Wisconsin football fall camp preview: defensive line

The players to watch, storylines to follow, and the biggest questions for the Wisconsin Badgers on the defensive line entering the 2022 season.

It is mid-July, which means we are just weeks away from Big Ten Media Days and the beginning of fall camp for the Wisconsin Badgers football team.

Contents

1. Roster breakdown
2. Projected depth chart
3. Returning career production
4. Position overview
5. Young player to watch
6. Biggest question

The Badgers enter the 2022 season looking to improve upon their 9-4 record from a year ago and aim to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game after missing out on a Big Ten West title in 2021.

After a busy off-season filled with coaching changes, recruiting news, and transfer additions, football is nearly back. With that in mind, it is time to preview each position group leading up to the start of fall camp.

Other position previews:

• Quarterback
• Running back
• Fullback
• Wide receiver
• Tight end
• Interior offensive line
• Offensive tackles
• Inside linebacker

After wrapping up the offense yesterday, we now shift our focus to the defense for the rest of this week. Up next in our rolling preview series is the defensive line.

Wisconsin starting defensive end Isaiah Mullens recording a sack against Purdue.  / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Roster breakdown

Coaches:

• Ross Kolodziej (defensive line coach)

Returning players:

• Isaiah Mullens (RS SR) 6-foot-4, 300 lbs.
• Keeanu Benton (SR) 6-foot-4, 316 lbs.
• Rodas Johnson (RS JR) 6-foot-2, 291 lbs.
• Tommy Brunner (RS JR) 6-foot-3, 253 lbs.
• Isaac Townsend (RS JR) 6-foot-5, 280 lbs.
• Gio Paez (RS JR) 6-foot-3, 319 lbs.
• James Thompson Jr. (RS SO) 6-foot-5, 290 lbs.
• Ben Barten (RS SO) 6-foot-5, 304 lbs.
• Cade McDonald (RS SO) 6-foot-6, 280 lbs.
• Mike Jarvis (RS FR) 6-foot-4, 290 lbs.

Newcomers:

• Curt Neal (FR) 6-foot, 288 lbs.
• Tristan Monday (FR) 6-foot-4, 240 lbs.
• Isaac Hamm (FR) 6-foot-4, 240 lbs.
• Gabe Kirschke (FR) 6-foot-5, 225 lbs. 

Projected depth chart

Starters

DE: Isaiah Mullens

NT: Keeanu Benton

DE: Rodas Johnson

Backups

DE: James Thompson Jr.

NT: Gio Paez

DE: Isaac Townsend 

Returning career production

• Keeanu Benton: 33 career games (20 starts), 45 tackles (nine for loss), 4.5 sacks
• Isaiah Mullens: 33 career games (seven starts), 29 tackles (three TFL), two sacks
• James Thompson Jr: 14 career games, seven tackles
• Rodas Johnson: 13 career games, eight tackles, one sack, one forced fumble
• Gio Paez: 10 career games, two tackles, one quarterback hurry
• Isaac Townsend: five career games, one tackle
• Cade McDonald: two career games

Position overview

Everything for the Wisconsin Badgers defensive line starts in the middle with senior Keeanu Benton. A three-year starter, Benton is back one more season in Madison, and he should once again play a key role in Wisconsin's defensive success.

Benton was one of the vocal leaders of the defense in the spring, and he will be representing the team in Indianapolis for Big Ten Media Days. The 6-foot-4 star nose tackle is one of Wisconsin's top overall players this season, and I believe he is ready for a big senior year.

We did not see much of Benton in the spring for precautionary reasons related to an injury, and he is probably the most important player on the defense when it comes to his health, given what he can do as a disruptive force against the run. Benton will be on the field most of the time, both in the 3-4 base defense and 2-4-5, which Jim Leonhard loves to use in nickel situations.

Behind him, three potential backups are vying for a spot in the two-deep at nose tackle. Redshirt junior Gio Paez is the most experienced option, and ultimately I think he has the best chance of being the backup to Benton. Paez has good athleticism and brings some position versatility based on his ability to play both nose tackle and defensive end. He was unavailable in the spring because of an injury, but assuming he is healthy, I think he will have a role on the depth chart.

Also contending with Paez for playing time are Ben Barten and Curt Neal.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gio Paez (@giopaez)

Barten is a former two-way lineman in high school that began his career with the Badgers as an offensive lineman. He does not possess the same level of explosiveness as Paez, but he held his own in the spring when he received most of the first-team reps with Benton and Paez out. True freshman Curt Neal will also look to carve out a role after joining the team in the spring. He was limited to individual drills while he worked his way back from a knee injury, but he is back to 100% health and ready to contribute. A heralded recruit out of high school, Neal should only continue to get better after missing his senior year with that knee injury. For Neal, it will be interesting to see if he is physically ready as a freshman.

Shifting gears to defensive end, Isaiah Mullens brings experience and strength to Wisconsin's defensive line. Now a senior, Mullens will look to team up with Keeanu Benton up front and provide the team with a stout line of defense. With Matt Henningsen no longer on the other side, Mullens will likely see more playing time when the Badgers go with two down linemen, and that could lead to increased production numbers for the Ohio native.

Opposite Mullens, Rodas Johnson and James Thompson Jr. should each see the field at defensive end. Johnson is a high-energy player that plays with a ton of quickness for his size, while Thompson Jr. is a bigger player at 6-foot-5 and pushing 300 pounds. Both players saw first-team reps in the spring, and I would not be surprised to see defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej use both players situationally based on their differing skill sets. I think Johnson and Thompson Jr. should give the Badgers a solid three-man rotation with Mullens, though I am not sure that they provide the same dynamic playmaking ability as Matt Henningsen over the years. They have upside though, and I am excited to see what each can do this fall.

Beyond those three at defensive end, Isaac Townsend will probably also factor into the rotation at times. The former Oregon transfer played in five games last year, and he drew the praise of head coach Paul Chryst for his work in spring ball. I specifically like the way Townsend can move, and I believe he should give the Badgers some necessary depth at defensive end. Townsend is someone who could move up the depth chart quickly with a nice fall camp. 

Young player to watch

While I don't see a path to a ton of playing time available to many underclassmen outside of James Thompson Jr. along the defensive line, I do think Cade McDonald is a player to watch this fall. 

McDonald has an excellent frame at 6-foot-6 and has an intriguing background as a former basketball and lacrosse player in high school. After playing in two games as a true freshman two years ago, McDonald did not see the field last season, but he did show flashes in spring practice. 

With Isaiah Mullens entering his senior year, McDonald could use a strong fall camp to position himself for playing time if injuries strike the group this season, and help him prepare for a bigger role, potentially in 2023. 

With so many older players in the room for 2022, McDonald might need to wait a year or two before he becomes a starter, but I think he has the talent to be a contributor down the road. 

Redshirt freshman Mike Jarvis is also an intriguing player to monitor, for many of the same reasons as McDonald. 

Biggest question

Keeanu Benton has been one of the most influential players on Wisconsin's defense the past three seasons. The senior nose tackle has been a difference-maker in the middle and has consistently taken on double-teams to allow the linebackers behind him to flow to the ball. 

While his strength and athleticism have made him beloved by Wisconsin fans and gained him some notoriety in NFL circles, the 6-foot-4 star from Janesville was somewhat overlooked by media members last winter, finishing as an honorable-mention all-conference selection. Benton was a second-team All-Big Ten pick by the coaches, but his role in Wisconsin's defense overall does not get the attention it deserves, in my opinion. 

Benton was a big part of why the Badgers finished with the No. 1 rushing defense in the country a year ago, but can he put up dominant individual numbers in 2022? 

Entering this season, Benton is rightfully gaining more attention from national media members, including Phil Steele, who has him as a preseason fourth-team All-American, and Mel Kiper, who included Benton as one of the top-10 defensive linemen on his NFL Draft board. 

However, if he wants to see his draft stock really jump it will require a big senior campaign with more disruptive statistics that fans and voters look for in the box score. 

Benton is more than capable of higher sack numbers, and he is taking on a greater leadership role in 2022 for the team. A huge season by Benton would go a long way in helping the Badgers make up for some key losses in the front seven and simultaneously help him gain the recognition he deserves.  

Related links:

• Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle preview for fall camp
• Braelon Allen makes the Maxwell Award Watch List
• Six juniors looking to become full-time starters in 2022

You can keep up to date on everything at All Badgers by liking + following our Facebook page and Twitter account:

Facebook - @AllBadgersSI
Twitter - @SI_AllBadgers

You can also follow Site Publisher Matt Belz at @savedbythebelz on Twitter.