Second-Year Jump: Can Nick Allegretti Push His Way Into The Starting Rotation?

Second-Year offensive lineman Nick Allegretti is a versatile back up who could push his way into the starting rotation at some point. Arrowhead Report's Mark Van Sickle looks at Allegretti's potential for the 2020 season.

Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Nick Allegretti was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft with expectations to play the role of a versatile backup. In his rookie season, he played more snaps on special teams (41) than along the offensive line (eight). There is still a lot of room for improvement and potential for Allegretti to eventually move into a starting role. Will 2020 be the year for that jump?

The projected starters on the offensive line heading into 2020 are right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, center Austin Reiter, left guard Andrew Wylie and left tackle Eric Fisher. Allegretti will likely fill the role as the backup center but can slot into playing either guard position if injuries arise.

Allegretti may have some competition in the versatile backup category this season. The Chiefs drafted offensive lineman and former TCU standout Lucas Niang in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Niang was the Horned Frogs' starting right tackle and didn’t allow a sack in his junior or senior seasons. After drafting Niang, General Manager Brett Veach mentioned he could compete for snaps at guard in his rookie season but looks to be a tackle long-term. Allegretti has a year of professional experience under his belt but will need to show the coaching staff he has what it takes to stay ahead of Niang on the depth chart if one of the guards were to get injured and need a replacement.

Allegretti will also run up against Ryan Hunter, another returning backup, who will compete for playing time at the guard position. Allegretti’s best chance to see significant playing time would be if Reiter suffers an injury. That is not a scenario in which anyone is hoping to see, but that is when depth and being a versatile player in that position group will come in handy. I don’t think there is a great opportunity at a second-year jump for Allegretti in 2020 without a significant injury or two along the line. If he can show improvement and increase his snap count through a rotation, there is an outside chance he could set himself up for a bigger jump in 2021.

Want more on the Chiefs' sophomore campaigns? Check out Mark Van Sickle's other Second-Year Jump installments on Mecole Hardman, Juan Thornhill, Khalen Saunders, Rashad Fenton and Darwin Thompson.