Chiefs position battles: After WR locks, only a couple spots remain

The Kansas City Chiefs will have a number of wide receivers vying for a spot on the 53 man roster. Jeremy Maclin and Jason Avant are among the veterans but the Chiefs also have a handful of young receivers who are trying to stand out and impress Andy Reid.

The Chiefs head coach was asked this week how a young wide receiver can stand out in these practices. He indicated how important picking up the playbook is.

"They make plays," Reid said, via quotes from the Chiefs. "It's about how they're picking it up; we've got to load it in right now. With a tremendous amount of plays in right now, we want to find out how they are handling the mental part, and how they are handling the physical part and if they're producing out here."

We know that Maclin, Albert Wilson, De'Anthony Thomas and Chris Conley are locks to make the roster. Jason Avant seems like a decent bet to make the roster, too. That leaves a handful of young receivers battling for one, maybe two receiver spots on the roster. The Chiefs first roster last year kept seven receivers if you count De'Anthony Thomas and a suspended Dwayne Bowe.

Frankie Hammond continues to stick around and has been playing regularly during camp practices so it's hard to discount him. Fred Williams has also carried over from 2013 which is impressive in itself. UDFA Kenny Cook has had his moments as has newcomer L'Damian Washington.

If I'm picking one more spot, put my money on Hammond. For the potentially final spot, I need to wait until after this first preseason game on Saturday to see how they're rotated in.