Editor's note: With Oklahoma's spring practices set to begin on March 6, OUInsider will project the depth chart for each position group and evaluate the biggest questions. This installment focuses on the tight ends.

Oklahoma's tight end spot has become a source of contention the last few years. That came to a head last season.

Bauer Sharp became the lightning rod for criticism as the Sooners' offense deteriorated last year. But there was also something paradoxical about Sharp — he led the Sooners in receptions (42) and yards (324) and was sometimes the only somewhat-reliable source of offense, but he also was involved in some of the worst lowlights. The Sooners simply overextended him and put him in positions where he was almost doomed to fail.

But it also underscored how little production the Sooners have had at tight end, and how bad the depth has been. Jake Roberts proved to be the only semi-reliable backup. Both of them are gone.

Now, the Sooners head into another season where the tight end spot is arguably the biggest question mark on the entire team. Is there any hope for upside?

That's what Joe Jon Finley and Ben Arbuckle will be tasked with figuring out.

Here's an overview of where things stand with the tight end room heading into spring practices:

Kaden Helms

Davon Mitchell

Will Huggins

Carson Kent

— It's impossible to project the depth chart for a position group without really any returning production and not much experience to mention. Let's start with Davon Mitchell.

In a perfect world, Mitchell ascends to become the starter. He's a former four-star prospect and offers real size (6-foot-3, 259 pounds) and athleticism. He offers by far the most upside in the room, and a fully-realized version of Mitchell could be a real additive to the offense and a true difference-maker the Sooners haven't had in years.

But obviously, it's a massive question mark. Mitchell didn't just log a single snap last season; he didn't even see the field in the Armed Forces Bowl, when Sharp had already left for LSU. Mitchell is a very raw prospect, but does he need so much growth that Finley wasn't even comfortable playing him against Navy?

Mitchell could still prove unready to play next season. But given the Sooners aren't loaded with great options, the main objective should be to accelerate his growth as much as possible.

— Kaden Helms and Kade McIntyre loom as interesting names. There careers have been unfortunately defined by injuries, but both of them were encouragingly able to see some snaps last season (71 for Helms, 48 for McIntyre). Despite the injuries, there's a world where one of them (or both?) stay healthy and become an impact player. They both offer size and athleticism. There's also a world where it unfortunately doesn't happen.

Again, the Sooners desperately just need someone to emerge, and Helms and McIntyre have been on the roster longer than any other tight end.

— The Sooners added Will Huggins (Pittsburgh State, Kansas), Carson Kent (Kennesaw State) and John Locke (Louisiana Tech). via the portal. They are fine players who have some experience. Kent caught 11 passes for 118 yards and three touchdowns last season.

Worst-case scenario, Kent and Huggins them offer some veteran stability and could be useful in short-yardage situations and in run blocking.

But the Sooners need a difference maker. It's unclear if Kent, Locke and Huggins will offer that kind of potential.

— Is Jaren Kanak really an option at tight end? That's what we'll find out this spring. There's been real buzz about him moving to offense, and it makes sense. The Sooners are desperate, and Kanak's path to playing time on defense is questionable (at best) even with the departures of Danny Stutsman, Dasan McCullough and Lewis Carter. He didn't crack 100 snaps last season. Plus, Kanak showed offensive chops in high school.

But we've seen the defense-to-offense transition before. DJ Graham never played a snap of offense. Jacobe Johnson logged seven offensive snaps last season after the Sooners announced he was working with the offense. Kanak could end up being the biggest X-factor this spring.

Running backs

Defensive line

Wide receiver

Linebacker

Tight end

Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!

Follow us on Twitter @OUInsider and on Instagram @ouinsiderofficial!

Subscribe on YouTube by clicking here for daily video content on all things Oklahoma!