2011 NFL Mock Draft: 7-Round Kansas City Chiefs Predictions

With the 2011 NFL draft less than two weeks away, it's time to get serious about who the Kansas City Chiefs might be selecting this year.

This will be the third draft that Chiefs GM Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley will have together.

In their first draft as a duo in '09, they failed to net any impact players other than kicker Ryan Succop with their last pick in the draft.

Last year, the pair did much better, as they were able to land all-everything safety Eric Berry and really increase the speed on the team by scooping up WR/KR/PR Dexter McCluster and CB/KR/PR Javier Arenas in the second round.

Many NFL experts dubbed the '10 draft by Pioli/Haley as one of the best in the league and one of the best that the Chiefs have had as a franchise, although the jury remains out on this verdict until we are many years down the road.

Looking ahead to the '11 draft, the Chiefs will already have the advantage of not having as many gaping holes to fill on offense and defense like they have had the past two drafts.

The team needs seems to be at WR, DT, OLB, backup QB and OL as well.

This draft appears to be deep in many of these areas, and the Chiefs are ready to add more talent in order to help this team reach their goal of a championship in the future.

The following slides are who I see the Chiefs selecting in this year's draft. Enjoy.

1st Round (21st Pick): OT-Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi #68 of the Wisconsin Badgers warms up prior to playing the TCU Horned Frogs in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Offensive tackle prospect Gabe Carimi is exactly the kind of player that Chiefs GM Scott Pioli is looking for.

He is very intelligent, as he will be graduating from Wisconsin with a civil engineering degree next month.

He also has a very strong work ethic, which helped him to win the 2010 Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's best interior lineman each season.

The Cottage Grove, Wisconsin native was also a 2010 first-team All-American by many publications and is arguable the best tackle prospect in this year's draft class.

Carimi is big, at 6'7" and 315 lbs and could step in and immediate start at left tackle for the Chiefs in 2011.

This would of course shift current starter Branden Albert to the right side of the line, where he would likely play right tackle, which could be more of a natural position for him to play.

2nd Round (55th Pick): WR-Torrey Smith, Maryland

If you are familiar at all with the Chiefs, it is clear that they Dwayne Bowe is their primary weapon at the wide receiver position.

After that, there isn't much behind Bowe.

Veteran Chris Chambers was signed before last season with hopes that the former Pro Bowler would provide the team with another solid season like he did in 2009.

However, this was not to be as Chambers spend a good chunk of the year riding the bench and finished with just 22 catches for 213 receiving yards for the campaign.

The team drafted speedy wideout Dexter McCluster last season, only to see him have a minimal impact on the Chiefs' passing game.

This offseason, it is imperative that the team gets a legitimate WR to go along with Bowe, and Maryland wideout Torrey Smith would be a great compliment to KC's talented Pro Bowl receiver.

Smith had over 1,000 yards last season for the Terps and finished his three-year Maryland career with over 2,200 yards receiving.

He could give Kansas City that deep threat that they have always been searching for, and he could really help take the pressure off of Bowe, especially since the Chiefs will be going up against some solid secondaries this season with the likes of the Jets, Patriots and Packers.

With free agency looking more grim this offseason, Pioli needs to grab Smith if he is still on the board in the second round of this year's draft.

3rd Round (86th Pick): OLB-Chris Carter, Fresno State

Another major position of need for the Chiefs is at outside linebacker.

With veteran Mike Vrabel near the end of his NFL career, KC needs to start looking for a replacement, and former Fresno State OLB Chris Carter seems like a great fit for this spot.

Carter is coming off of a breakout season where he had 54 tackles and 11 sacks for the Bulldogs and has really increased his draft stock after a solid combine earlier this year.

One of his major strengths is getting to the QB, and for this reason, he would be perfect to start across from Chiefs Pro Bowl linebacker Tamba Hali.

He is also solid against the run and has good speed, which is something that the Chiefs have lacked from their OLB positions in recent years.

Carter was recently invited by the Chiefs for a private workout, and maybe, this is a sign that they will go with him come draft day if he is still available when KC comes calling in the third round.

4th Round (118th Pick): DT-Sione Fua, Stanford

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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 09: Sione Fua #92 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after he sacked Matt Barkley #7 of the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

When the Chiefs switched to a 3-4 defense two seasons ago, it was widely know that they needed a solid run-stopping DT in the middle to anchor that style of defense.

Unfortunately, they haven't had that the last two years.

Veteran Ron Edwards has shown flashes of solid play, but is otherwise a league-average NFL defensive tackle.

Good thing for the Chiefs that this year's draft is deep at this position, and KC can afford to wait until the fourth round to make their selection of Sione Fua from Stanford.

Sua might be somewhat undersized for a NFL DT at 6'1", 308 lbs, but he will have plenty of time to add some much-needed weight once he gets into the league.

He has shown the ability to get into the offensive backfield while playing for Stanford, as he picked up 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks during his college career.

He is also a very hard worker and could give KC their first impact DT since Dan Saleaumua manned the position in the 90's.

5th Round (135th Pick): C-Ryan Bartholomew, Syracuse

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 12: Quarterback Greg Paulus #2 of the Syracuse Orangemen shouts to his linemen Ryan Bartholomew #70, Nick Speller #74, and running back Delone Carter #3 during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver St

The Chiefs will eventually need a new center, considering current starter Casey Wiegmann will be 38 years old this July.

The team drafted former Illinois star C/G Jon Asamoah last season in the third round, but he will likely take over at left guard when Pro Bowler Brian Waters' time is done in the league.

Former Syracuse center Ryan Bartholomew is a guy that KC could draft and groom as their next franchise center.

He is very strong (34 reps for the bench press at this year's combine) and is very underrated at his position overall.

Bartholomew and the Chiefs seem like a great match in the later rounds, more specifically, Round 5.

5th Round (140th Pick): WR-Chris Matthews, Kentucky

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LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 31: Maurice Langston #15 and Johnthan Banks #13 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs tackles Chris Matthews #8 of the Kentucky Wildcats during the SEC game at Commonwealth Stadium on October 31, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo b

With the second wide receiver that the Chiefs will select in the 2011 NFL draft, KC picks former Kentucky wideout Chris Matthews with their other fifth-round selection.

Matthews has the size (6'5") and the ability to be another big target for QB Matt Cassel, that would help bolster a WR corps that already includes Pro Bowler Dwayne Bowe and the flashy Dexter McCluster.

He had 61 catches for 925 yards and nine TDs in his last season for the Wildcats and also exhibited great character while at Kentucky as well.

Matthews sounds like a Pioli guy, doesn't he?

I think if he is there in the fifth round, the Chiefs will find a way to nab him.

6th Round (199th Pick): CB-Ryan Jones, Northwest Missouri State

Local product Ryan Jones would be a huge pickup for the Chiefs in the sixth round of this year's draft.

The Liberty, MO native had six picks last season, good for ninth-best in D2 football.

He had 14 interceptions for his career at Northwest and was named a D-2 All-American last season for his performance on the field.

Jones is also very versatile, as he was often played special teams in college, and versatility is something that the current Chiefs' brass values very high on their list.

Plus, KC could use more depth at CB in case starters Brandon Flowers or Brandon Carr get injured or start struggling, which could happen with the much tougher schedule that the team will face in 2011.

7th Round (223rd Pick): QB-Greg McElroy, Alabama

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 13: Quarterback Greg McElroy #12 of the Alabama Crimson Tide sets to pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs November 13, 2010 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

I know, the Chiefs have had bad luck with drafting QBs from Alabama before.

However, this time, I believe it will be different.

Former Crimson Tide QB Greg McElroy has a good shot at falling to the later rounds of this draft due to issues with his throwing motion and some of his mechanics.

Once Chiefs QB coach Jim Zorn works with McElroy on this, he should be able to provide a solid backup option for starting QB Matt Cassel in the future.