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.

Cornerback Dean Engram is the first defender on our countdown of the Top 30 Key Badgers. Engram, at 5-foot-9, 168 pounds, appeared in all seven games this past season, contributing mostly on special teams while also seeing time at corner. In 2020, he took over punt return duties from Jack Dunn, who held the role the previous two seasons. Engram returned nine punts and averaged 1.6 yards per return.

With fifth-year senior Faion Hicks limited in the spring, Engram, a former three-star recruit, put together a strong camp and received some valuable reps in the slot and on the outside. He and Alex Smith, who also performed well this spring, are expected to take on a bigger role within the defense in 2021. Engram made one of the highlight plays of the camp, laying out to snag an interception from quarterback Chase Wolf.

"We've seen tremendous growth as a whole unit but, specifically me, I've just seen more consistency in my off technique, press technique," Engram told reporters in the spring. "Getting those reps have been really valuable to getting consistency under my belt."

"Just a lot more consistency," Hicks said of what he's seen from Engram and Smith. "They were young these past two years but seeing a lot more ball, those guys are getting a lot more comfortable and being more consistent, making plays and you could see the growth it's popping out on film."

Heading into his third season with the program, most of Engram's playing time has been on special teams. He only totaled 38 snaps on defense this past season and did not record a single defensive statistic. As inexperienced as he is, first year cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat believes the young corner is ready for an expanded role.

"They’re ready," Poteat said of Engram and Smith. "They want to get on the field. They’ve been doing a good job of handling the load since Faion has been limited. They both have been handling the role of playing outside and nickel.

"They’re starting to pick up the techniques and understanding how to read the receivers. They’re doing a real good job for us. Those are two of the guys I would say are really tough mentally... I really like what I see out of those two young players."

Engram is firmly in a competition with Smith to be the team's No. 3 corner. Following the departure of corner Rachad Wildgoose, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills, there is a hole to fill in the slot. And for a unit that comes out in nickel almost 70 percent of the time, according to defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, having a third cornerback is essential. Engram could also play a key role on special teams as a favorite to be the No. 1 punt returner.

Leonhard certainly likes to rotate a number of guys at cornerback, even going as far as playing eight corners in the bowl game against Wake Forest. The top reserve at cornerback won't be decided until fall camp, but Engram will still play a key role on Wisconsin's defense and is in line to once again be the primary punt returner.