Badgers News: What does the DL list look like after James Thompson's injury?

The Wisconsin Badgers are expected to make major changes to their defensive line, as a report from BadgerExtra revealed that starter James Thompson Jr. suffered an upper body injury and will be out indefinitely.

Thompson was one of the Badgers' returning starters on defense, and the team relied on him to take a step forward after the defensive line didn't have the best year in 2023.

The injury is significant because Wisconsin's depth along the defensive line would have been tested anyway and the team now faces an even greater challenge without its best player.

So what does the room look like after Thompson's injury?

With Thompson out, Curt Neal will take over as the team's No. 1 defensive player after playing with the starters during the offseason. Neal, a redshirt sophomore, is 6'1″, 290 pounds and played all three downs. His role is unlikely to change much.

Next up is Ben Barten as a plug-and-play early-attack defensive lineman who can shut down the run game. At 6'4″ and 290 pounds, Barten is one of the team's heavy hitters and could potentially play a bigger role in late-attack offenses, though with Thompson out, I expect even more rotation than originally expected.

Then come the transfers.

I expect Brandon Lane to play the biggest role, as he's bulky enough to anchor the infield at 6'3″ and 300 pounds. Lane is a good athlete and can play all three downs, which he may need to do more often now.

Elijah Hills could also play a bigger role after continuing to grow from fall to spring. At 6'3″ and 280 pounds, Hills is smaller but has some explosiveness that will help him in the passing game, where he will likely play his biggest role in 2024.

The Badgers will likely play with six defensive players this year, and that creates options on defense.

Head coach Luke Fickell estimated that redshirt senior Cade McDonald was one of the players ready to play on the defensive line in Week 1, and the 6'6, 285-pound player could get more snaps now. McDonald plays primarily as a backup and could be moved around the defensive line and used when needed.

The biggest wild card of the group, however, is true freshman Dillan Johnson. Johnson only joined the team in the summer, but has already earned a spot on the second team and, at 6'2″ and 295 pounds, is college-ready. The question is how quickly he can adjust to the speed of play at the next level, which will likely determine his number of snaps over the rest of the season.

So the Badgers have some depth on the defensive line. The question is: How good will that depth be without Thompson Jr.? And how quickly can some of the younger players develop to earn playing time?

Right now, that room is the biggest question mark on the Badgers' roster. Let's see how it looks in Week 1.