Ranking Kansas City Chiefs' Top 5 Sleepers to Watch in Camp

Every year in training camp, a few players surprisingly standout. A couple of starting spots are up for grabs, but some players fight hard with the aim of securing a spot on the team.

The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of players seeking to crack the 53-man roster. If you have plans to check out the Chiefs in St. Joseph, Mo. for training camp, you will witness hard-fought practices, especially from those on the roster bubble.

In this slideshow, we go over and rank five potential sleepers you can expect at training camp.

ILB Josh Mauga

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Josh Mauga might not be viewed as a big sleeper by many. After all, he did lead the Chiefs in tackles with 103.

But his numbers are not enough to solidify a starting spot beside Derrick Johnson, returning from an Achilles injury.

Mauga showed a lot of flashes last year when he quickly closed in on ball-carriers to bring an end to plays. But he was inconsistent throughout the 2014 season.

James-Michael Johnson started nine games last year when the Chiefs dealt with another long absence at inside linebacker in Joe Mays. The Chiefs drafted outside linebackers Ramik Wilson from Georgia and D.J. Alexander from Oregon State in the fourth and fifth rounds. Though entering the draft as outside linebackers, the two draft picks fit as interior linebackers in Kansas City's defense.

Mauga has a lot of competition before him for the other starting linebacker position. But with a 16-game starting season, the first full-starting season of his career, under his belt, Mauga should enter training camp with a bit of an edge.

WR Kenny Cook

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Outside of Jeremy Maclin, the remaining wide receiver spots are wide open. De'Anthony Thomas, Jason Avant, Albert Wilson, Junior Hemingway, Chris Conley and Frankie Hammond are all vying for roster spots. You could probably make a case for all of these players as a majority of them will likely be part of the 53-man roster.

Behind that group of players includes six wideouts, all who have had little or no league experience. Kenny Cook may build a distance between himself and some of the unknown players throughout August, giving him a legitimate shot at making the team as an undrafted rookie.

Cook had an impressive rookie minicamp as head coach Andy Reid referred to him as a "big target with a big catch radius."

As listed above, Cook has a lot of work to do if he wants to beat out a couple of players and make the team. At the very least, Cook has a shot at being part of the team's practice squad. As the season goes on, injuries and disappointing performances will occur, at which point Cook could get the call to the 53-man roster.

WR Albert Wilson

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

As mentioned in the previous slide with Cook, there is a wide-open competition at the wide receiver spot opposite of Jeremy Maclin's. Wilson is coming off a rookie season after going undrafted, but he has some potential.

During a three-game stretch late in the season, Wilson caught 12 catches for 209 yards. Given Kansas City's lack of impact from the receivers, that three-game stretch was one of the best performances from a Chiefs receiver last year.

With his speed, Wilson has the ability to make an impact on offense, but the Chiefs want him to be a complete receiver and show consistency.

TE James O'Shaughnessy

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If you're not excited for James O'Shaughnessy, that is understandable, considering he is a late fifth-round pick from the Missouri Valley Football conference. But you may find yourself having second thoughts about him throughout training camp and the preseason.

O'Shaughnessy logged a 40 time of 4.68 seconds, very close to Travis Kelce's 40 time when he entered the draft at 4.61 seconds. 

We've seen what Kelce is capable of, using his speed to his advantage. With O'Shaughnessy showing similar speed, he may have a bit of an impact on the team this year.

Coming out of Illinois State, a run-heavy football team, O'Shaughnessy was an end-zone threat as he tied the team in touchdown grabs with nine and pulled in 29 catches as a senior.

Alex Smith likes throwing to tight ends and had a lot of success with Kelce last year and with Vernon Davis in San Francisco. Given Smith's history with tight ends, O'Shaughnessy should have a notable rookie season.

RB Cyrus Gray

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Sixth-round picks generally have short stints, but Cyrus Gray, despite being a late-round selection by a different regime, has made it further than the average sixth-round pick. 

Gray has just 33 career touches on offense in his three years with the team, but his performance in the preseason has kept him in Kansas City.

After rushing for 161 yards in last year's preseason, Gray has 321 rushing yards in three years of preseason play. With De'Anthony Thomas focusing more as a wideout, Gray has a chance to get more time on the gridiron in regular-season action.

With Jamaal Charles as the main running back and Knile Davis as the backup, Gray is expected to be the third-string back behind Davis.

The Chiefs are seeing a lot of flashes from him in the preseason, and provided that he gets more touches in the regular season, the coaching staff would like to see him carry that preseason success over to a situation where the games count.

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