thebandit27

They ranked tied for 27th in the NFL last year with 4.9 yards/carry allowed. Actually only 2 teams had a worse run defense on a YPC basis: KC & LAR.

Bennett is fine for an interior option on passing downs, but make no mistake: they're going to miss Malcom Brown and Danny Shelton's snap counts from 2018. They played 43% and 31% of their defensive snaps, respectively. Adam Butler showed flashes, but again, not as much a run defender.

I'd worry more about their defensive interior if I were a Pats****** fan. I think they're down to Lawrence Guy and a bunch of bottom-of-the-roster dudes at DT after losing Brown and letting Shelton walk. But again, that plays into the strength of the 2019 draft class. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see them move up for a Dexter Lawrence or Jeffrey Simmons type in round 1. And don't count them out of making a trade for a guy like Grady Jarrett either.

So, let's suppose I say something like "last year, Zay Jones lead the Bills in receiving TDs with 7". To your knowledge, I've never played in the NFL and couldn't possibly be an expert. Does that make the statistic that I've just stated false? Because that was basically what you said about Cover 1.

Not in our discussion you weren't. I linked to a Cover 1 post that cited statistics (not Cover 1 analytics mind you, just stats) for cornerbacks, and you claimed that the numbers weren't valid because Cover 1 lacked credentials. That's not the same thing.

Speaking only for myself, you got criticized because you claimed Cover 1's lack of credentials meant that the statistics listed in one of the site's articles didn't apply, which was patently absurd.

Heck no. I think the Wood extension really hurt them, and said so at the time. But one thing I've liked about them is that they seem to admit their mistakes and learn from them, so hopefully the new approach portends an improvement

My word. Aside from drafting a QB, what makes you think that he didn't stick to his board? And why would it make sense to draft a TE 9th overall when the position has largely been phased out in NFL offenses, and even the best of TEs are often their own team's 2nd or 3rd best targets? That's without considering that no TE drafted in the first round in the last decade has had a good NFL career.

NBC does it because Collinsworth is a part-owner of PFF.

Show us a few examples of this consistent fastball-that-an-NFL-WR-can't-catch tendency from Josh's rookie season

Nah. This can be picked apart pretty easily by looking at the top 10 picks in any recent draft. The best prospects always end up going first...plus QBs, because need at QB will always trump everything else. Just look at last year: was RB the Giants' biggest need? No way. Did Denver really need to add an EDGE rusher to the group of Miller, Barrett, and Ray? Of course not. Cleveland had already added multiple cornerbacks in FA; was Denzel Ward a need pick? Hardly. I agree that some GMs draft for need, but it's definitely not all, and doesn't really look like a majority either.

They went from having one starting-caliber OLmen to a minimum of 3, with a few others that have upside. That's a significant improvement irrespective of whatever Pretend Football Focus' "grades" have to say. And I'm not really picking on PFF; they do a very good job of tracking data, but their grades are HIGHLY subjective

Actually it's more about value than need. QB is always the pick in round 1 if you don't have one. After that, is it so hard to believe that they went by their board? Were they drafting purely for need, they could've stayed put and taken LVE or Leonard.

I have a few thoughts here: - It's probably worth looking around at what performance constitutes WR2 status; the Bills have more than 1 of them by mean production standards - I don't think they're necessarily finished with the WR group - it's definitely a better group than last year

Probably

Pretty sure that this person meant Waddle

There's your swing OT

So basically Dallas or Houston

None of those guys has had a great season, let alone look like they're going to have a great career. Moreover, not a single one of them looks worthy of having been a first-round pick IMO

Sorry, but I just don't see how that's true. If you look at the numbers, among pass rushers, there were 22 players with 10 or more sacks (I chose 10 because that's generally considered the break point between good and great pass rushers)...and 6 of those were DTs (Donald, Jones, Buckner, Cox, Reed, and Atkins)--3 of them were not only first-round picks, but also the first DT off the board. 2 of the others were 2nd round picks. Contrast that with receiving yards, where 20 players eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark (again, the generally-considered break point between good and great pass-catchers). You'll notice only 3 TEs show up there (Kittle, Kelce, Ertz)--none of them were first-round picks; in fact, only Ertz was higher than a 3rd rounder. There's no doubt in my mind that a good TE will add a lot to the offense, but in comparison to a great pass-rushing DT it'd be a pebble on a mountain. If I have my choice of where to have an elite talent on my team, the hierarchy would look something like this: QB EDGE rusher Interior pass rusher CB WR OT Everything else

Ed Oliver and it ain't close. Odds are decent that I can get Risner right where I am in round 2.

Best argument I have is this: when was the last time that a top-10 TE went on to have a great career? Matter of fact, when was the last time that a 1st-round TE went on to have a great career? Moreover, who are the best TEs in football in the last half-decade? How many of them were 1st-round picks, let alone top-10 picks?

Accidentally posted it in the wrong thread I had deleted it by the time @Joe in Winslow had quoted, so I'm not sure why it still showed up. Guess I'm not perfect after all!

They must feel good about Derek Rivers' health. I'd pass on Clayborn for Buffalo though--they have a guy just like that already in Shaq.

A few more performances worth noting: Anree Saint-Armour - EDGE/Georgia Tech looked explosive, putting up 26 reps on the bench, touching 36" in the vertical, and broad jumping 10'2". He's a bit undersized for a DE, but he has 12.0 TFL's as a senior Marshall S-LB hybrid Artis Johnson certainly looks the part of a dynamic playmaker. He went 29-35-10'5" in his testing after a not-so-auspicious senior campaign. And Clemson...how many ridiculous athletes does their defensive line really boast? Sure, you know about Clellin Ferrell and Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins, and you've probably at least heard mentions of Austin Bryant...but how about Albert Huggins? He struggled to get on the field being relegated to a backup role behind Wilkins and Lawrence, but his athletic testing at their pro day was outstanding. He benched 35 times and had a 28.5" vertical--not bad for a 305-lb man.