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.

Kendric Pryor and Danny Davis took different paths to Madison. A three-star recruit out of Illinois, Pryor only had two other Power Five offers but has proven to be a nice find for the coaching staff. Davis, a four-star recruit and Rivals250 member out of Ohio, signed with Wisconsin over scholarships from Oregon, Penn State, Michigan State and Iowa, among others.

Part of a receiver core that also included Quintez Cephus and A.J. Taylor in the two-deep, both Pryor and Davis had average seasons in 2019 . Pryor hauled in 12 catches for 278 yards and rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Davis put up similar numbers, tallying 30 catches for 250 yards and one touchdown while adding 110 yards and one score on the ground.

One of the biggest reasons the Wisconsin offense found success late in the season was its ability to keep defenses on their toes through jet sweeps, wildcat formations and other offensive wrinkles. In the Big Ten title game against Ohio State, pre-snap motion from Pryor helped open up the backside to allow Jonathan Taylor to take it the distance for the opening score.

With Cephus now with the Detroit Lions, can Davis turn into the deep threat in the Badgers' offense? In his freshman season, Davis had an impressive 16.1 yards per catch. In contrast, can Pryor develop into a possession, chain-moving receiver for quarterback Jack Coan?

Entering their final years of eligibility, Davis and Pryor will lead a group of receivers under a new position coach, Alvis Whitted. Outside of Pryor of Davis, UW's returning wide outs combined to haul in only seven catches for 61 yards and one score, all recorded by either Adam Krumholz or Jack Dunn.

Pryor and Davis are the most experienced receivers and are expected to be the leading pass catchers for Coan this fall. But neither has been able to break through as a consistent option through the air. After recording consecutive seasons of over 400 yards receiving and finding the end zone five times, Davis regressed this past year with only 250 receiving yards and just one score.

Pryor has put up similar numbers for consecutive seasons as well. After recording 273 yards and three touchdowns in 2018, he followed it up with 278 yards but failed to find pay-dirt in 2019 through the air. With Cephus being such a reliable target and playmaker, it will be interesting to see who steps into that role this fall.

We decided to cheat a little bit and give both Pryor and Davis the slot at No. 3 in our countdown. Both receivers are cut from a similar cloth - they have been productive in the passing game but also bring an element as a runner. Maybe the biggest departure that Wisconsin has to make up for is the loss of Cephus, who led the team in targets, catches, yards and touchdowns in 2019. No other receiver came close to the numbers that Cephus produced, as he quickly he turned into a security blanket for Coan.

Paul Chryst and Joe Rudolph will be looking for players like Dunn, Krumholz, Stephan Bracey, Taj Mustapha and A.J. Abbott to step up, but Pryor and Davis will be asked to shoulder the load atop the depth chart.

Of all the departures UW has to make up for, Cephus may be the most important. Coan turned to him often in big games and his playmaking ability was crucial. Both Pryor and Davis have shown they can be dynamic athletes, but Wisconsin is hoping they can provide more as pass catchers. As the only returning wideouts with consistent playing experience, they’ll have the opportunity to blossom this fall.