OldTimer1960

I think the answer is yes, provided that the OL holds up.

This is why, my opinion is to stay away from any of these QBs in round 1. I would like to see them take a good OT (if available) to pair with Cordy Glenn and focus on the run game and provide very good pass protection to whomever is playing QB. All QBs look better with a strong running game and good pass protection. OTs are seemingly much easier to assess in the draft than most other positions, too.

Some people are confusing better arm strength with better "up side" whatever that is. My understanding of "up side" is a player who is perceived to have the physical/mental talent and/or "want to" to improve with coaching and experience. Just because, say, Tyler Bray has a stronger arm than Barkley, it doesn't necessarily mean that he has more upside. Let's assume for the sake of this argument that Barkley has an adequate arm (middle of the road NFL arm) and Bray has an arm that puts him in the upper 25% of NFL QBs in terms of arm strength. Though very hard to assess, I believe that Barkley has far superior ability to read defenses and process what he sees more quickly than Bray. Look at the top NFL QBs today: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees... They don't have canons for arms - but JP Losman did. I know which QBs I'd rather have out of that bunch. The reason that it is so hard to assess rookie QB talent is that the most important aspects of QB are very difficult to assess: leadership skills, ability to process what they see quickly, work ethic/study habits, toughness, how they react under a heavy pass rush, etc. As long as a prospect has "enough" arm strength and mobility, they can succeed if they are very good at the other less tangible skills. On the flip side, if scouts don't feel that Barkley has even adequate arm strength for the NFL, then he is likely no better than a career backup. All the intangibles in the world won't completely overcome not having enough arm strength to keep defenses honest.

Geno Smith comes with a lot of questions and I don't think it is even a guarantee that he'll be the first QB taken in this draft.

So, who was the last great QB from West Virginia, NC State, USC,.... The argument that <insert school here> doesn't produce top flight QBs (or pick your favorite position) is nonsense.

Now, there is some analysis. You could charge $ for such insights. Yes, in my opinion, based on what I've read and seen, all of the QB prospects in this draft come with significant questions about them. Does that mean that none of them will be any good? I don't think that is true, but it is possible that this draft won't yield any good starting QBs.

OK, sorry: Scott Chandler.

To be clear, I am not saying that he is really good, only that he isn't as bad as made out to be. He inherited a total mess, nearly completely devoid of talent. The only 3 QBs that I think anyone can point to that he "blew it" by not picking have been Kaepernick, Dalton and Russell Wilson. It would have been great if he had taken a shot on one of them, but he had PLENTY of company in passing on those guys. It isn't like the Bills were the only team in the league looking for a QB, yet Dalton and Kaepernick lasted into round 2 and Wilson into round 3. Yep, it hurts that he picked Aaron Williams over Kaep and Dalton and TJ Graham over Russell Wilson, but Williams was highly thought of by most draft "experts" and may yet pan out at Safety. It is also worth mentioning that MANY 2nd round picks don't make it in the NFL. That isn't just the Bills, but across the league. Again, I am not saying that Nix has done a great job, but given the hand he was dealt, he has built a better talent base than what he inherited.

In my opinion, this criticism of Nix is mostly unfair. He has been in charge of exactly 3 drafts in Buffalo. Yes, QB is the most important position in the NFL. Yes, he can be criticized for not selecting Andy Dalton or Colin Kaepernick, but let's allow those guy's careers to play out a bit longer before anointing them as Hall of Famers. Is Buddy Nix the best GM ever? I don't think so, but he also isn't as bad as he has been made out to be by some here. He has credible scouting background, including being involved in selecting Eli Manning and was very likely consulted in the trade of Manning for Phillip Rivers. He has added talent to the roster, including several street FAs including starting RT Erik Pears and starting TE Scott Campbell. He has also misfired on some relatively high draft picks (I'll concede that Aaron Williams has been lost at CB, but I'd like to see him be tried at Safety, I am in the minority, but I think it is too early to label TJ Graham a bust).

I could get behind 2 in the top 4 rounds. However, I am in the camp hoping for another position in round 1.

Very interesting post and I appreciate that your son has some coaching experience in college - That makes him more qualified than most of us. What stands out to me is how different (qualified) people's views are on these guys. As a very long-time draft follower, I've known for quite some time how "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" when it comes to scouting. The "media" that covers the draft echoes each others views so much that it gives the false impression that there is this very clear ranked list of players that all the teams agree with. I don't think that could be farther from the truth and I hope that folks try to remember that as the draft unfolds. When picks are made that look like "reaches" or players that are highly regarded by the media "slide", try to remember that even different scouts from the same team will view some players radically differently - let alone different team's views of these players. FWIW, a couple of the draft reporters whom I hold in high regards are former NFL scouts. I have been following Russ Lande for years. I love that he has strong opinions and he is not afraid to go against the grain of most. Of course, he isn't always right, but I know that he has done his research and watched several full games on the prospects and, to me, his NFL scouting experience gives him some credibility. I believe he just accepted a job with the CFL's Montreal Allouettes (sp?) as director of college scouting - so at least some professional football team thinks he has some skill (before those who want to trash it as "just" the CFL, remember that Marv Levy coached there and new Bears' head coach Marc Trestman also coached there). I also like NFL Networks' Daniel Jeremiah's work. Again, his NFL scouting history lends credibility to his views and I believe that since he is young and trying to establish himself at NFL Network that he is also "doing his homework" scouting these prospects. (More than what I suspect guys like Charley Casserly, Bill Polian etc have done). It is very interesting to see the above two with professional scouting background differing so much on many prospects. As one example, Lande thinks that Ryan Nassib is worth a high first round pick whereas Jeremiah feels he is a 2nd round prospect. Your son is added to the list of those who have significant questions about Geno Smith (specifically his accuracy). I don't know what to think about Smith or any of these guys. I know that the need for a QB in Buffalo is very great, but I think they are better off fortifying another position in round 1 (and maybe round 2) than the are taking a shot on any of these QBs.

Compensatory picks this year are based on last year's free agent losses, as far as I know.

Some draft classes are better overall than others. Have a look at the 2009 first round, there were a lot of 1st rounders who haven't lived up to their draft positions. That is life in every year, but 2009 appears worse than some that I remember.

Not every NT weighs 350. This whole thread speaks to a prevailing attitude among many here that is very troubling. How can there be this many negative posts about a guy who is injured and is clearly trying very hard to come back to help his team? I could understand if he really wasn't hurt and was just not trying - showing up out of shape etc, but that is not the case for Troup. There is no reason IMHO for anyone to dump on him. Yes, I understand that we are all frustrated that the Bills have not been good for a long time, but there is no good reason to aim that frustration at Troup.

I get that, and to some extent, there is some credence to your point. However, do you really believe that they would pass on Smith/Barkley, etc if they thought any of these rookie QBs had a good shot at becoming a very good pro? They do have the perfect shot at drafting one of them. Sorry, I didn't mean to be a dweeb with my response.

Thanks for the snarky comments, but there is at least some reason to think that their moves are motivated by them not liking the rookies available. All of those teams are in position to take whichever rookie QB they want and the Chiefs (and it appears others) are opting for retread vets over those rookies.

They are only 1 pick shy of a full complement of selections and that is a 7th rounder. There are some holes, to be sure, but they are not the only team with holes. I think that OG will be addressed with internal competition including Chris Hairston. I would not be surprised if they draft another OT somewhere in the mix, perhaps even in round 1 if Lane Johnson is still available.

True, but as the original poster points out, Smith will be there because other team's desperate for a QB have filled their need temporarily with journeymen (Alex Smith, if the trade goes through: Oakland with Flynn and Arizona with Drew Stafford and possibly Carson Palmer.) I would be very leery of taking any of these QBs as the teams ahead of the Bills are looking like they are running from them. Now, maybe they can get lucky and hit on one of the QBs in the draft, but I think there is a very high bust-potential if they draft a QB in round 1 this year. All of the signs are pointing to other teams not wanting these guys.

Thank you. Many here don't understand this point and figure it is all because the team has incompetent front office personnel and is cheap. I think the lack of activity in big $ signings shows that they are actually paying very close attention to the long-term and know where their priorities are.

With his back problems, it is hard to count on Torrell Troup, but you can tell the guy is working very hard to try to make it back to the NFL. Once in a while I check him on twitter and it sounds like the guy lives to work out. I am rooting for this guy because he is working hard and because he could help the defense if he is healthy. Here is a recent photo that he posted: https://twitter.com/TorellTroup/status/316618655100174336/photo/1

I am with you. Reaching for QBs because of need is a misery-inducing exercise: Rick Mirer, Heath Shuler, Kerry Collins, Jim Druckenmiller, Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Duante Culpepper, Cade McKnown, David Carr, Joey Harrington, Patrick Ramsey, Byron Leftwich, Kyle Boller, Rex Grossman, JP Losman, Alex Smith, Jason Campbell, Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Jamarcus Russell, Brady Quinn, Tim Tebow and others have been #1 draft picks because of teams' desperate need for QBs. One side of the coin says it is worth gambling the high pick because, if you hit, you are set for a long time to be competitive. The flip side is that, even without the financial pain of paying insane money to a highly drafted QB (recently changed), the loss of an otherwise likely very good player is still very high. Further, a team tends to "stick with" their highly drafted QB for 2-3 years before starting their search for another one. Unfortunately, I don't think that there is a common denominator for why the list above failed. You could argue that most failed because they couldn't make the quick, smart decisions required of an NFL QB. Unfortunately, that is VERY hard to evaluate in college QBs.

Hey man, what is the avatar picture you have?

In my opinion, there is a BIG difference between DL, WRs and QBs. I don't even remotely see the comparison to Jim Kelly. I am not objecting to Bray being a jerk to people (so much), but more to his preparation and dedication to being his best - AND to the fact that with 2 (and sometimes 3) NFL worthy WRs, he couldn't complete 60% of his passes and lead his team to more victories. Heck, is WRs at Tenn were FAR better than the Bills' current and recent group at the position.

Why do you think this? He is undersized and a one-year starter who didn't put up outstanding stats. Now, I know that there is more to scouting than college statistics, but I do think it is a red-flag that he is a one-year starter. I know that some like Nick Foles, whom Scott sat behind, but Foles (until proven otherwise) is a marginal NFL prospect - perhaps can carve out a nice career backup role. It isn't like he was sitting behind Andrew Luck. Please understand that I am not challenging your opinion - after all, your opinion is as valid as mine, I just want to understand why you think so highly of Matt Scott.

I think Hairston is going to be taking Levitre's place - or at least be given the chance to do so.