The Chiefs selections of offensive linemen Jeff Allen in the 2nd round and Donald Stephenson in the 3rd round provide depth and versatility upfront along the line, but it is doubtful either will see significant time in 2012 without injury to one of the current starters. Allen has the better chance of seeing the field because of the inconsistent play of Lilja and Asamoah.
4th round selection Devon Wylie is a slot receiver with some KR/PR ability and DeQuan Menzie will most likely play a role in a dime defense covering inside receivers. Wylie seems to have more opportunity to play early on because the undersized slot position is currently filled by RB/WR Dexter McCluster, whereas the nickel and dime positions of defense are filled by the more established Javier Arenas and Travis Daniels; both played well in 2011.
The selection of Cyrus Gray in round 6 is interesting because at first glance the running back position seems to have quality depth, but Peyton Hillis is only signed for one season and Charles is coming off a serious knee injury. Gray will most likely be the 4th running back on the depth chart but also has the ability to play special teams which will most likely cement his spot on the team.
7th round selections Jerome Long and Junior Hemingway will have an uphill battle to make the 2012 roster. Hemingway will need to show his abilities on the coverage units to beat out Jeremy Horne and claim the 6th wide-receiver spot. Long needs to hope the Chiefs do not bring in any additional defensive ends such as Wallace Gilberry (who is still a free-agent) if he hopes to make the team because his value on special teams, as a defensive end, will be limited.
So, with all that being said, below I have constructed a theoretical 2012 53-man roster. I attempted to determine the number of players at each position after taking a look at the special teams requirements of the back-up players. A backup player in bold would most likely fill his position on the opposite side of the offense in the event of injury, so it is sort of a hierarchy within the depth chart. So, here are my 'Way-to-Early' 2012 offensive and defensive depth chart:
| Pos | 1st | 2nd |
| WR | Bowe | Wylie |
| LT | Albert | Stephenson |
| LG | Lilja | Allen |
| C | Hudson | |
| RG | Asamoah | |
| RT | Winston | Mims |
| TE | Moeaki | Boss |
| WR | Breaston | Baldwin |
| QB | Cassel | Quinn |
| RB | Charles | Hillis |
| FB | Bannon | |
| LDE | Jackson | Bailey |
| NT | Poe | Gordon |
| RDE | Dorsey | Long |
| LOLB | Houston | Studebaker |
| LILB | Siler | Belcher |
| RILB | Johnson | Greenwood |
| ROLB | Hali | Sheffield |
| LCB | Flowers | Daniels |
| SS | Berry | Washington |
| FS | Lewis | McCarthy |
| RCB | Routt | Arenas |
Most Chiefs fans will notice Jovan Belcher's name listed as 2nd string, Brandon Siler was signed prior to the 2011 season to be a 2-down run-stuffing inside-backer but suffered a knee injury early in camp. I see Siler, if healthy, getting the starting nod in 2012 but Belcher should still see the field at times. The Chiefs also lack an experienced fullback and backup center, but those positions will most likely be filled by players currently on the roster, such as Jeff Allen at center and Peyton Hillis or Kevin Boss at fullback on occasion.
Way Too Early 53-man Positional Breakdown: The 17 players in Bold are important on special teams and have an advantage over competition for back-up spots on the roster.
Special Teams: 3 total
| P | Colquitt |
| PK | Succop |
| LS | Gafford |
Offense: 25 total players
6 WR: Bowe, Breaston, Baldwin, Copper, Wylie, Hemingway
3 TE: Moeaki, Boss, O'Connell
5 RB: Charles, Hillis, McCluster, Gray, Bannon
3 QB: Cassel, Quinn, Stanzi
8 OL: Albert, Winston, Lilja, Asamoah, Hudson, Stephenson, Allen, Mims
Defense: 25 total players
7 DL: Dorsey, Jackson, Poe, Powe, Bailey, Long, Gordon
8 LB: Hali, Houston, Johnson, Siler, Studebaker, Sheffield, Belcher, Greenwood
6 CB: Flowers, Routt, Arenas, Daniels, Brown, Menzie
4 S: Berry, Lewis, Washington, McCarthy
Players on the Roster Bubble: The number next to the position indicates how many spots are projected to be open at each position for the list of players that follows. Players in bold are currently filling positions on my Way-to-Early Chief's depth chart. Each of these players are on the Chiefs roster as of April 29, 2012. The team is currently only carrying 71 players, but they are allowed to carry up to 90 during the off-season, so I expect KC to continue to add more players which I will then update on the position battle list.
2 WR: Terrence Copper, Junior Hemingway, Zeke Markshausen, Jeremy Horne, Jamar Newsome, Josh Bellamy, Brandon Kinnie
2 RB: Dexter McCluster, Cyrus Gray, Shaun Draughn, Nate Eachus, Taylor Gentry
1 OL: David Mims; Darryl Harris, Rob Bruggeman, Luke Patterson, Cam Holland, Justin Cheadle
1 TE: Jake O'Connell, Steve Maneri, Tim Biere
2 DL: Jerome Long, Amon Gordon, Brandon Bair, Anthony Toribio, Ethan Johnson
2 LB: Cory Greenwood, Cameron Sheffield, Caleb Campbell, Gabe Miller, Dexter Heyman
2 CB: Jalil Brown, DeQuan Menzie, Jacques Reeves, Mikail Baker, Neiko Thorpe
2 S: Mike McCarthy, Donald Washington, Jean Fanor, Terrance Parks, Tysyn Hartman
1 K: Ryan Succop, Matt Szymanski
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