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.

Redshirt freshman Darryl Peterson consistently flashed during spring practices and built off the opportunities he earned late last season. With the departure of two-year starter Noah Burks, there are reps to be had alongside junior Nick Herbig. Peterson is part of a group that position coach Bobby April labeled the deepest he's had during his time at Wisconsin.

"In the years I have been here, this is the best the room has ever been all around," Herbig added. "I think you're definitely going to see a lot more guys rotating in."

With Herbig sidelined due a left arm injury early in camp, Peterson saw a number of reps with the first-team defense. BadgerBlitz.com noted the second-year linebacker consistently got in the backfield.

"We got him working both boundary and field with Nick being down, so he's learning a lot of football, a lot of what we do," April said. "He's got the pass rush natural ability and it's really working on some of the coverage skills that are coming along for him."

The playmaking in the spring carried over from the reps Peterson received during bowl prep and the 17 snaps he saw on the field in the Las Vegas Bowl against Arizona State.

"He played hard, he played physical. He was dependable and he checked the boxes for me after that game," April said.

"The bowl game helped me a lot because I hadn't really gotten any reps in a game before that, so that was kind of eye opening and it was fun to be out there and to see it. I feel like it was a good stepping stone to where I want to be," Peterson added. "Being a freshman, you're kind of nervous about being out there, so being out there kind of took out the nerves. I feel like once I get out there this season it'll be like getting off right where we left off."

The next step for Peterson will performing at a consistent level and showing he can make plays next to Herbig or senior CJ Goetz. It will take some time for the former four-star prospect to adjust to the speed of the game, specifically when asked to cover in space.

"I think it's going to take time for them to get adjusted to the speed of the game. We've talked about that before," April said.

"Once they start playing faster with no worries and knowing what's going on, they're going to be scary," Herbig said of the young linebackers such as Kaden Johnson, TJ Bollers and Peterson.

This past season, the snaps at outside linebacker were dominated by the duo of Herbig and Burks. Now with the current talent and depth, reps are expected to be more evenly divided to form a natural rotation.

Heading into fall camp, the storyline at outside linebacker will be how the depth chart ultimately pans out after Herbig and Goetz. While Peterson should see a much larger on the defense, he will be battling with Johnson, Bollers and even Goetz for reps with the No. 1 defense.

"I feel like everybody's emphasis this year was pass rush... I feel like everybody had that same emphasis because we knew we struggled with that as a group last year," Peterson said. "Nick had nine sacks but after that there was a big drop off. We want to be able to go off him and help off that. We can get more one-on-ones as a group and help off that."

The 6-foot-1, 247-pound outside linebacker has the tools and makeup to have success on the edge. Peterson will be looking to use the experience from 2021 and the spring as a springboard to make plays in his second season at UW.

“Darryl is a violent player. He plays hard, he's heavy handed," April said. “We felt like giving some opportunities in the bowl game would spur him on as a player but also gave him an opportunity to showcase some of his ability without it being a one week and you're ready to go.”

_________________________________________________

*Chat about this article in The Badgers' Den

*Check out our videos, interviews, and Q&As on our YouTube channel

*Subscribe and listen to the BadgerBlitz.com podcast (as seen on Apple, Google, Spotify and wherever you listen to podcasts)

*Follow us on Twitter: @McNamaraRivals, @TheBadgerNation, @RaulV45, @pete_brey12

*Like us on Facebook