Early Odds for Winners and Losers of NFL's Upcoming Position Battles

With the 2012 NFL draft complete and free agency grinding to a standstill, the majority of rosters are currently close to what they'll actually resemble come training camp. Few other noteworthy transactions are likely to happen between now and the middle of August. 

Given that probable stability of rosters, we can look at some of the important upcoming position battles for the 2012 season.

Here are the top five:

Running Back—San Francisco 49ers 

Few teams have a logjam of talent at one position like the 49ers currently have at running back.

While veteran Frank Gore should continue to be the lead back, San Francisco added former New York Giants back Brandon Jacobs in free agency and drafted scat back LaMichael James in the second round of last week's draft.

Returning is Kendall Hunter, a fourth-round pick in 2011, who flashed big-play ability as the team's No. 2 back last season, and goal-line runner Anthony Dixon. There's also the lesser known Rock Cartwright, who the team signed in March as a special teams ace. 

In all, the 49ers have six running backs worthy of a roster spot and four (Gore, Hunter, James, Jacobs) that will fight for carries and touches next season.

So who loses?

Hunter is an obvious loser, as James figures to take some of his third-down looks as a matchup-busting receiver. Dixon may not make the team given the depth and versatility of the other five. And Gore may struggle to hit 1,000 yards with so many viable options behind him. 

Gore will start every game if healthy, but it's hard to see how any back wins in this scenario.

With so much talent at the position, each back is probably going to see less touches than he realistically deserves. Gore could benefit from a reduced role down the stretch.

Quarterback—Seattle Seahawks 

Jets fans will disagree, but the NFL's most compelling quarterback situation resides in Seattle. Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst remain, but the team added two players this offseason that will most likely make up the top of the Seahawks depth chart at the position in 2012.

Former Green Bay Packers backup Matt Flynn was signed to a three-year deal in free agency, and Russell Wilson, Wisconsin's short but effective signal-caller, was drafted in the third round of the draft. 

The odds-on favorite to win the Seahawks' starting job has to be Flynn, who arrives in Seattle with several impressive performances under his belt as Aaron Rodgers' former backup. Despite his limited starting experience, Flynn has the ceiling of a top-15 NFL quarterback.

Wilson shouldn't be overlooked, and I could see him starting a game or two if Flynn struggles. But he may be better suited to sit for a year before getting thrown into the NFL fire. 

Quarterback—Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins have their own group of interesting quarterbacks for 2012, with veterans Matt Moore and David Garrard "welcoming" first-round pick Ryan Tannehill to the depth chart. 

While there may be outside pressure to start the rookie in year one, this competition should come down to Moore and Garrard early on. Tannehill needs time on the sidelines before he's ready to take over an NFL offense. 

Moore has to be considered the clear favorite for Week 1. Garrard missed the entire 2011 season with a back injury, and Moore finished the final nine games of last year with a 6-3 record.

Overall, Moore complied a 16-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and with a passer rating of 87.1—both respectable numbers for a 13-game sample size.

Starting Moore may not be the perfect scenario for the Dolphins, but patience with Tannehill is an absolute must. Messing up their first-round quarterback would have wide-reaching consequences. 

Receiver—New England Patriots

By the end of the 2011 season, most considered receiver an area of weakness for the Patriots offense. Given the depth the team will bring to camp this summer, that shouldn't be the case for New England in 2012. 

Wes Welker (franchise-tagged), Deion Branch (re-signed), Julian Edelman, Chad Ochocinco and Matthew Slater return from last year's group, but they'll be joined by a host of "new" faces.

In free agency, the Patriots signed Brandon Lloyd (Rams), Anthony Gonzalez (Colts) and Donte' Stallworth (Redskins), and it's likely that recently released Jabar Gaffney (Redskins) will also be attending Patriots camp. 

By my count, New England will bring at least nine roster-caliber receivers to training camp in August.

Welker and Lloyd should be locks to start, but the other three or four roster spots are completely up for grabs. I'll take Welker, Lloyd, Branch, Gaffney, Edelman and Gonzalez cracking the roster, with Slater as a dark horse.  

Receiver—Green Bay Packers

The Packers have an interesting dynamic on their hands as summer approaches.

While Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and James Jones should be locked in as the team's top four receivers, the No. 5 spot—a much-used roster spot in Green Bay—is undecided.

Thirty-seven-year-old Donald Driver is one option, and his knowledge of the offense and veteran presence give him value. But there's also two 2011 practice squaders—Tori Gurley and Diondre Borel—that will give Driver all he can handle for a roster spot. 

Driver will be a hard player to cut for the Packers, but Gurley may be the odds-on favorite to win the spot.

His big frame and ability to play several roles on special teams will give him the edge. The Packers won't risk losing him again off the practice squad, which would almost certainly happen if Green Bay picked Driver to start the season.