Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com recently went back and looked at his 2008 NFL draft grades and he noted that the Kansas City Chiefs ended up getting a whopping six starters out of that draft class. A few were stars (RB Jamaal Charles) while others are simply filling a need (OT Barry Richardson).
So on that note, I want to figure out how many starters the Chiefs got out of this draft.
We went through and did our depth chart projections for all of the Chiefs draft picks so you already have a lot of my opinions on these players. A few of the players' immediate future are dependent on other parts of the roster. For example, I think Rodney Hudson is a starter from day one if Casey Wiegmann doesn't return. Or, it's possible Justin Houston starts if Mike Vrabel doesn't return.
But it's time to take a guess on how many starters the Chiefs will have by the end of the season.
Here's my overly optimistic look at rookie starters: I'm thinking WR Jonathan Baldwin becomes a starter at some point of the season, if not Week 1. I think Hudson becomes a starter at some point as well, whether Wiegmann returns or not. I'll add Justin Houston to the starters list and the fourth would be CB Jalil Brown at nickelback. That would be three rookies starting at some point this season which is a pretty optimistic number.
What's your take on the players that can crack the starting lineup by the end of the season?