WhitewalkerInPhilly

Personally...well, if these was one person in the draft top five that is considered both an elite player and a position of immediate need to fill it would be Kalil. While it is true that no one can know for sure whether a pick will succeed or flounder Kalil is pretty much the prototypical LT. After he is gone, I don't see anyone worth reaching past 10 for. With that said, do I think that if we don't pay an exorbitantly high price the pick will inevitably cost us do I think that our O-line will collapse? No. Quality people can be found in later rounds, but this provides some certainry.

Ok, I'm likeing Floyd more and more. Would I like to see an elite CB or LT get drafted? Sure. But apart from Rieff, who wouldn't be a starter from the go I don't see many better players by pick ten. Considering that our line did decent even without Bell I can wait until round 2 to take a LT.

Until I saw what happened to Bell I would have disagreed with you. Now I don't care whether or not Rieff is expected to be Elite. I'll take solid and ready to start somewhere soon.

I honestly didn't know that he had been rated to be a LB. If so, I'm warming to the idea. Maybe we put him on the outside with Barnett. Between him, sheppard, Barnett, Merriman, M. Williams, K. Williams, Dareus, Anderson, Kelsey and Carrington...with all those people rotating we could have an incredible front 7.

Good for Roscoe. I am a fan of his, and he has shown flashes of greatness which have been hidden by injury. I wish him luck this year.

Look, as optimistic as I am there is a reason that despite knowing this since the Giants beat the Patriots during their 18-1 run, the Patriots are still a dominating force that went 13-3 and made it to the Superbowl. Now, do I like our new DL? You better bet your ass. But our win against them last season, while glorious and the result of a strong effort, had us win because of crazy interceptions. Brady is getting older, and I think they are starting to decline, but they are still a team to be reckoned with.

+1. McKelvin is causing some hesitation, but I remember drafting Price and Evans in the first round and while good they round themselves replaced by lower draft picks. Yet people have not ruled out a WR as a first round pick.

Oh, I wasn't saying we should keep him. I'm kind of ambivalent on that. I was responding to a poster who was questioning why I thought someone would take him.

A quick word on the "character" thing, since it seems to be cropping up a lot. Look, I'm not perfect. Far from perfect. When I went away to school after being the good son for many years, I did my share of drinking, and making the mistakes that come with it. Now that I'm out I can say that I'm a mostly responsible adult and if people slammed me for every time I made a mistake I would likely be homeless by now. Can he play, and stay out of jail? That is the only question I ask of Floyd. Now, whether a WR is the best choice for a first round draft pick is another question entirely, but I'm not going to write the guy off because he got caught drinking in college.

Won't. As leery as I am about another McKelvin I don't think anyone will contend that it is a position of need and since I'm not sold on Martin or think that we can't fill the Z-receiver from our own ranks or in a later round I would be for it.

Look, we already have Chan Gailey talking about how there is only one football and Spiller and Jackson will have to share. Now, I understand that a talent like this is tempting, and personally I doubt that he will make it to pick #10. But even if he does, I wouldn't take him. IMHO, the one position where the Bills are blissfully over-talented is Running Back, and the two we have are diametrically opposed. Jackson is a grinder who can add a few yards after contact to most carries while Spiller can occasionally break a big one as well and had the speed and practice to break wide in a double RB set and act as a receiever. Now, if we had no big gaps to fill I would say "Hell yes!" But the truth of the matter is that our defense was one of the worst in the league, our LT is looking to leave, our CB's are old or getting outclassed and our WR corps though scrappy are thin. THESE problems weigh more heavily on my mind than the thought of missing out on a great RB.

Yeah, I've got to go with you on this and even say skip the mid-first round. I still remember JP Lossman. If a diamond in the rough shows up as a backup and you aren't building your team on the pass game I'm all for promotion from backup.

The answer is demand. Do I think Bell is fantastic? No. But the fact of the matter is that we are short on choice. It essentially comes down to, "If we can't get Bell, what do we do?" The FA market for people to play at LT is pretty short this year, especially now that Peters has gone down for the Eagles which will increase demand. In the draft, after Matt Kalil, there does not seem to be an immediate starter. Martin might be a project, but if his combine showing is any indication he needs work. Not a writeoff, but needing work. So even if we are alright with Hairston, I will not be surprised if any one of the 31 other teams out there are willing to take a reach. I would rather give him a very incentive based contract.

Im personally not a fan of taking any of the WR's that would get to us in round one. So unless Blackmon is there at pick 10, I would be satisfied with taking Sanu.

I'm a big Fred Jackson fan. And to be honest I think the man has earned the starting job, and I think we are going to get some good years out of him. That said, I think Spiller really matured last season and I think in the long run he will be our guy.

I don't see this at all. The only person in the draft that I would consider anywhere even close to an even deal would be Kalil at pick three. And given that the Vikes already have Adrian Peterson I don't see them making that. Then I should bring up the point thay while I like Spiller, and that he made huge strides last season he is not ready. I want Fred to keep mentoring him for at least another year.

No. He's so much cheaper

Apparently he is none too pleased about going to thrid string. The Jets got him for 1.25 M this year and he passed up chances earlier. Could save cap room going for him instead of Thigpen.

That's good to hear, because I've been thinking about this. I am also pretty sure that Dwan is getting cut with the influx of new talent better suited for the 4-3.

I disagree with the "true #1 receiver" bit. I think Stevie is our main man for a while. I also am pretty sure that Moats is going to make it. He played well when at outside linebacker and now we have ample reason to put him there.

I don't think Byrd is going to go back to his wonderful crazy INT season. That said, even though he didn't put up crazy numbers the last two years I agree that his play has been solid and improving. I don't think that he will get those same numbers but with the new pass rush I think he could shine again.

Bell. Full stop. Pretty much every other problem we have can be worked on in the draft IMHO, and I would really like to see this shored up beforehand.

With TE's becoming more popular, this may be a good, low key signing. I'm happy to see us quietly resigning our players at a decent price.

Smith also had his competition sign with someone else. But I think we can consider Bell having fewer offers than Peyton Manning.

Make no doubt, I reaaaalllllly hope we do too. But the Bills have made their offer and Bell has declined to counter. The man is shopping around free agency and I wouldn't be surprised if he finds a taker.