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

Initially, some predicted Danny Davis would redshirt for the 2017 season. It is ironic, then, that it only took 26 passes, 418 yards and five touchdowns to help many fans believe Davis was the biggest surprise to come out of the team's receiving corps last season. His playmaking and athleticism was hard to miss, especially after he finished with a bowl game-record three touchdowns in the Orange Bowl against Miami. Although he only boasts a small sample size as a Badger, he is certainly living up to his four-star ranking.

In 2018, Davis is expected to contribute alongside a troop of young receivers. He averaged just over 16 yards per reception, and his speed will once again help UW's offense spread itself out against opponents. In 2018, the Badgers will be without tight end Troy Fumagalli, whom Alex Hornibrook tended to favor downfield. For Davis to evolve into the elite receiver Wisconsin hopes he can be, he must trust his ability to win individual matchups when his teammates go down. When fellow receiver Quintez Cephus was injured, Davis averaged roughly 13.8 yards per catch in his absence.

The emergence of Davis was a nice boost for Wisconsin. With so many proven receivers, the team's passing game will force opponents to focus on stopping the run or stopping the pass in 2018. Although Wisconsin lost its starting tight end and fullback, if there is any receiver that has successfully overcome adjustment (and one other players can mirror), it's Davis.

Up Next

A fifth-year senior for the Badgers, he becomes the team's most experienced tight end in 2018 and has 39 games under his belt.

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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