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Wisconsin Football: Badgers Seniors Set for East-West Shrine Game

By Jim Oxley

Dec 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers fullback Derek Watt (34) is tackled by USC Trojans linebacker Olajuwon Tucker (34) during the first quarter in the 2015 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Wisconsin Badgers fullback Derek Watt (34) is tackled by USC Trojans linebacker Olajuwon Tucker (34) during the first quarter in the 2015 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Wisconsin football players have a shot to show off their goods

The annual East-West Shrine Game is Saturday, and four former Wisconsin football players will be on display, looking to impress NFL scouts ahead f the 2016 NFL Draft.

Related Story: Joel Stave Finishes Wisconsin Career on High Note

Plenty of talent will be on display at the Shrine Game from the 2015 Badgers, including quarterback Joel Stave, fullback Derek Watt, offensive tackle Tyler Marz, and safety Michael Caputo.

Watt, Marz and Caputo will all play on the West team, while Stave will quarterback for the East team.

Wisconsin Badgers
Wisconsin Badgers /

Wisconsin Badgers

Stave is one of three quarterbacks on the East roster, including Massachusetts-Amherst QB Blake Frohnapfel and fellow Big Ten quarterback Jake Rudock of Michigan.

Stave became the winningest quarterback in Wisconsin history with a Holiday Bowl win over USC in December, and finished his 2015 season completing 60.8 percent of his passes for 2,687 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

The West team, meanwhile, will feature a trio of Badgers with NFL dreams. Offensive tackle Tyler Marz was one of the few beacons of consistency on an injury-ridden offensive line this season, and will be looking to hear his name called early in the draft, as have many Wisconsin offensive linemen before him.

Fullback Derek Watt will be looking to show his versatility will be useful in the NFL as the fullback position is a dying breed. His receiving skills will be valued (he caught 15 passes for 139 yards in 2015) and he will need to show up on special teams. Watt had 9 carries for 49 yards in 2015.

Finally the Badgers defensive leader, Michael Caputo, will be looking to show he can be both a cover safety and a force at the line of scrimmage. Another beacon of consistency for the Badgers, Caputo is coming off of a great season that saw him finish fourth on the team with 65 total tackles and third on the team with 36 solo tackles. He also added a pair of interceptions, and built that body of work despite missing nearly the entirety of the Alabama game with a head injury.

These four Badgers should each find themselves on an NFL roster come training camp, and their performance on Saturday could go a long way to ward getting them there.

The 2016 East-West Shrine Game will kick off at 3 p.m. CT Saturday, January 23 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game will be broadcast on the NFL Network, and you can tune into the action on the EWSG Radio Network hosted by TuneIn Radio.

Next: Former Badgers One Game From Super Bowl

Stay tuned to Badger of Honor for more on Wisconsin football players preparing for the 2016 NFL Draft.