Jonathan Casillas, OLB

The scrappy weak-side linebacker was the pulse of the Badgers defense ever since he was inserted into the lineup as a sophomore. In his first season as a starter, he sparked a unit that ranked fifth in the nation and led the Big Ten Conference in total defense (253.08 ypg) and finished second nationally in scoring defense (12.08 ppg).

But they sorely missed their field general in 2008, as Casillas missed the first two games and postseason action while playing the rest of the year at less than 100 percent due to a fall camp knee injury that required surgery in December. That led to a squad that finished 37th nationally in total defense (329.08 ypg) and 66th in scoring defense (26.54 ppg).

Casillas was a 190-pound dynamo at New Brunswick High School. He was a member of Super Prep's New Jersey Top 35 team, adding first-team All-State, All-County and County Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004. The team captain and MVP recorded 90 tackles, including 20 stops behind the line of scrimmage and sixteen sacks as a senior.

Casillas also excelled as a receiver, as he also made 20 catches for 410 yards and eight touchdowns in 2004. For his career, he registered 228 tackles, 36 sacks, 50 stops for loss, 11 forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries. He earned a combined 10 letters in track, football and basketball.

Casillas enrolled at Wisconsin in 2005 and made an immediate impact on special teams. He also saw brief action behind senior LaMarr Watkins at strong-side outside linebacker, despite weighing in at just 200 pounds. He recorded 10 tackles (3 solos), assisting on a stop behind the line of scrimmage. He also blocked two punts for a total of 38 yards in returns.

Casillas bulked up to 214 pounds in 2006, as he shifted to weak-side outside linebacker and also discarded his 2005 jersey No. 46 for No. 2, wearing that number the rest of his career. He earned All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention as a 13-game starter, ranking third on the team with 83 tackles (53 solos). He provided two sacks and a career-high 12.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He blocked another punt that he returned 12 yards for a touchdown and had his first career interception.

Voted one of five team captains as a junior, the Bednarik Award and Lombardi Award Watch List member led the team with a career-high 96 tackles (57 solos). He had one sack among his nine stops for loss and also caused two fumbles while starting all 13 games at weak-side linebacker.

The 2008 season got off to a rough start for Casillas, as he did not play in the first two games vs. Akron and Marshall due to a left knee injury in preseason camp. He started the next 10 games, but underwent arthroscopic surgery in December to repair cartilage and medial collateral ligament damage, missing the Champs Sports Bowl. He still managed to finish third on the squad with 62 tackles (34 solos), adding a sack and six stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also had a 49-yard interception return.

Positives: Runs to the ball very well and has excellent quickness for a linebacker. A sideline-to-sideline player; can track down quick backs from the opposite side of the field. Safety-like in coverage, able to shadow tight ends and slot receivers. Also handles coverage responsibilities against running backs in the flat or on wheel routes. When running free, he closes fast, brings his hips and is a strong wrap-up tackler. Also uses his long arms to trip up ballcarriers on the move. Was a real force on special teams early in his career because of his speed and tackling ability. Played through knee pain throughout his senior season.

Negatives: Undersized, and some view him as a safety-linebacker "tweener." Not strong enough to get off blocks from linemen or fullbacks, and inconsistent against receivers. Does not keep cut blocks off his knees consistently. Will run around blocks inside instead of taking them on. Has the tools to be a good blitzer, but does not get home often enough. Could be effective in a stack system in which the defensive linemen protect him from blockers. Missed three games in 2008 with a knee injury and had surgery after the season.

Compares To: JARRAD PAGE, Kansas City -- If Casillas is moved to strong safety, his value to an NFL team will probably be much higher than as a weak-side linebacker, where he will be limited to just Cover-2 schemes. He has above average speed for either safety or linebacker and shows excellent sideline-to-sideline range. He plays faster than his timed speed and has a natural feel for tight ends, wide receivers and running backs in their routes. He plays with good instincts and makes plays in space. He will try to fill the rush lanes with no hesitation, but the results are marginal as he is generally mauled by the blockers due to a lack of playing strength. He plays under control and has a short burst to close and plays with good awareness working in the zone. He lacks natural hands for the interception, but he generates good acceleration coming out of his backpedal.

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 6.1

Body Structure: Casillas has a lean frame and does not have much more room to get bigger. He has slender calves with big, muscular thighs, good chest definition, solid arm muscles, tight waist and hips.

Athletic Ability: Casillas has very good foot speed and balance. He shows good change of direction agility and is quick and sudden closing when he locates the ball. He is a player that is lacking in bulk and strength, but not in speed. He is a coordinated runner who plays quicker than his timed speed and has a good burst to roam the field. He is a normal strider who plays with good knee bend, but lacks the strength to gain leverage. He is a decent space player with a good short-area burst. He has safety-like moves, as he can stay on the hip of a receiver throughout the route and also shows good concept for taking angles when trying get to running backs in the flat. GRADE: 6.5

Football Sense: Casillas has a strong grasp of the playbook and knows all of the linebacker position assignments, having experience playing both the strong and weak side. He has the quickness and instincts to walk out in space to cover a detached back. He reacts quickly to what he sees and you do not see any hesitation once he locates the ball. He learns and retains plays well. Even when nursing his knee injury last year, he showed patience waiting for the play to develop and is very good at eyeballing the quarterback. He is also quite effective at getting to runners along the corners, doing a nice job of disrupting the action, especially on wheel routes. He keeps a tight relationship covering receivers in the short area and has the vision and range to track down runners at the opposite side of the field. GRADE: 6.6

Character: Casillas is a respectful individual who comes from a solid and supportive family. He is respected in the locker room and has natural leadership qualities. That is why it was curious the circumstances from his August 2008 arrest. He was cited for driving a moped while under the influence. A preliminary report showed Casillas had a blood alcohol concentration of .15. The legal limit in Wisconsin is .08. In addition to be cited for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, he was cited for having a passenger on his moped and for having a prohibited alcohol concentration. "I know better than that," Casillas said. "This is my fourth year here I know you can't double-scoot. I know you can't be intoxicated while operating a vehicle. That's all on me. I apologized to my teammates and to my coaches. The worst part was I had to break it to my mother. I learned from it. I should never have done it to begin with." GRADE: 5.3

Competitiveness: Casillas is an aggressive competitor who plays with the enthusiasm of a child opening gifts on Christmas. His motor is constantly running and he has no concern for his own safety, if it means making the tackle. He loves to compete and shows it with his solid game preparation. He seems to play consistently in all game situations and is an enthusiastic tackler who will not back down from a challenge, despite strength issues and competing with knee problems in 2008. GRADE: 6.4

Work Habits: His coaches called him a true student of the game. A natural leader, he set a good example for the younger players by showing them that by doing all the little things, they could make themselves better. He stays in shape and takes pride in his play, but needs to dedicate extra hours in the weight room to increase his adequate strength (good weight room numbers, but it does not translate to the field). GRADE: 6.0

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.13

Key and Diagnostic Skills: Casillas is a student of the game and is a very quick reader. He is aggressive getting to the ball and makes good adjustments on the move. He plays with good intensity and a high motor, but his lack of strength and size are concerns, especially when he tries to battle linemen in the trenches. He has good vision and ball anticipation skills, as he is generally in position to make the play. He is quick to react to keys and is the type that will patiently wait on misdirection rather than over-commit. GRADE: 7.0

Playing Strength and Explosion: Casillas has good weight room strength, but because of his size, he will generally get engulfed by bigger blockers. He is a good finesse-type of tackler, but must get more physical in his play to compete at the next level. He is just too undersized and lacks the power to be constantly battling in the trenches. He is best playing on the move, as he is constantly stonewalled in attempts to engage an offensive lineman. He has decent strength behind his hand punch, but gets mashed and mauled when trying to split double teams. He shows good hand extension in attempts to gain separation, but must generate more power behind his arm swipes. He competes with good intensity, but is usually stymied working inside. GRADE: 5.0

Lateral Pursuit/Range: Casillas has very good speed and athletic ability to make plays sideline-to-sideline. He sifts through trash and has a sudden burst to close. He can knife through on the block, but can be stopped when he is contested. He demonstrates lateral quickness and has the burst to slip through tight areas. He flies around in pursuit and shows the range and change of direction agility to get in front of the ball carrier to make the tackle in space. GRADE: 6.7

Use of Hands: Casillas usually plays on the weak side, but shows good hand usage to reroute receivers or disengage from smaller blockers. He is active with his hands and gets good placement, but does not generate enough power to control an offensive lineman and makes only passive swipes attempting to shed blocks. He lacks natural hands, but has good leaping ability to get to the ball at its highest point, doing a nice job of extending away from his framework in attempts to snatch and pluck the ball (will usually whiff, resulting in a pass break-up rather than a theft, though). GRADE: 6.2

Tackling Ability: While Casillas throws his body around and plays with abandon, he lacks power behind his hits. He is a sound wrap-up tackler who has some explosion on contact, but doesn't have the strength to make an arm tackle inside. He is effective in his backside pursuit, and compensates for marginal power with his ability to generate a burst to slip off and avoid blockers. He struggles to shed, but plays under control. GRADE: 5.8

Run Defense: Casillas shows good take-on ability matching up with a lead blocker, but when challenged by the bigger linemen he will run around the blocker or take a wrong shoulder and lose leverage. He needs to do a better job of breaking down in space, but can pursue and chase the outside run back in when the play is away from him. He makes good attempts to fill the holes quickly, but gets pin-balled by the offensive linemen due to strength issues. He has a decent feel inside the box, but has to take good angles to elude, as he cannot stack or control. He might squeeze a tight end every now or then, but it is useless for him to attempt that vs. an offensive tackle or he will be mauled. He shows a good motor and quick burst to get to the sidelines and plays faster than his timed speed. GRADE: 5.7

Pass Defense: Casillas is very alert to the quarterback when dropping back in pass coverage. He has more than enough speed to blanket the tight end and runs tight on the hip of receivers during wheel routes downfield. He anticipates the play well and shows good urgency coming up to impact on underneath routes. Due to a lack of bulk and because of his impressive timed speed, some teams might even look at him as a strong safety, where his lack of strength playing in the box would not be an issue. He has the quickness and the change of direction agility to run with backs and tight ends up the seam and has the speed to get depth in his pass drop. He is flexible and fluid working in space, showing the vision and ability to play under control. He also shows good hip snap to accelerate quickly coming out of his backpedal. GRADE: 6.7

Zone Defense: Casillas shows the instincts and good anticipation skills to jump the route or play the ball. He is very aware of patterns developing and comes off the ball quickly to gain position and handle the receivers on crossing routes. He shows good zone drop awareness with above average pattern read ability. He also shows a good burst to close. GRADE: 6.6

Pass Rush and Blitz: While he gets good blitz acceleration coming off the edge, his lack of strength will see him get washed out on plays, unless he gets a clear lane into the backfield. He has no power to generate an inside pass rush and has to rely on his speed in order to gain any type of advantage. He tries to use his hands to create separation, but does not have the power behind his hits to do so. His only redeeming quality is to use his speed in order to get a chance of making the play around the corner. GRADE: 5.5

Compares To: JARRAD PAGE, Kansas City -- If Casillas is moved to strong safety, his value to an NFL team will probably be much higher than as a weak-side linebacker, where he will be limited to just Cover-2 schemes. He has above average speed for either safety or linebacker and shows excellent sideline-to-sideline range. He plays faster than his timed speed and has a natural feel for tight ends, wide receivers and running backs in their routes. He plays with good instincts and makes plays in space. He will try to fill the rush lanes with no hesitation, but the results are marginal as he is generally mauled by the blockers due to a lack of playing strength. He plays under control and has a short burst to close and plays with good awareness working in the zone. He lacks natural hands for the interception, but he generates good acceleration coming out of his backpedal.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.14

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas

Casillas started 36 of 48 games at weak-side outside linebacker for the Badgers, recording 246 tackles (146 solos) with four sacks for minus 29 yards, 28.0 stops for losses totaling 90 yards and five quarterback pressures … Caused four fumbles and recovered two others, as he also deflected five passes and returned two interceptions for 53 yards … Gained 50 yards with a touchdown on three blocked punt returns … His three blocked kicks rank third on the school career record chart behind Richard Johnson (eight, 1982-84) and Kenny Gales (five, 1993-94).

All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention … Started ten games at weak-side outside line-backer, missing the season's first two games vs. Akron and Marshall after he suffered left knee ligament damage in fall camp … Underwent arthroscopic surgery in December to repair his medial collateral ligament and cartilage, sitting out the Champs Sports Bowl …

Still managed to rank third on the team with 62 tackles (34 solos), including a 13-yard sack, six stops for losses of 23 yards and one quarterback pressure … Recovered and caused a fumble … Also returned an interception 49 yards … Averaged 6.2 tackles per game.

Made his season debut in the third game vs. Fresno State, responding with seven tackles (4 solos) … Returned an interception 49 yards and registered eight tackles (6 solos), including one for a 2-yard loss vs. Michigan … Put down four ball carriers vs. Ohio State and followed with nine tackles (4 solos) and 1.5 stops for loss in the Penn State contest … Was in on five tackles (3 solos) vs. Iowa and caused a fumble while posting four hits in the Illinois clash … Recorded a season-high ten tackles (2 solos) that included a stop behind the line of scrimmage vs. Michigan State … Delivered five tackles, as he sacked QB Kellen Lewis for a 13-yard loss, adding another stop behind the line of scrimmage in a 33-3 rout of Indiana … Followed with four tackles (3 solos) and a stop for a loss vs. Minnesota … In what would be his final collegiate game, Casillas posted six tackles (5 solos) in a 36-35 win over Cal Poly.

All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention … Member of the Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy and Lombardi Award Watch Lists … Named one of the team's five captains … Started all thirteen games at weak-side outside linebacker … Led the team as he recorded a career-high 96 tackles (57 solos), an average of 7.38 hits per game … Had a 1-yard sack to go with nine stops for losses of 26 yards, as he also was credited with three pressures … Caused a pair of fumbles and deflected one pass … Had at least ten tackles in five contests.

Casillas began the year with five tackles vs. Washington State, adding ten hits with a stop for a 2-yard loss vs. Nevada-Las Vegas … Was in on seven tackles vs. Iowa and had eight stops (6 solos) with a pass break-up in a 37-34 decision over Michigan State … Posted ten tackles (7 solos) in consecutive games vs. Illinois and Penn State … Was in on a season-high eleven tackles (8 solos) and two stops for losses of 7 yards, as he also caused a fumble vs. Indiana … Recorded seven tackles, including a sack of QB Chad Henne in a 37-21 triumph over Michigan … Credited with seven more hits that included a stop behind the line of scrimmage vs. Minnesota … Tallied ten tackles (9 solos) with a forced fumble and produced four stops for losses totaling 13 yards vs. Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.

All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention … Shifted to weak-side outside linebacker, starting all thirteen games … Also changed to jersey #2 from the #46 he wore as a fresh-man … Played at 214 pounds after weighing 200 the previous season … Ranked third on the team with 83 tackles (53 solos), coming up with two sacks for minus 15 yards and a career-high 12.5 stops for losses of 38 yards … Caused and recovered a fumble … Blocked a punt that he returned 12 yards for a touchdown and had a 4-yard interception returns … Also deflected four passes … Paced a squad that led the Big Ten and ranked fifth in the nation in total defense (253.08 ypg) and finished second in the major college ranks in scoring defense (12.08 ppg).

Opened the season in explosive fashion, as he made twelve tackles (7 solos) with 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and blocked a punt that he scooped up and returned 12 yards for a touchdown vs. Bowling Green … Had six tackles (5 solos) with a stop for a 2-yard loss and a forced fumble vs. San Diego State … Added eight solo tackles and sacked QB Chad Henne for a 7-yard loss vs. Michigan … Produced eight more hits with 1.5 stops for loss in the Northwestern game … Tallied eight tackles (5 solos) and a stop behind the line of scrimmage vs. Minnesota … Delivered eight tackles (7 solos) for the fourth time in five games, as he also had his first career interception vs. Purdue … Was in on six tackles (4 solos) with an 8-yard sack and two stops for minus 13 yards vs. Penn State.

Played in twelve games as a 200-pound strong-side outside linebacker … Recorded ten tackles (3 solos) with an assisted stop for a 1-yard loss … Blocked a punt vs. Minnesota that he returned 17 yards to set up the game-winning touchdown with 0:30 left on the game clock … Blocked another punt that he returned 21 yards vs. Illinois … Posted three tackles vs. Purdue and had a pair of stops, including one for a loss vs. Auburn in the Capital One Bowl.

2008: Casillas suffered a left knee medial collateral ligament sprain and cartilage damage in August camp, missing the team's first two games vs. Akron (8/30) and Marshall (9/06). He returned to action vs. Fresno State (9/13), playing in 10 games while wearing a brace. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in December and sat out the Champs Sports Bowl vs. Florida State (12/27).

Campus: 4,50 in the 40-yard dash … 1.57 10-yard dash … 2.58 20-yard dash … 4.10 20-yard shuttle … 7.21 three-cone drill … 34-inch vertical jump … 9'2" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times.

Combine: Was unable to participate in drills or the workouts while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. Also missed Wisconsin's pro day.

Attended New Brunswick (N.J.) High School, playing football for head coach Jon Quinn … Member of Super Prep's New Jersey Top 35 team, adding first-team All-State, All-County and County Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004 … The team captain and MVP recorded 90 tackles, including 20 stops behind the line of scrimmage and 16 sacks as a senior … Also excelled as a receiver, as he also made 20 catches for 410 yards and eight touchdowns in 2004 … For his career, he registered 228 tackles, 36 sacks, 50 stops for loss, 11 forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries … Earned a combined 10 letters in track, football and basketball.

Agricultural Business Management major … Son of Luz Casillas and Flash Gordon … Born 6/03/87 … Resides in New Brunswick, New Jersey.