bourbonboy

Orakpo - and I think it is very feasible that this could happen. I'd similarly be upset with Raji or the top 3 OT's, but if by some miracle one of them did fall, they would be a Bill after pick 11.

??? What could we possibly get for him? Nobody else wanted him just a month ago.....

The only way that trading up would make sense is if we could do it cheaply....if Sanchez goes early, there may not be many other decent offers to trade up. Nobody wants to commit to those salaries. And if a team like Cleveland is desperate to trade down, we might be able to grab the #5 pick cheaply. If Cleveland only wanted an extra 4th to exchange #5 for our #11, we'd be stupid not to do it. It's smart business sense to keep in touch and see what the minimum asking price is....

Per Rotoworld, just released: The Denver Post reports that the Broncos recently contacted the Browns about Brady Quinn's availability, but were told Quinn isn't available. End of discussion - the browns have no real interest in Sanchez, but should he fall to them, they want others to think the threat is there to increase the trade value of the #5 pick. Now why the Broncos even asked this in the first place is another story....

Based on draft value, the Bills will not need to use both 1sts to get ahead of Cinti to grab Smith. #11 and our second rounder (#42) has about equal value to the #5 pick. That said, the top picks these days do not carry as much value as the usual charts say, because teams do not want to commit to the huge contracts that the top picks require. So, we may be able to trade up without losing either of our other day #1 picks. If that was the case, it may well be worth it, and worth at least discussing with other teams.

Chris Brown probably has a better idea of what the Bills will do given who is available when they pick....but trying to pick who flies off the board with the first ten picks is anybody's guess...

One little incident of getting hot under the collar does not turn a high-character guy into a thug....I love many of the things he's done off the field (come on - how can you not like him inviting a guy to live with him so Donte could help mentor him?). And his on the field performance will improve significantly if he gets the DE-LB help he mentioned. He's dead-on on those needs. Nobody in the secondary of any team is going to look like a pro-bowler if there is no pass rush....

I'm optimistic as well - it's that time of year! The longer you look at the roster and the potential of multiple players that did not contribute last year (whether due to injury, coaching, less experience, recent addition, etc.), you have to have hope. If you didn't, you can't call yourself a true fan. And the draft just provides all that much more hope, especially with 3 of the top 42 picks. I'm psyched for this weekend, I probably won't like several of the picks, but then I'll read up on them and within a few weeks I'll have even more hope for the team. It's only once the season starts that things tend to go to hell. But that's not gonna happen THIS year.....THIS year will be different!

I would be upset if we took Oher when Orakpo was still available (he is exactly what we need for the 4-3)....but Pettigrew at #28 would be nice indeed!

I wonder if Gonzo had right of refusal on this trade, and if so, if he had checked who his new offensive coordinator will be....Mike Mularkey doesn't know how to use a TE in his offense!

Tough call - the guy had the talent, and I wouldn't totally write him off. Let's face it, there's a lot of immature players coming out of college. Some of them stay that way into retirement and beyond, but some of them do get their heads on straight after a few years....I'd love it if he was interested in trying to kick-restart his career with the Bills, but I doubt it happens. FO wouldn't want to get burned twice, and not all fans would be so forgiving. He'll probably sign with NE, MIA or NYJ and become a pro-bowler!

Gee, a 2-time pro-bowler who's underpaid and wants more money....where have we heard this before?

FYI, per Rotoworld: Former Duke PG Greg Paulus will join the Syracuse football team this fall, according to ESPN's Joe Schad. It's a much better fit than Michigan. SU's new coach, Doug Marrone, is New Orleans' old offensive coordinator, figures to run a pro-style offense, and has some history with "short" QBs. Paulus still faces an uphill battle to start. Hope he has a great year!

Bell is being talked about a lot this off-season, but I haven't heard a word about Ellis.....makes me doubt that he's being relied on to be much of a difference maker this year.

I remember - he looked unstoppable, but if I recall he only had a couple games like that before the Caddy ran out of gas, and never looked the same again. Just our luck that we were the roadkill for one of those games....

They both scare me, but I'd rather see the Bills take Orakpo if he's there......

Well, he IS faster than any DE we could draft, but I bet he'd be worthless against the run if he lined up there!

I think it's a little of both.....you don't reach too far for need, but it's silly not to fill the need if there is a player only a few spots down on the draft board. In Edwards case, I think they had him way higher than anyone else left on their board by the time their 3rd pick came around, and I'm sure they'll do the same this year if someone else like that falls, regardless of need or position.

What he said....only I also think that we may need to move up higher than that if we really want Pettigrew. A lot of the mocks I've been seeing lately have him going at 21 to Philly (which shoulda been our pick!)

No - it doesn't make sense - but it makes even less sense to start a very raw rookie at LT. Peters did not even start there, and like Peters, the Bills want Bell to get some experience at RT. I could see Bell being moved to LT in mid-season if he can handle it, and/or if Walker isn't panning out at LT. Chambers was also not bad (although he may be needed at LG now), so we do have options, but I still wouldn't mind seeing a 1st round quality OT (or Mack) pick to give us more options.....

Ah, the voice of experience from someone who has been a member here much longer than me....lol Good point, although you never know if things may be different now, particularly if KC refuses to accept anything lower than a high third pick. We could be the only option to returning to another year in KC hell.

Per Rotoworld: The Eagles "might have nosed ahead" of the Falcons in the Tony Gonzalez trade talks, according to SI.com's Don Banks. Philly is "thought" to be offering a third-round pick, but KC still wants a second-rounder. Banks says the Chiefs may fear upsetting their fan base by lowering their demands. Gonzo may not fit new coach Todd Haley's offense, however, and the fans will be just fine if the rookie helps KC win games. Source: SI.com Our 3rd-round pick is better than Philly's, and could maybe be enough....I'd rather have Gonzo than any TE that would be left in the 3rd round, and we should have the $$ available with Peters gone. Or, to really make things interesting, offer KC the #28 pick for both Gonzo and Waters!

Seems to me that he just doesn't want to work for this union - maybe his agent can get the NFLPA to trade him to another union (perhaps one based in Philly?) that will agree to pay him what he wants....

FYI - per Rotoworld, the Jets (or at least the local Jets beat writer) consider him a reach at #17: Beat reporter Dave Hutchinson believes the Jets will try to trade down from No. 17 overall and draft Oklahoma State TE Brandon Pettigrew. Hutchinson says "Rex Ryan wants to run the ball" and New York doesn't have a blocking tight end on the roster. The Jets reportedly see this as a deep draft for wide receivers and believe they can get one in the second round. Source: Newark Star-Ledger I can't see how we'd seriously consider him at #11....

This is really the key - you can't look at the draft choice trade value straight up. We won't get a LT as good as Peters with the #28 pick; however, if we can get someone close, then use the extra $$ to keep other key players or bring in other free agents to plug other holes, then the trade as a whole can make a lot more sense. So, you gotta look at not only the draft picks, but also what the extra $$ brings us.