Key Wisconsin Badgers: No. 19 - Offensive Tackle Riley Mahlman

Wisconsin's 2023 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 Luke Fickell's squad this year.

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

Riley Mahlman came to Wisconsin as part of its historic 2021 recruiting class that checked in at No. 14 in the country. The product of Lakeville South, Minn., chose the Badgers over a litany of high-profile Big Ten offers that included Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State and the in-state Gophers, among others.

Malhman committed to Wisconsin following a visit to Madison in 2019 in which the Badgers shellacked Michigan, 35-14.

"Even before the game started, it just clicked that I wanted to be a Badger," Mahlman told BadgerBlitz.com. "It became real clear from the get-go. I loved the atmosphere and how much attention the football team was getting - it was awesome.

"I had great conversations with the coaches there and everyone is real nice. It's just the place for me and the coaches were real pumped when I committed. With the win over Michigan and the atmosphere at Camp Randall, I haven't seen much better than that."

Malhman was the second offensive line commit for the Badgers in the class after JP Benzschawel, and they were later joined by five-star Nolan Rucci to round out a very solid class for the offensive front.

Mahlman battled injuries a season ago, and didn't log a full game's snaps until Week 10 against Maryland. When he was healthy, however, the right tackle was a stout blocker, allowing just nine pressures and one sack all season, according to Pro Football Focus. With a new offensive line coach in Jack Bicknell, Mahlman is expected to remain at right tackle and is the current favorite to hold down the position in 2023.

At 6-foot-8, 315 pounds, Mahlman is an imposing tackle, an attribute which gets Bicknell excited.

"I personally like having big offensive linemen because they’re never gonna get overwhelmed," the coach told reporters this spring.

Bickenell also respects the experience that Mahlman brings, and understands that's a major asset for a completely new offense moving forward.

"I certainly have a lot of respect and I understand the guys who were out there playing. And there’s a certain edge to that, there always is. Once you’ve been out there and understand, OK, if I take a wrong step someone could get really hurt, it just becomes a whole different deal. I’m gonna be relying on all those guys…We have some guys that have played in games, and that’s really exciting.”

Malhman has proved to be a very capable pass blocker, especially down the stretch in 2022. In the last three games he played, in which he played starter-level snaps, Mahlman only allowed one pressure and gave up zero sacks.

Where the tackle will likely look to improve is his run blocking. His run blocking grade (56.7) was significantly worse than his pass-blocking grade (68.3), per PFF. Regardless, Mahlman has proven to be a very effective tackle when he's been healthy, and he should be a staple of the Badgers' offensive front for the foreseeable future.

Mahlman is expected to hold down the right tackle spot in 2023. He's proven to be a very capable lineman, but putting together a complete, healthy season will be key for the redshirt sophomore. Opposite of the proven Jack Nelson, Mahlman will look to anchor a right tackle spot that was in flux between him and Trey Wedig a season ago.

Fall camp will be crucial for Mahlman as he looks to lock in his starting spot. Wedig proved to be very serviceable last season, but based on the rep distribution during spring ball, Mahlman is the staff's top choice for the position. With a solid fall, Mahlman should solidify his starting spot as he looks to bounce back from an injury-riddled campaign. The tackle is one of the Badgers' top young talents on the offensive front, and as long as he can stay on the field, all signs point to 2023 being a breakout year.

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