Wisconsin's 2022 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.

Tyler Beach is heading into his sixth season at Wisconsin but will be appearing in a new role along the offensive line this year. The veteran lineman has played in 47 games at UW, having started all 13 contests this past season at left tackle and six of seven at right tackle in 2020. This past spring, however, position coach Bob Bostad opted to move Beach inside to left guard, a move that came as no surprise when he decided to return to Wisconsin.

"I kind of figured if I decided to come back that was going to be my future role, so it wasn’t a shock or surprise to me," Beach said in the spring. "I kind of assumed that was going to happen. (Bostad) said I bended well and moved well and he saw it on scout team when I was a freshman and he was a linebackers coach, so he kind of knew what skills I had as a player. He thought that with the way we want to do stuff, it’d be best to move to guard."

The move inside is one both Bostad and Beach feel best highlights his skillset.

"Rather than setting a guy that’s way outside of you, you’re setting a 3-tech that’s head up on you and you just have to take one kick rather than six to five kicks backwards," Beach said. "I’ve been enjoying that… I like getting hands on right away."

"I think he’s athletic enough to play at left tackle but I think he got exposed a little bit," Bostad added. "But he still has good size and good movement. He’s smart, he’s dependable and I just think it could take a little bit off of him. That’s a stressful spot out there."

Durability is also a strength for Beach, who played the most offensive snaps (827 of 894) for the Badgers last season.

Beach could never get fully comfortable at left tackle, as the 6-foot-6, 312-pound lineman struggled at times with quicker edge rushers (PFF pass blocking grade of 32.2). The move inside may suit Beach more but he will have to learn a new position and build new habits this offseason.

"Just based off how I did last year and looking into the future endeavors, we thought being a guard was the best position for me," Beach said. "I’m still getting used to things, still figuring stuff out."

Beach will enter fall as the No. 1 left guard, but both he and Michael Furtney will be pushed by Tanor Bortolini should Bostad keep him on the interior. Improved play from the sixth-year lineman could elevate the performance of the line and add some necessary time in the pocket for quarterback Graham Mertz, who struggles when playing off schedule the last two seasons.

Entering his final year at Wisconsin, Beach, along with Jack Nelson, can help solidify the left side of the line. The move to guard should prove beneficial for Beach, who recorded a 81.2 grade as a run blocker last season. A strong campaign could also put Beach in NFL conversations this winter.

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