With the amount of chatter concerning the offensive line and what to do with it in the future (and present), it begs a simple question to be asked amidst the chaos:

What does it really take to build a championship-level offensive line?

Going with the rankings of the top offensive lines heading into the 2009 season by the National Football Post, here's a look at how some of today's best offensive units have built their front five.

New York Giants
The Giants found their anchor and left tackle, David Diehl, in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. He started at right guard immediately that season and eventually moved to right and then left tackle in the following seasons. He's perhaps the most reliable offensive lineman in the NFL right now (80 straight starts) and can play multiple positions. Left guard Rich Seubert has started ever since he was an undrafted free agent in 2001. Center Shaun O'Hara came as a free agent from the Cleveland Browns in 2004 and became a Pro Bowler for the first time last season.

Right guard Chris Snee was drafted in the second round of the 2004 draft and started immediately, only missing the last few games of his rookie season due to injury. He also became a first-time Pro Bowler (and All-Pro) last season. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie joined the team as a free agent from the New York Jets before the 2005 season.

Much more after the jump:

Philadelphia Eagles
Even though the team finds themselves dealing with injuries early on this season with the Andrews brothers (Stacy and Shawn), the Eagles still have a solid offensive line. The much-heralded acquisition of this last offseason brought left tackle Jason Peters over from the Buffalo Bills. Current left guard Nick Cole was signed as an undrafted free agent in the 2006 season, although Shawn Andrews would be starting here, who was the first round pick in 2004.

Center Jamaal Jackson was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and has started 58 games ever since. Right guard Max Jean-Gilles was drafted in the fourth round of the 2006 draft. Winston Justice, the current starting right tackle, was the second round pick in the same year - 2006.

Tennessee Titans
Seems weird to look closely at the offensive line of a team with the same record as the Chiefs, but the Titans offensive line fits the team name perfectly and the unit is outstanding. Left tackle Michael Roos is arguably the best young left tackle in the game and was a second round pick in 2005. Left guard Eugene Amano was a seventh(!) round choice in 2004.

Center Kevin Mawae is a 7-time Pro Bowl center who signed with the Titans in 2006 after being cut by the Jets and he still went to the Pro Bowl just last year, showing his excellence even late in his career. Right guard Jake Scott signed in 2008 after winning the Super Bowl with the Colts the year before. And right tackle David Stewart was a fourth round choice in the 2005 draft and has started 45 straight games at the position.

What does this teach us about building an offensive line? This tells us quite a bit:

1. Every team we've looked at built their line over a prolonged period of time. Some of these guys started at different positions than they are now. Others took a few seasons to develop their talent. Others only found their chance to start when another teammate was injured. But each team has added pieces every season. The Titans line goes back to 2004. The Eagles stretch back to 2003. The Giants go all the way back to 2001.

Thus the idea of developing a championship o-line overnight is simply an impossibility. It takes time to develop the chemistry and to build your depth, so expecting the Chiefs to find their answers via a series of endless waiver claims and preseason trades is just not the way the NFL works. Sure, it'd be great if Andy Alleman, Ike Ndukwe and Ryan O'Callaghan all work out long term. But chances are, that's not what we'll see a few years from now.

2. Every team we've looked at has kept the offensive line a priority year in and year out. With each of these teams, you'd be hard pressed to find a single season where they didn't add key pieces to their o-line. A key element, it seems then, is to make sure you're constantly drafting for the future and scouring the free agent wire to find the right piece.

3. Every team we've looked at utilized every possible outlet to add to their offensive line. Older free agents cut by their longtime teams. Undrafted free agents. Draft picks at every level. High and low-profile trades. Any and all means are used by each team at the top to find the guys they're looking for.

What this means is that we're doing things the right way, at least in this category. The GM should have an insatiable appetite to find the right talent no matter where he has to look and Pioli's done just that in the early going. Sure, some of us would have liked an offensive lineman pick much earlier in the draft, but Colin Brown holds potential. The early trade with the Dolphins and waiver wire pick-up of O'Callaghan shows a willingness to follow this principle.

It will take some time and patience from both the front office and coaches to get our offensive unit to where it needs to be. Every team is looking for the same level of quality and there's simply not enough dominant talent to go around. But with a shrewd GM armed with a long-term plan willing to look under every rock, the Chiefs just might build back that mammoth line once again.