2011 Kansas City Chiefs NFL Draft Needs
The Kansas City Chiefs are on the clock with the 21st overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at their biggest needs and how those needs might be addressed on draft day.
1. Nose Tackle: Kansas City’s defensive improvement is a big reason why a jump was made from worst to first in the AFC West. More improvement, and more wins, could be on the way if the Chiefs are able to add the right nose tackle to their 3-4 scheme. Kansas City has spent early picks on Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey in recent years to fill the end spots up front and now it must look for a centerpiece for the middle. The value isn’t there to take a nose tackle this early, so the Chiefs could make a move down the board to get a player like Baylor’s Phil Taylor.
2. Wide Receiver: The Chiefs have a good one in Dwayne Bowe but need to add another playmaking option on the outside. Now is the time since teams will be stacking the box to take away a running game that led the league in 2010. With A.J. Green and Julio Jones both off the board at this point, the Chiefs will be looking to fill this definite need area in the latter rounds. Indiana’s Tandon Doss and Hawaii’s Greg Salas are a pair of nice options that could be available in round three.
3. Offensive Line: Nose tackle and wide receiver are bigger need areas but it makes sense for the Chiefs to get the best available player to fill a need at this stage of the first round. If they take this approach, Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi is a likely target. He is a good run-blocker who would provide an upgrade at right tackle. I think Carimi is a safe pick. If Kansas City chooses to wait to address the line, it could still be in the running for a player like Miami’s Orlando Franklin in the second round.
4. Linebacker: The Chiefs have needs at both inside and outside linebacker. Inside backer is a bigger need, but that spot isn’t worth addressing in round one. If the Chiefs don’t decide to take an offensive tackle, they’ll likely go with an outside linebacker like UCLA’s Akeem Ayers if they stay put with the 21st selection. Ayers appears to be the type of do-it-all 3-4 outside linebacker that will fit perfectly in Kansas City. He’s a gifted pass rusher who also plays the run well. Ayers might have gone higher had he performed better at the combine. The combine judges speed, agility, etc., but it doesn’t determine who the football players are. The game film doesn’t lie – Ayers is a football player. If the Chiefs take Ayers or another player with their first pick, they could fill their inside linebacker need in round two with a player like LSU’s Kelvin Sheppard.
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