The Three Most Intriguing Athletes on Wisconsin Football's Defense

The Badgers' defense looks like the strength of their team at the moment, and that unit is populated by some freaky athletes.

As Wisconsin football continues to fly well under the radar, so will these players. You won't hear about them on Bruce Feldman's freaks list; they won't get any sort of preseason national recognition.

But these are the players on the Badgers' defense who possess the most unique physical attributes, the freakiest size/speed combinations and the most impressive physical frames.

As we did for the offense, let's take a look at the three most intriguing athletes on Wisconsin's defense:

1. OLB Nick Clayton

Wisconsin outside linebacker Nick Clayton. | Jake Kocorowski

Wisconsin desperately needs pass rushers to step up in the wake of Mason Reiger and Darryl Peterson's graduation. Sebastian Cheeks is the elder statesman of the room and the projected No. 1 outside backer, while seniors like Tyreese Fearbry and Justus Boone are also chomping at the bit to get involved. But Clayton is a big sleeper who could be the best pure pass-rusher on this defense.

“The kid’s a freak. He’s a freak of nature, god has blessed him no doubt genetically. He has traits that you just can’t coach. The pass-rush, the twitch, the instincts," strength and conditioning director Brady Collins said this winter. "He works his ass off."

“His get off and his pass-rush, Sebastian might be mad at me, but I think Clayton might be one of my best pass-rushers," outside backers coach Matt Mitchell added this spring.

Now up to 245 pounds to fill out his 6-foot-5 frame, Mitchell says Clayton has also taken steps in "run game dominance." In terms of pure athletes, Clayton is right up there not only on the defense but on the entire team. If he can put it together this fall, watch out.

2. LB Jon Jon Kamara

Wisconsin LB Jon Jon Kamara. | Christian Borman

Wisconsin's two starting inside linebackers, Mason Posa and Cooper Catalano, are undoubtably among the best athletes on this defense as well. But the Kansas transfer Kamara has been universally praised for his athleticism this offseason, manning the STAR position (third ILB) in Mike Tressel's defense.

“He’s a fun one. Compliments those two really well," inside linebackers coach Tuf Boreland said. "I think Jon Jon, with his athleticism, gives you a third backer that has that ability to play close to the edge but also put him to the field and make plays in space too.”

Kamara's penchant for playing in space has Wisconsin's coaching staff hoping they won't lose too much pass coverage ability when they insert their three inside linebacker package.

"He’s very good at snagging you away from the ball," tight end Grant Stec mentioned.

3. CB Cai Bates

Wisconsin cornerback Cai Bates. | Christian Borman.

There's a few really solid choices for this third spot, but we'll go with Bates here because he brings certain traits to the table that Wisconsin hasn't had at its disposal at cornerback in quite some time. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound corner was a consensus top-125 prospect in the nation coming out of high school and as well as a consensus top-20 cornerback nationally.

Last season, Wisconsin didn't even have a 6-foot-3 corner on its roster. Its two starting outside cornerbacks were 5-foot-11 (Ricardo Hallman) and 6-foot (D'Yoni Hill).

Bates is unproven with just 26 career snaps, but his frame and athleticism are fascinating. He's still in the mix for the starting corner gig opposite Arizona State transfer Javan Robinson, but even if he isn't a starter, he should play plenty as cornerbacks coach Robert Steeples has alluded to some rotation this season.

"Cai is a bigger corner…got a lot of talent, got a lot of length. And you know he can run too," secondary coach Paul Haynes said.

Steeples added that Bates' strength is his length and ability to do "big corner stuff."

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