Wisconsin's 2018 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com contributors Jon McNamara, John Veldhuis, Jon Gorman and Jonathan Mills ranked the Top 30 players who we think are the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored in to our individual rankings, which were combined into a final score.

30: CHRIS JAMES / 29: ANTHONY LOTTI / 28: JAKE FERGUSON / 27: ALEC INGOLD / 26: BRYSON WILLIAMS / 25: MADISON CONE / 24: RAFAEL GAGLIANONE / 23: BEAU BENZSCHAWEL / 22: AARON VOPAL / 21: SCOTT NELSON / 20: CAESAR WILLIAMS / 19: TYLER BIADASZ / 18: KYLE PENNISTON/ 17. A.J. TAYLOR / 16. DANNY DAVIS III / 15. ZANDER NEUVILLE

An opportunity for All-American David Edwards (6-foot-7, 315 pounds) to leave the program and enter the NFL Draft was on the table last year.

Instead, Edwards announced he would return for his junior year at the University of Wisconsin, and as a result, help produce on what was one of the strongest offensive lines (top 3 in scoring and rushing efficiency) in 2017. He slots in at right tackle, but was at quarterback in high school and practicing at tight end before 2016. Regardless, Edwards may not be the player that catches the headlines, but he has certainly done his part to ensure his teammates are. His quickness and balance helps stay steady against defenders. As a result, Wisconsin boasted the third-best total offense in the BIG Ten (415.0 yards/game) last season.

Although Edwards has a large frame, he is unique in the sense that he is extremely agile and quick on his feet for an offensive lineman. This combination makes for an impressive, all-around blocker who helped UW limit opponents to just 1.5 sacks/game in 2017.

In total, Wisconsin's offensive production is bolstered when Edwards is on the field. As he continues to perform at a high level, an argument could be made that Edwards is one of the best at what he does in the country.

Up Next

The next Badger in the BadgerBlitz.com countdown has contributed as a linebacker, but could not contribute in 2017.

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Jonathan Mills covers Wisconsin football, basketball and recruiting for BadgerBlitz.com on the Rivals.com network. Follow him on Twitter at @therealJMlLLS