Key Wisconsin Badgers 2020: No. 15 - Offensive lineman Kayden Lyles

Wisconsin's 2020 football season is (hopefully) right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the Top 25 players who we think will be the keys to success for Paul Chryst's squad this year.

Playing time, past performance and positional depth all factored into our staff rankings.

Kayden Lyles, who played his senior season at nearby Middleton High School, was Wisconsin's first commit in the 2017 recruiting class. That group has a chance to make up three of the five starters on the offensive line in 2020, with Tyler Beach, Logan Bruss and, potentially, Lyles.

After redshirting his freshman season, Lyles was asked to switch over to the defensive line, where he racked up seven tackles and one fumble recovery over 12 games (seven starts). Last fall, Lyles returned to his natural position on the offensive line and played in 13 games with four starts at left guard.

Lyles' versatility has been important for the Badgers over the past two years and that will be put to the test again this fall. UW will be losing the reliable play of Tyler Biadasz at center after he was drafted in the fourth round in the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Lyles, 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds, has an opportunity to step in and take over that spot.

Lyles was able to return to his natural position along the offensive line after switching to the defensive line in 2018. But his health will be one of the biggest question marks heading into 2020. The redshirt junior was forced to miss the Rose Bowl with a left leg injury and was later ruled out for spring practices in March with right and left leg injuries.

If Lyles is set to take over at center, he will have played three different positions over his four years at UW. His versatility should prove invaluable after losing a cornerstone of the offensive line in Biadasz, but he will now be asked to adapt to a different position for a third time. That starting job, however, is far from guaranteed. Cormac Sampson and Joe Tippmann will also be in contention for reps at center.

After the Badgers had three consecutive years of continuity at center thanks to Biadasz, Lyles will be asked to slide into that role. His health is a major question mark, but if Lyles is 100 percent, he has an excellent opportunity to establish himself as a starter in 2020.

Ideally, Lyles, a former four-star prospect, would step in at center for the Badgers the next two seasons. But injuries could prevent that from happening this fall. With the ability to play all three interior line spots, though, Lyles is still one of the more important players on the 2020 roster.