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Sagapolu

Sagapolu’s low grade certainly doesn’t have to do with his athleticism; anyone who has seen him do his back flip on the beach knows that the 6-foot-2, 324-pound defender knows that he’s an agile, and not just for his size. Zierlein’s concerns come from his lack of strength, and that he’s had season-ending injuries in two of the last four years. “is recognition and hustle allow him access to a decent amount of run plays, but whipping NFL blockers will be a challenge due to his inconsistent pad level and base strength,” Zierlein writes. “He should get a shot in camp to state his case as a backup nose tackle.”

Sagapolu (6'3/342) injured his arm in a loss to Northwestern on Oct. 27 and has not played since. The athletic lineman finishes his truncated 2018 season having registered 23 tackles (4.5 for loss), two sacks and an interception in eight games. Unless he is to receive some sort of a medical hardship waiver -- doubtful given how much of the campaign he participated in -- his collegiate career has now come to an end. Sagapolu will look to impress during the predraft process come the spring as he tries for a Day 3 selection. For reference’s sake, Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline hit him up with a UDFA grade over the summer.

Sagapolu suffered the left knee injury last week against Illinois. He’s been wearing a brace and has been limited to individual work during practices. Freshman nose tackle Bryson Williams would start if Sagapolu can’t go.

Sagapolu (6'2/342) was dealing with a knee injury, but it was an injury to his right arm against the Wildcats that will sideline him against Rutgers. Fortunately for the Badgers, they take on one of the worst FBS programs next week, but if this is a long-term injury, it could be a big hit. Freshman nose tackle Bryson Williams will likely get most of the snaps in the middle of the defense.

Sagapolu (6'2/342) suffered the injury against Rutgers. He’s been banged up a little this season and entered that one with a knee injury that had hobbled him since the Illinois game. Sagapolu, who can do backflips and midair splits, was on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list over the summer. He’ll likely get drafted in the spring.

Not only does Wisconsin lose its best defensive lineman as a result of Sagapolu’s (6'2/342) injury, but he’s also their most experienced option. As a result of the senior’s injury freshman Bryson Williams, listed as the backup on Wisconsin’s depth chart, stands to see a lot of action in the second half. Sagapolu’s status for Wisconsin’s October 27 game against Northwestern is something to keep an eye on next week.

The Badgers had Sagapolu checked in at a Vita Vea-esque 346 pounds last season. Team and player have been working to chop that down, though the senior does still have some work remaining on that front. His ideal weight would be at 325 and even if he can’t quite drop that much before season’s start, the hope is that he can hit 330 pounds by the end of August camp. This past season, he registered 17 tackles (3.5 for loss) and three sacks, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention at the end of the year. The former cheerleader (!) is infamously capable of a backflip, as he showed on the beach in an Instagram post last week.

How many nose tackles can you name that are former cheerleaders who can still do backflips and midair splits? We can only name one: Sagapolu. He’s reportedly dropped 10 pounds, but that still has him as a 336-pound lineman who broad jumped 9-8 1/2 this summer, which would have been the top score of any lineman over 300 pounds at the scouting combine. He also had a vertical of 29 inches, so, yes, Sagapolu is definitely deserving of the term “freak.”