Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 19 - Defensive end Isaiah Mullens

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.

Redshirt junior Isaiah Mullens will be making the jump to starter this upcoming season following the departure of Isaiahh Loudermilk, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Garrett Rand, who did not pursue a sixth year of eligibility. Mullens took reps with the first-team defense at end alongside senior Matt Henningsen this spring. At 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds, he was a solid run defender and provided some flashes of what he can provide as a pass rusher in 2020.

Mullens saw extended playing this past season after Henningsen suffered a torn bicep in the second game of the season that would sideline him for the rest of the year. Still, the former three-star prospect only appeared in 111 snaps. The redshirt junior has seen the field as a reserve but will be asked to jump in and take on a bulk of the load with a group full of youth behind the starters. Mullens' ability to get to the quarterback is a question mark heading into fall camp.

"Outside of Henningsen and Keeanu (Benton), those are both two established starters, Isaiah Mullens has played in many backup situations and roles," first-year defensive line coach Ross Kolodziej told reporters this spring. "But after that the game experience and even defensive two-deep practice experience is fairly limited. So it is a young group."

When you look past the duo of Henningsen and Mullens, there is a ton of youth along the defensive line. Youngsters such as Rodas Johnson, Gio Paez, Cade McDonald and James Thompson will be battling for reps, none of whom have seen more than eight game reps. Mullens will not only be anchoring the position with Henningsen, but will be asked to develop into a big-time contributor for the defense.

Kolodziej's main message to the group had been to go out there and "eat." He wants his unit to be disruptive and make plays, and Mullens will be asked to become a contributor immediately. After sitting behind Loudermilk and Rand the past three seasons, it's Mullens' turn to shine.

“(Coach Kolodziej) wants us to go eat,” Mullens told reporters this spring. “That’s what his main takeaway is with the d-line. He wants us to be the best defensive line in the country.”