MADISON––One year after having three offensive linemen drafted into the NFL in 2011, the University of Wisconsin has an opportunity to duplicate that feat again in 2012.

Peter Konz, Kevin Zeitler and Josh Oglesby are looking to follow in the footsteps of Gabe Carimi, John Moffitt and Bill Nagy from a year ago.

So what does that say about the growing tradition of Wisconsin developing future NFL offensive linemen?

"We better find three more," joked Badgers head coach Bret Bielema at Wisconsin's pro day in early March.

All kidding aside, it's an impressive achievement for a university that has also recently produced Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas, considered to be one of the best offensive linemen playing the game.

Perhaps even more remarkable is how Wisconsin offensive linemen have been ready to step in and play from Day 1 in the NFL.

"We have been able to establish, I think, a strong tradition here of offensive line play," said Bielema, "and not just maybe good athletes but the way they're able to go into the next level.

"I think one thing that really attracts people is the three guys last year, not only were they all drafted but they all started as rookies. To say that, I think, says a lot about what they're prepared to do."

Indeed, Carimi, Moffitt and Nagy played in a combined 15 games as rookies last season and started all 15. Season-ending injuries to all three prevented them from playing in more.

This year's trio of players exiting the college ranks has the bar set high if they're going to match the production of the 2011 Wisconsin offensive line draft class, but the talent is there. And come late April, Konz, Zeitler and Oglesby will find out how much their talent is valued.

Peter Konz

Konz, considered by many to be the No. 1 overall center in the 2012 draft and a probable first-round selection, knows the trail blazed by Carimi, Moffitt and Nagy has aided in raising his own stock.

At the same time, he also thinks the standard set before him has raised the expectations people have of the current group of departing seniors.

"I think there's a lot of expectation on us to do the same or something similar," said Konz. "It's just a tremendous amount of respect that people have given us and understand how we work, and it's just phenomenal."

There are parallels that can be drawn between the 2011 Wisconsin offensive linemen and the 2012 unit. For Konz, he compares to Carimi, not so much because of the position they play––Carimi is a tackle––but rather where he'll be drafted.

Carimi was the first-round draft choice of the Chicago Bears last season, No. 29 overall, which is perhaps the same area where Konz will come off NFL Draft boards.

The Green Bay Packers just so happen to pick at No. 28 this year and have the need for a long-term solution at center after recently losing Scott Wells to free agency and subsequently signing 36-year-old Jeff Saturday to a two-year deal.

Whether Konz lasts until No. 28, and whether the Packers would have another player rated ahead of him if he's still available is unknown. But Konz at least provides an intriguing possibility.

"He does a good job of running," said Packers general manager Ted Thompson. "The injuries have kind of held him back a little bit, but he's a big guy for that position. He can play the game, he can make the calls, he's confident that he can be a good player in the NFL, and he looks like he's going to be."

Konz suffered an ankle injury late last season that caused him to miss three games and prevented him from working out at the NFL Combine in February, but he's close to returning to full strength.

Because of his relatively large 6-5, 315-pound frame, Konz can also play guard and may even be able to play right tackle, but in addition to his versatility, it might be his athleticism and smarts that impress the most.

"I think they just like my ability to move in space and able to calculate whether someone's going to go inside of me, if they're going to speed up or slow down, and that always helps on the field," said Konz.

Kevin Zeitler

If Konz measures up to Carimi from a year ago, then Zeitler is this year's John Moffitt. Both are seen primarily as guards, and just like how Moffitt was selected on Day 2 of the draft last year (in the third round to the Seattle Seahawks), Zeitler figures to get picked in rounds two or three in 2012.

Not that Zeitler is ruling out the first round.

"I would love to go first," said Zeitler. "I believe what I'm trying to get across (to NFL teams is) my character and my off-the-field work ethic. That can push me past other people that don't do the same."

Zeitler had a chance encounter with Thompson back at the NFL Combine outside their hotel.

As a Wisconsin native, Zeitler knew who Thompson was. The white hair was a dead giveaway. What he didn't know was if Thompson knew who he was.

"We kind of like stared each other down," explained Zeitler, "and I walked by, and he was like, 'Zeitler, you’re not going to stop and say hi?' So I stopped and said hi."

Though he played guard almost exclusively in college, NFL teams are now trying to find out if Zeitler can also play center. When they keep as few as seven offensive linemen active on game days, players have to be able to multiple positions or teams will find one that can.

At the Senior Bowl postseason all-star game back in January, Zeitler practiced at center and understandably struggled. There were botched exchanges with new quarterbacks, and he had a difficult time blocking some of the best senior defenders in the nation.

But center is a position where he's working at improving. The offensive line coach for the Kansas City Chiefs took him aside at the Badgers' pro day specifically to see how he handled the new position.

"I'm getting better at snapping," said Zeitler. "I work hard, and if anyone's questioning my pass blocking, I've been trying to improve; I've never given up a sack. I'm just trying to prove to people that I can play."

If an endorsement from his own teammate is worth anything, Konz had some encouraging words about his linemate.

"Zietler's always been a hard worker," said Konz. "He's always been a guy that performs under difficult situations."

Josh Oglesby

In 2011, Nagy was the under-the-radar offensive lineman, not sure if he would be drafted. Then in the seventh and final round, the Dallas Cowboys nabbed him. Nagy beat the odds and became their starting left guard by Opening Day before ending the season on injured reserve.

Oglesby is in the same boat this year, not knowing if he'll get drafted. But he's already one step ahead of where Nagy was 365 days ago. Oglesby was at least invited to the Combine whereas Nagy was not.

It's been a long and arduous road for Oglesby to reach the Combine since his high school days when he was rated the No. 1 offensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com and recruited to Wisconsin.

During his senior season in high school Oglesby sustained a knee injury in the fourth game of the year and missed the rest of the season. Six knee surgeries later, NFL  teams are debating whether he's too much of an injury risk and determining if he's worth the investment of a draft pick.

Oglesby started 26 games and played in 39 out of 53 over the course of his career at Wisconsin.

At the Combine, it was as important for Oglesby to prove he was healthy in his medical evaluation with team doctors as it was to impress during his workout.

"I don’t know if I can really assure them that (the injuries are) behind me," said Oglesby. "Because the nature of the game, you never know what’s going to happen. It’s a physical game.

"What I try to tell and show them is even with the injuries and setbacks, I’ve shown that I can bounce back from them and play at a high level still. And just showing that even though the x-rays and MRIs say one thing, my body and my play says another."

There's no doubt Oglesby rebounded from a disappointing 2010 season in which he played in only five games and started a mere two. During the trip to the Jan. 1, 2011 Rose Bowl while his teammates were out on the field, Oglesby internally questioned whether he had the will to play anymore.

But he intensified his rehab and put together a performance his senior year that earned him first-team All-Big Ten recognition and second-consecutive berth in the Rose Bowl.

Oglesby remains a medical question mark, but the raw athletic ability that made him the No. 1 tackle recuit in the country coming out of high school is going to make it tough on NFL teams to pass him up.

To prove the point, Bielema relayed a story at Wisconsin's pro day: "One scout said to me, 'Coach, the one thing about Josh Oglesby, there's not many people like him on this earth. There's not many guys that big, that agile, that flexible and that much of a talented athlete that people will let him go.'"

Bielema has reaped the benefits, not only from Oglesby but also from the six NFL caliber offensive linemen over the course of the past two seasons and those that carried the torch before them.

It's going to be difficult maintaining the tradition, at least at the rate Wisconsin has been going. Just weeks after losing offensive line coach Bob Bostad to become the University of Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator, Bostad was asked to become offensive line coach by new Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano, a nod to how well respected Bostad is in football circles.

"I think it speaks volumes to the caliber of player that we have and the caliber of coaches that are here and have been here," said Oglesby of the Wisconsin offensive line legacy.

If you liked this article, you might like Pro Football Draft Preview, Cheesehead TV's own NFL Draft guide featuring analysis on over 300 prospects.