebackers in the country. Name a defensive trophy watchlist and he’s on it. Should be in line for another huge year.

2. Marcus Trotter

No offense but I hope we don’t see much of Marcus Trotter. Cause it will mean Chris Borland is hurt.

Weak Side

1. Mike Taylor

Taylor is a tackling machine, pure and simple. He and Borland are arguably the best linebacker duo in the country right now and also possibly in Badger history. He’s on all the watch lists too. Having two linebackers battling for the major defensive awards is a cool thing.

2. Derek Landisch

Last year’s Badgers rookie of the year. He gets to watch Mike Taylor and play some special teams.

Lowdown

On the D-line: potentially dominating in the middle, but what about that edge rush? David Gilbert should help but even if he tops out, he’s no J.J. Watt or Tarek Saleh. Seems we’re at least a year away from having any real help at DE so the Badgers will have to cobble together a pass rush again this year. Hopefully it will be at least slightly improved, cause I’m not interested in watching guys like Braxton Miller running around making plays to win ball games. Run stopping shouldn’t be a huge issue. Linebacker-wise, we know what we have. A potentially dominating unit. The linemen will have to step up for this to become a truly fearsome front seven.