starrymessenger

There are other ways of addressing the DL needs. This draft is actually pretty deep at those positions. You don't have to take the best DT prospect with your first round pick, especially a 3 tech if you feel Ed should be seeing the field more. The top shelf receivers in this historic class are all probably immediate impact players but while the class is deep there is a significant drop off after the first/early second. Right now we are positioned to get one of those guys but we probably won't be back end of the second round. An immediate impact WR would absolutely improve the passing game overall by adding a dimension that is clearly lacking.

Maybe by the numbers but not in terms of leverage/benefit if you consider who we have under centre.

In his first mock draft he has us taking the 3 tech J. Newton at 28, which is exactly where he has him in his top 50. Jeremiah is pretty shrewd so I was a little taken aback given our obvious need for a couple of WRs in what is an outstanding class. You know why he's doing this though. He is looking squarely at McD with his outsized influence on our drafts. I sure hope he is wrong but if he's not I'm going to start tearing up the cobblestones. A. Mitchell all day please.

I see that Ekbuka is going back to OH. I guess he wants to show what he can do as the primary receiver. Given the strength of 2024 class that's probably a good decision.

If you are not so much into 6'4" guys you might like Ekbuka/ Ladd McConkey. There is a lot to be said for those guys.

I would take A. Mitchell well ahead of Leggette. In fact I might well be disinclined to pick him in the first at all, especially considering strength of class. I'm not that bothered by his being a one year wonder or his age but what does bother me is that even in his breakout year he was a no show against the best competition that he faced. I haven't seen his game tape so it's possible his sub par game stats are attributable to something unrelated to his performance but it was definitely a clear trend like maybe 4 games against good Ds. I also don't much like that his reported height was so off the mark. Lets see how he runs. I'm thinking maybe in the 4.4s when the dust settles. A. Mitchell is projected to run around 4.5 and all things considered that is good enough to establish him as a threat at all three levels. I agree that we could complement him with a true burner but guys like that should be available later in the draft (John Brown was a 3rd rounder) or look at a cheap FA like Mooney who is very fast, gets separation, is only a couple of years older than Legette (26) and is a vet with a 1000 yard season to his credit. A better prospect imo.

I wonder what Jayden Daniels will be worth after they get through ruining him.

Greg Olsen really good commentary.

A good D and coach will always get the better of Lamar. He just doesn't have the tools in the passing game.

They will be looking to find an elite WR in the draft.

I'm glad the Chiefs won because they are definitely moving up probably aggressively in the first to find a stud receiver for Mahomes. I worry about them leapfrogging us for someone we would badly want and need. At least now they've got further to move. Beane might consider moving up himself as a precaution.

They very well might have but for the fact our best players on D never saw the field or were less than 100% (Douglas, Johnson).

Since last week.

This is really pathetic.

Chiefs have a great D and a great O-line. That's about all Mahomes needs.

Night Train.

I think he's the best WR in this strong class not named MHJ.

To me Coleman needs to prove that he is more than a possession receiver/red zone threat. The combine should help in figuring that out. He absolutely torched no less a team than LSU (3 TDs & circa 128 yards) and has been able to show at times a surprising agility and athleticism for a guy his size.

I would be very happy with A. Mitchell. True he's not a 4:3s guy but given his size his projected 4:50 is entirely adequate especially considering his twitchiness and short area quickness. I might take him ahead of Franklin, another tremendous prospect. While it's true that Franklin can probably add to his 187 pound frame without losing anything in terms of his game speed I think Mitchell can pack on another 20lbs and still be the same guy and he's already bigger. Good chance Thomas is taken before 28. Leggett worries me a bit given his late blooming and more so even the fact that he did not perform well in his breakout season against the three teams representing the best competition he faced. A polarizing player is Keon Coleman. Some see him falling. Some see him as the fourth best receiver in the class. He could very well be another Alshon Jeffery with maybe even a higher ceiling. Hard to know when some say he's for sure running in the 4.6s and others insisting he's a solid 4.45. That's a big difference and has bearing on whether he's limited as a red zone target or capable of serving as a midfield/downfield threat. I guess we will find out in due course. Maybe 6 QBs will go in the first and a number of teams will be looking to protect the guy they already have from amongst a number of very promising O-line prospects. There are a couple of edge defenders going in the first and at least one tight end. And of course you know that three or four DBs will be taken. Add the three or four WRs you know are going before we pick and that leaves excellent X receiver prospects still on the board for us at 28.

At 28 the Bills are likely to have the opportunity to draft one of the premier boundary X receiver prospects with the desired traits. In my view more than one will be available there and the question will be which one to take assuming that's the direction the braintrust wants to go in. Thomas, Adonai Mitchell, Franklin, Leggett amongst the blue chip prospects could very well all be there. Some of those guys have already been mocked to the Bills. MHJ, Nabers, Odunze will almost certainly be off the board but loads of talent will remain.

The way I was thinking of it if we waited till the third round to draft a smaller burner with route running ability and good ball skills (some of whom have been canvassed here) we would have to be more aggressive in pursuing a higher value FA WR target. I did not mean to stand pat with a third round selection. But in any event I don't think we need to go there. I too think that several premium wideouts with the desired measurables will be there when we pick in the first. They prolly won't be there late in the second. I will check out McConkey.

Yeah he'd be a good OC but he has now shown his toxicity on the other side of the ball. Obviously he's not taking an OC job anywhere so I really don't know if there is any place for him to go.

If no WR with the desired traits (size/length/speed) is available at 28 I'd be fine with DeJean converted to strong safety in a zone scheme if he's still on the board.. Thing is I suspect that maybe 3 or perhaps even 4 of those guys will be there or within striking distance for us because maybe 6 QBs will be taken in the first and there are a lot of premium Oline players in this draft as well not to mention some, though maybe not as many, very attractive edge defenders as well. Those positions pretty much always represent a team need (including ours in the case of DLine). Except for maybe three top end guys the remaining WRs, some of which seem to fit the bill, are going a little later than some people think imo.

Unless a premium pick with the desired WR measurables is available at or around 28, I could easily see the Bills going D early rounds (1 and 2) and I wouldn't blame them. A smaller burner vertical receiver with excellent ball skills might be a decent consolation prize but not at the top of the draft. John Brown was a third rounder. That's where guys like that tend to go.

I think a lot of the WR talk is superfluous. We don't need a guy who translates at the next level as a slot receiver and some of the guys who could play outside in college just don't really stack up as boundary guys in the NFL. The required traits seem to me to be crystal clear and fortunately there are a number of them in this year's class that are worthy of consideration and who could be available at 28 or within striking range. You want a player with size/length (including someone who has the frame to put on another 10 lbs - eg Troy Franklin), and with the speed to earn separation on vertical routes. Josh Allen has an incredible arm but he doesn't necessarily always throw a "receiver friendly" pass both with regard to velocity and ball placement. The ability to catch his laser throws is what used to make Diggs such a good complement. As an aside I'd say that Shakir has shown the ability to bring in some of Josh's difficult throws and combined with his demonstrated YAC leads me to think he may well establish himself as a star. Like I said we don't need another slot receiver. So the guy cannot be a body catcher with less than ideal catch radius and he needs to have strong hands. These vertical guys coming out typically have very underdeveloped route trees even more so than other college receiver types. Often even their vertical routes are underdeveloped. So you need to form a view on whether the candidate has the physical characteristics and coachability to develop as a route runner. If nobody filling the bill is available I'd hesitate to take early even a talented guy. There will be more "developmental" types with the right traits and potential later in the draft. Of course there are exceptions but we have no chance at a spectacular talent like Nabers (who as a slot parenthetically can absolutely contribute on the boundary as well).