Wisconsin's 2021 football season is right around the corner, so BadgerBlitz.com ranked the top 30 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.

An arrival that had long been hyped, quarterback Graham Mertz left a dazzling first impression for Wisconsin fans in 2020. In his first season as a starter, the former four-star prospect kicked off the fall with a near perfect performance. Mertz went 20-of-21 for 248 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions on his way to setting a school record for completion percentage (95.1) and tying the record for touchdown passes against Illinois.

With a full offseason that includes winter workouts, spring ball and fall camp, Mertz appears to be in line for a significant jump in his third year with the program.

"The game has slowed down a ton and for me to really just get more reps at it. Having spring ball to just grow and learn, make some mistakes, grow and move on," Mertz told reporters back on April 2. "For me, I think this spring is going to be big time for me and truly being able to focus on things I messed up on during the season and make sure it doesn't happen again.

"We've only had two practices of spring ball but it's going to be a completely different team. Guys are playing with confidence, trusting the installs we have in and flying around making plays."

It certainly didn’t come easy for Mertz in his first year as a starter. During a season with little normalcy, he was forced to rely on true freshman Chimere Dike, former walk-on Jack Dunn and, of course, Jake Ferguson as his primary targets. Inexperience at receiver, along with the usual growing pains that come with playing quarterback, led to a number of miscues. Most notably, a miscommunication with Dike resulted in a costly turnover against Indiana, and a tipped pass off Hayden Rucci's hands fell right into the lap of a Northwestern defender, a game in which Mertz had three interceptions.

As a young quarterback, Mertz still has pre-snap and technical issues to clean when it comes to his footwork and communication with his receivers.

“For me, you put on the tape and it all comes down to footwork," Mertz said. "For me being able to control my speed and my drop and really breaking down every step of the drop and how to play with great anticipation, these past two practices it's back to that feeling of just playing. I feel like my knowledge of the game from last year has grown a little bit. For me, it's the drop and just playing smooth."

This is far from a hot take, but it all starts with the quarterback. Following a season in which he understandably struggled, Mertz will once again be handed the keys to the offense and be tasked with leading the group back to Indianapolis.

Not much went according to plan for Mertz this past season. The shortened seven-game campaign, which was played with the backdrop of a pandemic, included the loss of his top receivers to injury, contracting COVID-19 after the second game against Michigan and a contest in which he suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder. He also wasn't allowed a spring ball to continue to learn and work on that chemistry with his pass catchers.

With Kendric Pryor, Danny Davis and Ferguson all back this season, Mertz will be asked to take a step in his progression to lead the Badgers back atop the Big Ten West.

"I think we can get a lot done. Last year with Graham in his first year, personally, I’m someone who needs reps so I can mess up and grow from it," Pryor said. "I know Graham got those opportunities last year, he’s seen a lot of coverages, just him building off that, the ceiling is so much higher."

"This spring ball will mean a lot and where we were last year and where we are this year is completely different. I've got complete confidence in that," Mertz added.