KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert jumped into a limo Monday and struck up an instant friendship.

Just a few hours after meeting for the first time, the Kansas City Chiefs' two first-round picks were presented to the media, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and grinning ear-to-ear while holding up a "No. 1" jersey as cameras clicked and whirred.

"All this is almost hard to believe. When I got drafted — well, it really didn't hit me until right now when I walked in this room," said Albert, an offensive lineman from Virginia taken with the 15th selection in the first round.

"I'm with another first-round draft pick and this is my team now. I'm with this organization. It's starting to hit me right now."

Said Dorsey, an All-American defensive tackle from national champion LSU: "I'm real excited. I heard it's a great environment. I heard the stadium is amazing, that it's a great organization. I'm just excited to come and visit and get to work."

The first thing the two first-rounders did on Monday was chow down on some of Kansas City's famous barbecued ribs. Then it was time to start the get-acquainted tour. By the time they arrived at Arrowhead Stadium to be presented to the media, they appeared to be fast friends.

"I just met him," Albert said. "We had a great conversation on the way in here. He's a great guy. I found out I can talk to him about anything already. We're looking forward to having an opportunity to go against each other and hang with each other off the field."

The two do have much in common. They're both linemen from high-profile college programs. They're both high first-round draft picks who are about to become multimillionaires.

And they're both rookies who will be under the full glare of the spotlight while being counted upon to lead their team out of the wilderness.

Having each other to lean on during the coming hard times could be a plus.

"We're going to go through it together," Dorsey said. "Instead of having everything being on one of our shoulders, we have each other to vent to, to get in fights and stuff like that. We might end up going against each other once or twice in practice. That makes it even better. I'm just looking forward to the opportunity. This works out for the better."

Banging heads with his new pal and teammate is something else Albert is looking forward to.

"You come closer after hitting each other after a while," he said. "You gain respect for each other. I respect that man already. I watched him going through the season. I respect his game. When you bang against another guy, you respect how he plays football."

Today, the fifth and 15th first-round picks will get back in the limo and visit Kansas City's sportstalk radio stations.

Then, once the normally contentious contract negotiations are done and the two are in camp, they'll be counted on to anchor nothing less than the resurrection of a squad that lost a team-record nine in a row last year while finishing 4-12.

"He plays defensive line," said Albert. "I play offensive line. That's where it starts at. I've got real respect for that man."

Watching from the back of the room was Kansas City's No. 1 draft pick of 2007, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Another LSU product, he seemed a bit envious that Dorsey and Albert will have one another to hang with as rookies.

"I wish I would have had someone to lean on, a younger guy rather than an older guy," Bowe said. "You want to vent to someone who's going through the same thing. I'm like, 'Wow.' They've got two guys who are both brand new to the team. They're really needed on the team. I think they're going to grow from it and become really close friends."