Years from now we will look back on the "Dirty Dozen" from the 2008 draft as the cornerstone of the franchise.  I'd like to take a minute and analyze the positions on the team and why the players that were chosen were chosen and how they will affect us going forward.

The most important thing we have to remember is, this is a multi-year rebuild.  The Chiefs did not have a checklist of our needs and go through the draft checking them off and making sure they had 1 of everything.  So it is no surprise that there are still holes to be filled.  I think the approach the Chiefs are taking is very interesting and clearly reflects that they plan on going into 2009 still in rebuild mode instead of "win now" mode.

Quarterback: There is no doubt that Herm is prepared to sink or swim with Croyle.  The Chiefs never even sniffed a QB in the draft.  If Croyle can develop and, most importantly, lead the team to some impressive wins that give us hope that he can be the leader the offense desperately needs, we will be forgiving of his learning mistakes.  Hopefully Thigpen can continue to develop and by 2009 take over the backup position from Huard and the Chiefs can draft another good QB prospect to put in the pipeline for the third stringer.

Offensive Line: This was our most outrageous problem last year.  But if we analyze what happened, it is encouraging that 90% of the problem is ALREADY fixed.  The right side of the line from Center on over was populated by aging offensive linemen that had lost themselves.  With Will Shields gone, Wiegmann was exposed as an undersized Center that was not a fit for the new offensive philosophy.  Welbourne, Terry and Turly were aging vets that had simply lost it.  All four of these guys knew that just by their age their days were numbered and maybe that had an effect on them as well.  Just by getting those four improved the roster.
Going forward, I see Branden Albert eventually becoming the best LT to come out of the 2008 draft class, he just has everything you want in a LT physically and mentally except for experience and that will come in time.  Waters will continue to man LG for another year or two.  It sounds like the Chiefs have alot of faith in Niswanger at Center.  The Chiefs clearly hope that Barry Richardson can be developed into a Right Tackle, but that may take some coaching up to get to that point.  He doesn't have that realy nasty streak that you look for in a road grating run blocker.  In the meantime I think they will move McIntosh to the right side.  This may be a position the Chiefs address in next years draft if Richardson do.  Same with Right Guard.  Herb Taylor might work out here, as could Alibi.
What I see in 2009 is an average, if inexperienced in places offensive line, and for all the problems that poses, it will be a huge upgrade over what we had in 2007.  More work will be done with the line in the 2009 draft.

Running Back: We're sitting pretty with RBs.  LJ will continue to be the workhorse and should have the chip back on his shoulder after a miserable 2007.  Kolby Smith proved himself a reliable backup that can be depnded on to not lose much when LJ is off the field. 
The addition of Jamaal Charles is very exciting to me.  The two back set that is becoming popular in the NFL is a great weapon for running teams and fit squarely in with Herms philosophy.  A backfield with LJ and Charles present the defense with some difficult decisions.  LJ can bash them up the middle and run over them while Charles is elusive and capable of getting to the corner and streaking up the field.  Charles also has very good hands in the receiving game and can be motioned out of the backfield to get a free release and use his speed to burn the linebacker that will be covering him.
I also believe that we are FINALLY going to have a legit fullback this year in Mike Cox.  He was a weapon in Chan Gaileys Georgia Tech offense that is a true run blocker, but has good hands catching the ball out of the backfield as well.

Wide Receiver: We are still a bit weak at this position, but we have some prospects that could turn out to be very good players.  Dwayne Bowe has superstar written all over him.  There is no doubt that he will be the first guy Brodie Croyle looks for in the passing game.  Behind him there are alot of questions.  Jeff Webb has been steady but is still a work in progress.  This will be his third year so we should start seeing something from him if he has anything to show.  I never really see Webb being more than a 3rd WR and will probably work out of the slot alot.  Will Franklin has the speed we are looking for in a #2, but we shouldn't expect alot out of him his rookie year.  Again, it will likely take about three years before we can really pass judgment on him.  Devard Darling is still pretty much an unknown.  I think physically he is alot like Bowe, but whether he has the same aggressiveness to get to the ball we will have to wait and see.  Just because of his experience, I look for Darling to be the #2 receiver going into 2008.

Tight End: What Chan Gailey does with the tight end position this year should be interesting.  There is alot of talk about two tight end sets.  Tony Gonzalez, obviously, shows no sign of slowing down and hopefully will be around at least another two years.  The Chiefs drafted Brad Cottam primarily as the blocking TE, but he DOES have good hands in the receiving game as well.  His height and build is very similar to Tony Gs, so hopefully over the next couple of years Tony can show Cottam the tricks of the trade.  Michael Allen, if he can develop, looks to be the heir to the receiving TE position with Tony Gs gone, but as a 7th round pick a year ago, he could just as easily disappear in a year or two.  If they are good enough special teams players, don't be surprised to see the Chiefs take 4 TEs on the roster.

Defensive Line: Losing Jared Allen hurt.  Especially since we ended up with Glenn Dorsey in the draft.  But regardless, the Chiefs must move forward.  Look for Tamba to be moved to the right side where he should be more productive.  Herm hinted that Alfonso Boone might start out at Left DE, which at first I thought was an indictment of Turk, who played DE in college.  Instead, I see this as the Chiefs having a plan for the future and not wanting to interrupt it.  They don't want Turk to play DE.  They want him as a 3 technique pass rushing DT (now he will be in the rotation behind Dorsey) and instead of interrupting his progression at that position to go fill a hole at DE, they are going to allow him to continue working where they want him for the future.  Boone will not be a speed rusher from DE, but he will fill the position adequately.
The Chiefs could have drafted a DE earlier in the draft, but the quality of DEs was very poor after the third one went off the board.  Instead of drafting a mediocre one just because we needed it, they skipped it completely.  Look for them to draft one very early next year.
Hopefully Tank Tyler can win a job as a starter because we desperately need his strength to handle multiple linemen to free up Dorsey to rush the passer.  Dorsey should become a force in the middle.

Linebackers: I'm guessing this will be Donnie Edwards last year as a starter.  The value of his experience to the Chiefs young defense cannot be overstated.  This will be a pivotal year in the career of Derrick Johnson.  He has incredible talent but has underperformed in years past.  If he has the season he is capable of having, I think Herm will consider moving him to Middle Linebacker for 2009.  By then he will likely be the oldest player on the Chiefs defense and he certainly has the speed required by that position to cover in the field.  It all depends on whether he finally "gets it".  DeMorrio Williams will probably be a backup for alot of 2008 but should take over Donnie Edwards spot in 2009.  Chiefs will probably be looking to draft another LB next year to fill the other OLB position.

Safeties: I think Jarred Page will continue to develop very well at the free safety position and I see him there for years to come.  Pollard is exactly what the Chiefs want from the Strong Safety and I don't see him in any danger of losing that position unless he does not develop.  Remember that he was drafted as a Junior and didn't play defense much his rookie year, so in alot of ways, he is a little behind what we might expect from a third year guy.  If the CBs are able to improve with the infusion of youth, look for Pollard to be moved into the box for run support A LOT.  The guy is buillt like a linebacker and I really think the coaches are not able to use him the way they want to right now because of the weakness of our cornerbacks.  Morgan looks to be the perfect backup safety, able to play both safety positions and said to be an excellent special teams player.  I look for Wesley to be traded or released in short order.

Cornerback: This was the Chiefs defense weakest position last year.  Law and Surtain are simply too old, even in the Cover 2.  Law is gone, I wouldn't be surprised to see Surtain replaced as a starter by midseason if Patterson or Brackenridge develop enough.  Flowers is the prototypical Cover 2 CB and I look for him to take Laws starting spot right away.  Brandon Carr is very interesting to me.  He has all the physical ability of an elite CB.  Good height, very good runner.  He needs alot of work on his technique and get used to the heightened level of competition.  If Herm can develop him over the course of a couple of years, he could turn out to be an outstanding CB.  If he can, Carr will be the corner that takes receivers on man-to-man when they move Pollard down into the box.

Kick Returns: This was a serious weakness for the Chiefs last year.  I have high hopes that Kevin Robinson can be the cure for our kick return woes.  Over his 4 year college career, he broke the NCAA record with an average of 17 yards per touch (What this means is that every time he touched the football, whether in the return game, as a wide receiver, whatever, he averaged 17 yards each time he touched it).  He is fast and very elusive.  Hopefully he can translate his success at the small college he went to into the NFL.  If nothing else, he HAS to be better than Eddie Drummond.  If Robinson has little success, don't be surprised if the Chiefs send Jamaal Charles out to take some kicks.

Kicker: The Chiefs currently have about 5 kickers on the roster and it looks like they are going to try them all out and go with the most consistent.  If they dont find a solid guy this year, look for them to leave no stone unturned in finally solving their Curse of Nick Lowry over the next few years.  How many games over the last 20 years would we have won with a good field goal kicker??