Leonidas

Not sure why we needed a third Orakpo thread, but I digress... Is there anybody who doesn't think he's the best 4-3 pass rusher in the draft? Look at the numbers. Brian Orakpo #98 DE CAREER STATS TACKLES FUMBLES FORCED INTERCEPTIONS 101 1 0 Birth Date July 31, 1986 Hometown HOUSTON, TX Height 6-4 Weight 260 lbs. Stats Overview YEAR TOT SOLO AST SACK 2005 17 9 8 1 2006 17 12 5 4 2007 27 19 8 5 2008 40 31 9 11 Everette Brown #99 DE CAREER STATS TACKLES FUMBLES FORCED INTERCEPTIONS 100 3 0 Birth Date August 7, 1987 Hometown STANTONSBURG, NC Height 6-4 Weight 248 lbs. Age 21 Class Junior ProfileStatsGame Log Stats Overview YEAR TOT SOLO AST SACK 2006 27 16 11 3 2007 36 23 13 6 2008 37 31 6 13 Robert Ayers #91 DE CAREER STATS TACKLES FUMBLES FORCED INTERCEPTIONS 112 0 1 Birth Date September 6, 1985 Hometown CLIO, SC Height 6-3 Weight 270 lbs. Age 23 Class Senior ProfileStatsGame Log Stats Overview YEAR TOT SOLO AST SACK 2005 5 2 3 1 2006 25 15 10 1 2007 33 23 10 4 2008 49 33 16 3 I leave Maybin out because he played at a the Roy Williams weight of 234 lbs...at DE.

It's just another weak draft class, like '05. There are doubts about every player in the top. Jason Smith isn't supposed to be the next Orlando Pace; Eugene Monroe certainly won't be. Aaron Curry won't be the next Ray Lewis. And Stafford has a better chance of being David Carr than Peyton Manning. I wish they'd revamp the entire system personally. Rookie contracts are out of control, and you'll set your franchise back half a decade if you're wrong on a top five pick.

I'm not sure I buy that. He got a lot of touches (290) as a rookie, but that doesn't come anywhere close to Larry Johnson's 416 in '06. That doesn't make any sense at all. Maybin won't be able to get to the passer as a 4-3 DE, and his run defense will be non-existant. And I have no idea how Orakpo suffers from "Vernon Gholston syndrome." Because they both hit the gym hard? Give me a break. Orakpo if he's there, no question. Ayers and Maybin would be worth is at #28 maybe. Actually, I don't want Maybin at all. He hasn't shown he can drop into coverage at OLB and he won't be able to get to the QB as a DE. Pass. Not to be overly "argumentative" or "critical" (both of which I can be), but Maybin's first step isn't really all you can talk about. It's his greatest asset, sure, but when he gets to the NFL and tackles are quicker and he needs to use something else besides that first step he's going to be shut down. He could be a huge boom as a 3-4 OLB, but I think - and I feel very, very strongly about this - that he was be a major bust as a 4-3 DE. Orakpo, on the other hand, produced as a legit 4-3 DE which fits us to a T.

...all night long???

Okay I've posted scouting reports on here and not gotten any sh-- for it, but let's see if this passes the sniff test. FYI, this is not my work but I believe it comes in under 150 words for all you copyright attorneys out there. 2008 Scouting Report - Scouts Inc. Grade: 55 | Key Alert: None Comment: Chambers has a huge body with average athleticism. He is a smart player who has developed his line techniques and strength to be a solid contributor along the offensive line. He appears to be more of a right tackle, but has played on the left side as well as the guard position. He isn't an explosive blocker off the line of scrimmage, but can lock on and run his feet to be an effective zone-run blocker. He has decent hand use with the ability to understand angles and how to maintain body position. He is inconsistent keeping his pads down and he can give too much ground at times versus powerful bull rushers. He has good stride and arm length to keep leverage as a perimeter pass-blocker, but quick counter moves can exploit his deficiencies. Chambers isn't quick to reset or recover when out of position and isn't very effective on the second level. He is a hard-nosed player who gives a steady effort and gives valuable depth to the Bills' offensive line.

Am I the only one who doesn't like new uniforms? I know I come off like a crotchety old man (ahem, stuckincincy) but I generally hate new uni's. Vikings, Bengals, Cardinals, yes, the Bills (especially the road uni's) - they're all awful. Maybe Tampa and St. Louis improved as did the Patriots after those horrible mid-90's jerseys, but I like the old ones otherwise. The 90's Bills jerseys were great with the old standing Buffalo as the throwback. I dunno, maybe it's just me.

Draft boards are always based on need to a certain extent. Don't believe the "best player available" hype hook, line, and sinker. That being said, within the framework of what you need, you draft for value. Last year was a great example. WR was a bigger need than CB, but they went CB in 1, WR in 2 for value. It's too early to tell, but IMO '08 was a great draft. That is precisely why I want them to go DE before OT, depending obviously on who falls (although the top OT's worry me terribly).

To be fair, Peerless Price and Roscoe Parrish are completely different WR's. Parrish (5'9" 170 soaking wet) is the kind of guy - no more than a 3rd or 4th WR - to get in the middle and use his pure quickness to make defenders miss if the progressions ever get to him, but lacked even decent size to be a legitimate deep threat. Price (5'11" 195 lbs.) was a solid #2 who was a deep threat and liked to work the sidelines, but wasn't crazy about contact. In Atlanta, the expectations of Price were crushing. With Roscoe, they were never there; he never came anywhere close to Price's numbers in '02.

Great throw by Fitzpatrick on that tape, if anyone noticed...

That doesn't make any sense. Of course sack numbers aren't the only thing, but three??? His production declined after his sub-par 4-sack junior season. Who was the last first day DE to actually have his sack total increase after leaving college??? His would have to increase four-fold to make him worth the #11 overall pick. So no, it's not the only thing, but to ignore it completely is foolish and will contribute to more playoff-less years in Buffalo.

...except for the people that continue to pose this question in multiple threads, evidently...

Here's a question: have any of you seen Scheffler play??

Do you live in Amherst? Bandit27 would like you to visit...

T.O. is a 1-yr stop gap. Hardy or Johnson will bet he #2 next year. And mjohns85 is right, we didn't give up anything for him.

You'd be pissed off if you were stuck guarding the pass at Thermoplyae for the rest of eternity. Freakin' Ephialtes of Trachis...

It doesn't matter, he's not getting past Atlanta at #23.

Yeah, I hear that. I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on this guy at #28. But to grab a guy with 3 sacks at #11 just seems so irresponsible. And I know playing in the SEC he played the best (while a guy like Sidbury certainly didn't), we desperately need a guy to get to the QB. I know you're not a big Orakpo fan, but playing at Texas he played against the best, he had a sick Combine, and he's freakish in the weight room. He's not Vernon Gholston; he'll play with his hand down. None of this dropping into coverage crap. "Go get the QB, Brian."

So does an OT at #11.

That's the smartest thing you've ever said.

Does your 'better half' know about what's going on between you and Kiper's Hair??

What's a GM?

Tim, Any resolution on the Peters "conditional" pick? Is it officially just a 6th rounder, or does it depend on Pro Bowls or something else equally subjective? I'd like to know so I can figure out how much to root against Philly this year in a new wave of 2009 bitterness. Thanks, LM

I hope - no, I pray - that you're both wrong. It blows my mind that three sacks turns into a stout NFL pass rusher according to some people.

Am I reading this wrong?? Britton's arm length is horrible...

Don't blame me. I had to do it. For Sparta. And 'cause Xerxes made me.