One of the downsides of enjoying a fabulous season? Many of the players who made it happen move along either due to graduation or the opportunity to turn pro.

Not long after Wisconsin played in its first Rose Bowl in 11 years, dominant defensive end J.J. Watt and powerful tailback John Clay decided to skip their senior seasons and declare for the NFL Draft. That means the Badgers have to spend spring ball finding replacements for four of their first-team all-Big Ten players and two second-team all-league honorees.

In some cases, Wisconsin won't have a difficult time. Clay's knee injury kept him sidelined for most of the final six games in 2010, which allowed Montee Ball and James White the chance to join Clay as 1,000-yard rushers. Actually, Ball came up 4 yards shy of 1,000, but he powered for 777 yards and 14 TDs in the Badgers' final five games.

Meanwhile, the search for Scott Tolzien's successor at quarterback might go to redshirt freshman Jon Budmayr without a serious competition. Budmayr, who completed eight of 10 passes for 134 yards and one touchdown during late-game duty in 2010, is one of just two scholarship quarterbacks on Wisconsin's roster. Sophomore Curt Phillips underwent surgery to fix a torn ACL and isn't going to be ready for spring practice.

The biggest issues -- literally and figuratively -- are going to be finding players to match the production of Outland Trophy winner Gabe Carimi (left tackle), fellow all-American John Moffitt (left guard) and Watt. While it sounds like a mountainous task, Wisconsin also wondered how it would replace Outland winner Joe Thomas ... and Carimi proceeded to be a four-year standout.

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and his staff brought in 20 scholarship athletes in this year's recruiting class. And while running back Melvin Gordon (Kenosha, Wis.) looks like the only offensive player who might make an immediate impact, Bielema suggested a few rookies could show up on the defensive side of the field this fall.

TOP OF THE CLASS

RB Melvin Gordon (Bradford High, Kenosha, Wis.) -- This Iowa commit decided to change his mind and stick with the home-state Badgers. While Wisconsin is loaded with top-flight runners, Gordon's numbers suggest he could join the mix right away a la James White. The 6-foot, 190-pound speedster rushed for 2,003 yards and 38 TDs as a senior and piled 87 rushing scores for his career.

TE Austin Traylor (Walnut Ridge High, Columbus, Ohio) -- Wisconsin loves its multi-purpose tight ends, and this 6-foot-4, 215-pound blue-chipper fits the mold. Not only did Traylor produce 639 receiving yards and four TDs, but he also piled up 10 sacks as a defensive end. He's so versatile, the various recruiting sites couldn't come to a consensus as to his position. One pegged him as a tight end, another as a defensive end and a third as an "athlete."

DE Jesse Hayes (Moeller High, Cincinnati) -- Wisconsin took advantage of Badgers bloodlines to try to restock its defensive end spot. In addition to grabbing Derek Watt (J.J.'s younger brother), they hit one of the nation's most prestigious programs to find this defensive end. Hayes' father, Jay, coaches the Cincinnati Bengals' offensive line and coached at Wisconsin for Barry Alvarez from 1995-98. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Hayes piled up 16.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss during his final two years at Moeller.

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