OldTimer1960

I think I understand your point, but what makes Luther Burden have a higher upside? When I watch Burden, I don’t fully understand the hype. I would much rather have a defensive player at 30 than WR because I think the defensive players will be better prospects. Still, I think the idea that a good solid starting player is somehow a letdown/failure at pick 30 is not realistic.

What are you expecting at pick 30 in a middling draft? Late in round 1 I would be fine with a solid pro who will be worthy of a 2nd contract.

Ouch!

Yep - 64 and 5 weeks off knee replacement - I should be ready for camp!

I think it’s age discrimination!

Does being an older draft eligible player affect their draft position in your view? In my eyes I think it should be at least a bit of a negative. My reasoning is that 1. An older player may have a physical/mental advantage vs younger college players that makes them appear better than they really are, 2. Older draftees may have less upside as they’ve had longer to build muscle and learn their position and techniques, and 3. those older draftees will be near 30 when their rookie contract is up - so do you want a second contract for a guy near 30 y.o.? To me it is a bit like RBs being downgraded because wear and tear leads you to not want to sign them to a second contract. Darius Alexander has done a good job of hiding his birthday, but he will be a 25 y.o. rookie. Darien Porter is also a 6th year player who will be at least 24 as a rookie. Thoghts?

I really hope so and that Buffalo is the one to do the deal. I’m hard-pressed to think that there will be someone that the Bills rate so far above the other available players at 30 that they won’t consider a trade out.

I will probably get some heat for this take, but I keep reading that the DE group (and DT) in this draft is very deep. I guess looking at it there are a fair number of DEs who could be decent starters, but after Carter, Pearce, Green and maybe Ezeirauku I think many of the “starting caliber” DEs are more good run defenders who may register 5-8 sacks per year. I get that Shemar Stewart has the potential to be a big sack guy, but he hasn’t done it yet - same with Mykel Williams. I do think that Scourton and maybe Umanmielen have potential to be good sack producers, however after that it looks like “solid” “balanced” DEs like Jackson, Sawyer, Tuimoloau, Ivey and Burch. To be clear, there isn’t anything wrong with having a solid run defender that might scrape together 5-8 sacks per year- those guys have value. I guess I am just preemptively arguing that our expectations for a DE that the Bills might be able to draft should be more in the solid vs “dominant pass rusher” category. I would be happy to be wrong on this. Who else do you see in the draft at DE that might make it to 30 or 56/62 that have plus pass rusher potential? Note, I recognize that DTs can also generate pass rush pressure and it is possible that the best way for the Bills to help their pass rush may be to add a good DT - even a big plugger at DT might draw enough attention to help free up the DEs. Thoughts?

I suppose it depends on who is there, but they are moving up 6 spots and dropping 41 spots- pick 56 is still in where they may find good players, 97 is a lot more questionable. I would be more inclined to drop out of the first - still within top 40 and maybe pick up an extra 3rd or 4th. it’s not that I’m especially interested in an extra 3rd/4th, but I think you can get a very similar player at 40 as you can 30 in this draft.

Good info, thank you. I’m leery that someone with that athletic ability couldn’t find the field before his last season and I think he is a 6th year (older) prospect who will have a lot to learn still at the NFL level. If he is going to win in the NFL due to his great size and athleticism, why did it take him 6 years to even be a starter in college?

Respect your view, but any trade up for a guy with so little production with those athletic traits is a lot too rich for me. I could consider him starting at the Bills’ late 4th. Earlier than that seems like a hope and a prayer rather than a solid pick. That’s just my opinion - I don’t know that I am right.

I don't think his hamstring "tweak" will impact his draft position at all. Now, if he runs a 5.3 40 at his pro-day, he might slide a bit, but I wouldn't count on him making it to the Bills' 30th pick. Tyliek Williams is interesting, but he does have arms that are on the shorter end of the spectrum (32") from NFL's perspective. He was more athletic looking in the field drills than many thought and I felt that he looked more athletic than given credit for in the games I watched. He is mainly a run-plugger and likely mid-2nd round, but could be penalized for less-than-ideal arm length. It will be interesting to see where he goes in the draft.

The price to move to 18 would be one of the Bills' 2nd round picks this year. That's too steep, in my opinion, given how many needs the team currently has (DT, DE, CB, S, WR).

I won't be surprised if the Bills might like Jordan Phillips - he is quite young and has physical talent. They went that way with Tremaine Edmunds and Greg Rousseau. I'm not saying at pick 30, but they might bet on his youth and physical talent in the late 2nd. I think he has a wrestling background as well, but his arms are not the length that teams really want.

For all his "freakishness", he managed to catch only 26 passes last season. He never caught even 20 balls in a season before that. I would shy away until maybe the 5th round given that lack of production, especially considering that Tennessee has a way of making fast receivers like Jalin Hyatt look good.

I am guessing that WR won't be close to BPA in either the first round or at either of the Bills' 2nd round picks. I am thinking that they'll have better options at those picks at DT, DE and CB or S. Since they don't have a 3rd round pick, my guess is round 4 will be the earliest they might reach for a WR. I know that the team needs reinforcements at WR and I am aware that many fans want them to take one early, but this doesn't seem to be the year to take one in this class. I don't see a WR that I expect to make it to the end of round 2 that would be all that interesting - if you do I am open to hearing who you like that may be there at 56 or 62. Note, I am assuming that Mathew Golden will be picked before 30. I thought that he would be gone ahead of 30 anyway, but I think his 4.3 40 solidified that.

Don’t they already have a pick in that range? 108, I think 7th pick of 4th

Golden is 25lbs bigger than Worthy - that was my reasoning.

Not likely to be there by then after running that time.

Well, they need someone as depth at end. Near the end of his career - does he have anything left?

Not a good run for Tez Johnson at all.

There goes any hope that Mathew Golden could be available to the Bills. 4.3 for him was big.

Good luck, pickings are slim in this class and defense will likely be the priority.

They will be fortunate if he is still available at 30.

I wouldn’t read too much into who they didn’t talk to just at the combine - there are still other opportunities to talk with prospects before the draft.