billsfan89

The track record of first round tight ends is actually pretty good. Not that many were busts. Yes some of them like Brandon Pettigrew and Jermanie Gresham don't end up becoming top players in the league they were really productive top 10 and even borderline top 5 players some years. Even Ebron a player thought to be kind of good but not worth the pick was still a top 10 tight end for 2 seasons (2015 and 2017) while also having a career year in 2016 where he was a top 5 tight end before having his break out 2018. Ebron even signed a somewhat sizeable contract with Indy averaging 9 million a season. I feel like as the role of a tight end expands beyond blocking and there are less harsh big catches over the middle to take tight ends will be more and more prominent in the NFL and the value of having a good one will go up. I would rather take a pass rusher at pick 9 but if they take a truly special tight end talent it would fit a grave need and without reaching all too much.

I think if he isn't working out at guard in 2019 then in 2020 it could be a good experiment to try and kick the tires there. Not likely but its not that crazy.

Fitz has an OK arm with solid but not elite accuracy but he throws the ball like he has a Josh Allen sized arm and Brady like accuracy. Meaning that he doesn't understand his limitations which results in a lot up and down plays. He takes a lot of risks and given his mid-level talent his play varies wildly. Fitz really is the ideal backup in some ways in that he can go 3-1 and look like a world beater doing so, he also by all accounts is a beloved locker room guy which is a good thing for a backup QB to be. But Fitz can't really sustain success unless he has a stacked team around him. So you get a guy whose career has been very wild in terms of highs and lows.

The tag should be converted to a right to match tag. The teams get to keep their player or do a sign and trade. The players get their value either way.

They could but Ziggy must have a huge injury concern since he remains unsigned. Suh I do feel might have something left in the tank but he is by all reports a malcontent and not exactly a process guy. Clark is a top flight pass rusher and would take the Bills defense to an elite level. Now I think it would be difficult to justify a trade for Clark since trading a premium pick plus other picks for a player you give a big contract to is usually something that backfires on the team trading the picks. So there is a very real argument against the trade but Ziggy and Suh wouldn't match Clark's production.

I think Zay has a shot to be a pretty good WR. He bounced back from a historically bad rookie year to show that at the very worst he can play in the league. WR's now seem to take a few years to get going so I think in year three for him to have a mini-breakout is possible. I do agree that McBeane doesn't have faith in him. They brought in a lot of competition and he will get no favors competing against Foster and whomever they bring in via the draft. But I still think that they feel like Zay can be a part of the team just that they aren't counting on his progression.

I don't see Fournette being a process guy nor worth taking the risk on.

32 sacks the past three seasons. He is also a former second-round pick in 2015. He is also turning 26 in June. I am normally opposed to trading a premium pick/s for a player who you have to then hand out a big contract extension for but I think that the Bills need to strike while the iron is hot and make their version of a Mack trade. I would definitely trade a 4th in 2019 and a 1st in 2020 for Clark and a 4th in 2020. The Bills can afford it cap wise and Clark would instantly anchor the pass rush for the next 4-6 years. Now I also wouldn't give him a 20 million dollar a year deal. If he can be had for around 18 million aav that would make sense. Clark and Ed Oliver or another pass rusher at pick 9 would make this D-line super dynamic and deep. The Bills could then still add a pass catcher and other offensive needs in round 2 and 3 which should help Josh Allen some more. He isn't worth 20 million a year, not among the top 5 pass rushers in the league but not that far off either.

In team sports the whole needs to be greater than the sum of its parts. In football not only do you have to have great talent but you have to have coaching that is putting talent in the proper scheme. You can have great 4-3 talent but if you are running a 3-4 scheme then the results won't be good. I think the Bills draft strategy will be to take whatever the best defensive talent falls to them at pick 9 or trade down if a good opportunity for a trade down is available that give them good value. Then they will likely try and fill offensive needs in rounds 2 and 3 while building depth in the mid rounds.

The AAF could still have operational assets somewhere. Yes it might not be much money but having an active lawsuit might let the players get a piece of whatever is left in their operations funds.

Unless he suddenly becomes motivated and gets in shape he is done. Yes some team might give him a camp invite but he won't ever be an effective player unless he changes his approach and attitude.

A good defensive player will be there at pick 9 and a trade down could be there as well.

A good bubble player to kick the tires on in camp nothing major but these moves on the edges of the roster can make a difference.

Not sure there is a big move to be had, maybe Ziggy but I have a feeling his medicals aren't good or why else wouldn't he be signed. I don't think a malecontent like Suh makes sense for the process and I don't see where else they can go to get at least an above average starting player without character issues.

Next year the XFL starts. Hopefully they can give it a real go. Vince McMahon sold off a bunch of WWE stock recently to further fund the venture. I think he can easily fund one full season unlike the AAF who never seemed to have that one big investor.

Why would the Giants trade up for a QB when they could just take a QB at pick 6 and not have to worry about a team trading up to 7 or 8 and taking their guy? The Raiders seem to be sticking with Carr not sure who they would want at 9. The more realistic scenario is Washington, Miami, or Cincy trading up for Lock or Haskins to get ahead of Denver sitting at pick 10.

I don't buy it. I don't see what talent they are in love with to trade up massively. In the NFL trade ups for non-QB's rarely end up panning out. Yes the Falcons lucked out with Julio Jones but that tends to be the exception. The Bills got lucky that they got value for Sammy (even though Sammy is a more than respectable NFL player he wasn't worth the cost.) I wouldn't hate the Bills packaging 9, 40, and a mid rounder to go up and get a Josh Allen or another elite pass rusher. But that would greatly limit the Bills ability to go out and address other needs losing a premium pick plus a 4th rounder to go up and get one player. I say stick at 9 and take one of the pass rushers that fall to you or trade down to a team looking to get ahead of Denver for Lock or Haskins. Ideally the Bills could trade back with Washington and just take BPA at pick 15 and then go out and fill needs with 2 second round picks and pocket some additional mid round selections and 2020 picks.

Tommy Harris was an elite one gap DT for the Bears in the mid 2000's (he was a key piece from 2005-2007 when he was a pro-bowler and although his play declined for the years after he complied 31.5 sacks in 8 seasons. Harris and others in the mid-2000's played at a size under 300 pounds and were super effective. Now a lot of the smaller DT's did end up getting hurt but that was of course in an era where while the NFL was still a passing league teams did run more and have interior O-line players best suited to maul in the run game over being pass protectors.

Just didn't seem like a process guy in all honesty. If he was one of the top punters in the league and the Bills just didn't have any other options I think they could entertain it. But he hasn't been that good the past couple of seasons. Hopefully via the draft they can draft a punter in round 7 and hit on a good one or scour the vet market as guys get cut in camp. Punters much like Kickers are harder to find than they seem. Vets go from top 5 in the game to cut in the matter of a season or two.

If the Giants want Haskins they will just take him at 6 instead of trading back up. You don't risk not getting your QB to take another prospect at pick 6. The trade down scenario is in my opinion (Which is worth nothing) that makes the most sense for the Bills would be for Drew Lock. I don't see a defensive or O-line prospect that a team will clamor over to trade up for. However Drew Lock is rising up draft boards and the Bills sit just ahead of Denver a QB needy team. The Bills don't need a QB and might not be in a position to take a top 6 pass rusher if the 49ers, Jets, Raiders, Bucs, Jags, and Lions take pass rushers and the Giants and Cards take their QB's. So the Bills would love the opportunity to trade down to let any team get ahead of Denver who presumably might want a QB. Cincy, Miami, and Washington sit at picks 11, 13, and 15 and all need long term QB solutions. Ideally I would love to take Ed Oliver but if Washington wants to give up pick 15, 46, plus a 3rd or 4th in 2020 (This front office is too good at drafting to not want to stash a solid pick for next year in such a trade) for pick 9 and toss back a late round pick I would do so. It would arm the Bills with picks 15, 40, and 46 and a solid pick in their back pocket for 2020.

It takes two to tango, which team is going to want a player so badly at pick 9 that they would be willing to trade up? I don't see a trade down being available. I think Tampa at pick 5 (A team looking to get a QB ahead of the Giants) is a great trade down place. But pick 9 not so much.

They would just put White as the MLB and move Edumonds to OLB. Ideally they wouldn't be in a situation where White is BPA. They would then move Lorax to DE/Flex D-line.

Hughes will need a monster 2019 to command anything dramatically above 10 million. Hughes going into 2020 will be 32 towards the back end of a pass rushers life span that's not a recipie for a big contract esp with his lower sack totals in recent years.

I would rather go younger at DT with pick 9. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't hate picking up McCoy but I think the team needs a young pass rusher to build the front 4 around for years to come not a player they are trying to squeeze 2 good years out of. Granted you could trade a late rounder for McCoy and go Edge rusher at pick 9 but I think the value is much better and the need much greater along the interior pass rushing side of things.

I see a lot of similarities between this year's Bills and the Bears of 2018. The Bears in 2017 had a top 10 defense but a horrendous offense with a rookie QB who looked lost. The Bills in 2018 boasted a top 10 defense but a offense that at one point was looking historically bad (although Allen got it going more than Mitch did in 2017.) The Bears added a lot of offensive talent around a young QB and then invested their first round pick and a lot of future draft capital into their defense and they improved their offense just enough to make their QB have a chance and had an excellent defense. The Bills have made similar acquisitions along the offensive side of the ball and although I don't see them making a Mack type trade I do see pick 9 being invested into the defense and then the rest of their major draft picks back onto the offensive side of the ball. So if the Bills can get to double digit wins like the Bears then I honestly see a lot of awards talk coming the way of management and coaching.