Over the next two weeks, we'll be analyzing the projected depth charts for every Big 12 team coming out of the spring.

We continue this series with the Kansas State Wildcats:

OFFENSE (projected starters in bold)

QB: Jesse Ertz (Sr.), Alex Delton (So.)

Ertz has missed this spring recovering from an offseason procedure on his shoulder, but he's still the man in Manhattan after quietly finishing third last year in Big 12 QBR. Delton will have to fend off surging redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson for the No. 2 job.

RB: Alex Barnes (So.), Justin Silmon (Jr.) OR Dalvin Warmack (So.)

FB: Winston Dimel (Jr.), Mason Barta (Fr.) OR Konnor Cook (Sr.)

As assistant Sean Snyder noted, this is the deepest the Wildcats have been at running back in some time. Provided he can stay healthy, Barnes, a bruising runner, is in line to get the primary workload. When he finally got the bulk of the carries last year, he rushed for 304 yards and five touchdowns over a three-game stretch while averaging better than eight yards per carry. Silmon, though, will push him to be the starter. The diminutive Warmack offers a change of pace. Redshirt freshman Mike McCoy will be worth watching here, as well; insiders have been raving about his potential. Dimel, meanwhile, is arguably the most effective fullback in the league.

TE: Dayton Valentine (Jr.), Blaise Gammon (Fr.)

WR: Byron Pringle (Jr.), Zach Reuter (Jr.)

WR: Dominique Heath (Jr.), Isaiah Zuber (So.)

WR: Carlos Strickland (So.), Corey Sutton (So.)

This figures to be K-State's best receiving corps since 2014 when Tyler Lockett was at wideout. Pringle was the go-to guy last year and finished with 631 yards receiving. Heath is experienced. But the X factor is Strickland, a former ESPN 300 recruit and transfer from Cal who's been turning heads this offseason.

LT: Scott Frantz (So.), Bryce Fitzner (Jr.)

LG: Abdul Beecham (Jr.), Breontae Matthews (Jr.)

C: Reid Najvar (Sr.), Adam Holtorf (So.)

RG: Tyler Mitchell (So.), Breontae Matthews (Jr.)

RT: Dalton Risner (Jr.), Alec Ruth (Jr.)

With four starters back, the Wildcats should boast one of the top offensive lines in the league. The bookend combination of Frantz and Risner is excellent. Risner was an All-Big 12 selection last year; Frantz shined in a bowl matchup with Texas A&M's Myles Garrett, who could be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. It will be interesting to see what the Wildcats end up doing at guard. Depth there is the one question with this group.

DEFENSE (projected starters in bold)

DE: Reggie Walker (So.), Xavier Davis (Jr.)

DT: Will Geary (Sr.), Ray Price (Sr.)

DT: Trey Dishon (So.), Mitch Copeland (Jr.) OR Jordon Robertson (RFr.)

DE: Tanner Wood (Sr.), Kyle Ball (So.)

Even with Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Willis gone, the Wildcats still have one of the best defensive linemen in the league in Walker, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year. The overall effectiveness of this group, however, could hinge on Geary, who is not with the team right now. He was an All-Big 12 performer in 2015, but regressed last year. This is the one spot the Wildcats cannot afford an injury. The frontline group might be strong; the depth behind is an uncertainty.

LB: Sam Sizelove (Jr.), Elijah Sullivan (So.)

LB: Trent Tanking (Sr.), Justin Hughes (So.) OR Chase Johnston (So.)

LB: Jayd Kirby (Sr.), Da'Quan Patton (Jr.)

The Wildcats will have a completely different linebacking corps this season, but Bill Snyder will at least have a trio that's been in the system for several years. Tanking, who has good instincts and is a sure tackler, should be able to solidify the middle. But if either Sizelove or Kirby falter, the Wildcats have a more athletic duo waiting in Patton and Sullivan, who will likely play either way.

NB: Cre Moore (Sr.), Johnathan Durham (So.)

CB: D.J. Reed (Jr.), Jordan Noil (Jr.)

SS: Sean Newlan (Sr.), Denzel Goolsby (So.)

FS: Kendall Adams (Jr.), Elijah Walker (Jr.)

CB: Duke Shelley (Jr.), AJ Parker (RFr.)

This could be the best secondary in the Big 12, thanks to a premier corner combination to go along with experience at safety. Reed was the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year last season and is an elite cover corner. Shelley was up and down in his second season as a starter, but he's a playmaker. Adams will be a three-year starter. It will be interesting to see where Walker will fit in. He could emerge into the group's enforcer.