OldTimer1960

I like what I have seen and read about Dion Jordan and Barkevious Mingo. I have reservations as a one year producer, but Ziggy Ansah is intriguing as an outside rush LB in a 3-4. I'd take CB Dee Milliner in a heartbeat, if available. I could make a case for taking OT Lane Johnson and having him and Cordy Glenn be the bookends of a very good OL that could help the run-oriented offense and provide good time to pass for a rookie QB taken in the 2nd round.

I don't really think that Nix thought that Fitz was "the answer". I do believe that Nix thought Fitz was better than he actually is, but I suspect Nix all along was looking for a better prospect (and said so on multiple occasions). Fitz was a stop-gap and was paid like one. I know $7M/year is a lot in most views, but for NFL QBs it certainly isn't elite pay.

There are many here who think Buddy Nix is "an idiot" because he has blindly not addressed the QB position in his 3 drafts and because he gave Ryan Fitzpatrick a middle-of-the-road starting QB contract. I think that these criticisms are pretty much unfair. First, Nix's only drafts while GM were: 2010, 2011 and 2012. While there were 2 second round QBs and one 3rd round QB drafted over that span whom the Bills might have drafted, none of them were considered such obvious "sure things" that people at the time could have blamed Nix for not drafting them. Looking back the QBs who have been drafted over that time include: 2010: Sam Bradford - #1 overall, gone before Bills' selection Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, John Skelton, Dan LeFevour and Tony Pike (many here wanted these last two). Nix did select Levi Brown in round 7 and I think it could be argued that he wasn't any worse than the QBs drafted ahead of him other than Bradford. 2011: Cam Newton went 1st overall. Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder went after the Bills selected Marcel Darius. None of those guys has shown that they are very good starting QBs yet. In round 2, Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick went after the Bills selected Aaron Williams. Now, I'll grant that it would be nice to have either of these guys (or at least it looks that way so far early in their careers). I think this is the only pick in the 3 years where you could legitimately lament that "Buddy blew it" and yet so did many other QB-needy teams. Other QBs from that draft included Ryan Mallett who some might like, but I don't see teams lining up to trade for him and TJ Yates who had a nice run in his rookie year when nobody knew who he was. 2012: Andrew Luck, RG III and Ryan Tannehill all went before the Bills' first pick Brandon Weeden and Brock Osweiler went after the Bills' pick and then Seattle took a chance on the "too short" Russell Wilson and appears to have struck gold - however note it is still early in his career. It is possible that defenses will find schemes to keep him in the pocket and make his height work against him. Nick Foles and Kirk Cousins are "folk heroes" on this board for very brief flashes of good play early in their career. Maybe they will become very good, but the odds are not in their favor based on past drafts. So, for those that can legitimately say that they KNEW that Kaepernick, Dalton and Wilson were going to be very good, I say you had a good eye. I don't however see where Nix passed on any great QBs in round 1. Those 3 from after round 1 fooled most or all of the NFL GMs, too otherwise they'd have gone in round 1 instead of Brandon Weeden, Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert.

A good arm without the other qualities that Fitz has could be much worse than what Fitz produced. There is a long history of QBs with very strong arms who have had worse careers than Fitz. It is hard to find a good complete QB that can be a good NFL starter - it isn't as simple as just finding someone with a stronger arm.

Encouraging info, but those achilles injuries are really bad news. They need their medical staff to clear him and to see him working out, running, catching passes before spending money on someone with that kind of injury.

There isn't much to like in FA QBs right now. I don't see any real drop-off between Ryan Fitzpatrick and T Jackson. I don't see any QB, other than Matt Barkley, who will not be pushed for playing time by Jackson this year. Jackson is really not that bad - he isn't a long-term starter, but he had similar potential coming out of college to most of the guys in this class. I think Jackson could start the first half or more of this year as he does have considerable experience and pretty good physical talent.

I agree. Milliner has the production and showed better than expected speed at the combine. Gilmore and Milliner with McKelvin covering slot receivers would help a lot against the Pats.

Interesting read on Matt Scott. I wouldn't gamble a pick before the 3rd or 4th on him, but he seems to deserve to be drafted. I don't think that you can reasonably pin all your hopes on him being the answer to your team's QB needs, but taking a shot and hoping for the best with him makes some sense. Just my opinion....

It depends on the disparity in team's grades/evaluations of players available. If the team "grades" the BPA significantly higher than their highest graded player at a position of need, then it would seem prudent to take BPA. If the grades are close, then the case can be made for drafting for need. With regard to the QBs and the Bills' obvious need, it is my opinion that if the team thinks any of the available QBs can be a good long-term starter, then they will take that guy at 8. If they don't feel very confident in that, then I think that they'll take their highest graded player with other position needs being considered. I could see a scenario where the Bills take OT Lane Johnson to give them two very good bookend tackles. They could then have Chris Hairston compete for the open OG spot. With the two good young tackles, they can focus on a run-based offense with Spiller and Jackson and provide a good pass blocking line so that they can take a shot with one of the remaining QBs in round 2. Mike Glennon might be very good if you give him a lot of time to pass. I think Nassib has as good a chance as any of the QBs in this draft of being good and EJ Manuel could look pretty good with a line like that in front of him. Last year's low sack total allowed by the OL was a bit of a mirrage as the very short passing game masked some pass blocking deficiencies (my opinion).

I have to respectfully disagree with the comparison between Russell Wilson and Matt Scott. Russell Wilson was a 4 year starter who played very well every year, with an exceptional senior year at a new school where he won the starting job, completed 73% of his passes for 33 TDs and 4 INTs. The only reason he lasted to the 3rd round was that he is 5" shorter than the "prototypical" NFL QB. Matt Scott was a 1 year starter who completed 60% of his passes for 27 TDs and 14 INTs his senior year in the traditionally weak-defensed PAC 10. Career Stats: Russell Wilson: 907-1489 11,720 yards 60.9% 109 TDs 30 INTs Matt Scott: 415-676 4921 yards 61.4% 33 TDs 19 INTs I am not saying that Matt Scott doesn't have at least some shot to become a good NFL player, but I have to wonder about a QB who could only win the starting job in college for 1 year. The NFL is a lot different from college and only the truly special college players even get a sniff of the NFL. Not saying it is impossible for him to buck the odds, but it strikes me as unlikely that a guy who could only start 1 year in college could forge a long-term starting position in the NFL.

There are others knocking Smith for accuracy and ball placement, too. "Climbing the draft board" doesn't necessarily mean it is "real". We don't know where NFL scouts had each of these guys after last season. "Climbing the board" is a bit of a media phenomenon. As the media hear bits and pieces from the teams about players, the media adjusts their "evaluations".

Who signed David Nelson?

It is two different propositions to say that: 1. There will be one or more QBs drafted in round 1 and 2. There is one or more QBs worth drafting in round 1 I have no doubt that at least Geno Smith and Matt Barkley will be drafted in round 1. They may even be one or two more QBs taken. The big question to me is will any of them turn out to be good NFL starting QBs?

There are many here that don't really have a true perspective on the probability of success in the draft. Even first round picks are not sure things - true for even the best franchises. While still high picks, in the 2nd and 3rd rounds you are *hoping* to find good starters and reasonably happy to find good contributors even if they don't start. You also have to realize that not all drafts are equal. In some years there are more good players than other years. The Patriots are one of the best run franchises and have had sustained excellent performance. Here is their draft from 2009 (a draft where they had FOUR 2nd round picks and 2 3rd round picks): Rnd 2: Patrick Chung (S) - pretty solid player who has started 30 of the 50 games he has played in. Rnd 2: Ron Brace (DT) - fringe player who has started 0 games the last two years with a combined 8 tackles those 2 years. Rnd 2: Darius Butler (DB): Has started 18 games in 4 seasons. Has not played for the Pats since 2010 Rnd 2: Sebastian Vollmer (OT): decent to good starting OT. Has started most of the games he has played. Rnd 3: Brandon Tate (WR): 37 catches total in 4 seasons. Has not played for the Pats since 2010 Rnd 3: Tyronne McKenzie (LB): 17 career tackles. I don't hear anyone calling the Patriots a horrible drafting team. This is reality in the NFL draft, sometimes you hit and sometimes you miss - even the best.

Interesting theory, but I think you are way over thinking it. The Bills have several key players coming up to be resigned next year including Spiller and Wood. They already have huge money invested in Mario Williams and some others. I think that they feel that the early FAs were too pricey vs their production and they are waiting for some asking prices to come down. Signing some average players to above average contracts takes money away from paying to keep their own guys (and finding a QB)

I agree that you have to be careful what you believe that teams say about draft prospects. I can certainly understand that Arizona may want to perpetuate the idea that there aren't good QBs available in hopes that one might be available at their pick. But I would think it would be in KC's best interest to hype the QBs in hopes of enticing a team to trade up with them.

Chief's GM John Dorsey said he doesn't think there is a QB worth a first end grade. Cardinal's coach Bruce Arians (who knows QBs), thinks he'll stick with Drew Stanton and said: "noe of them (QBs in the draft) wowed me." Buyer beware.

You do know that Geno Smith's hands are nearly as small as Tyler Wilson's, right? (9.25" vs 8.5") FWIW, I don't care much about the hand size issue. It is only one small thing to look at IMHO

That is interesting, but I think Hasselbeck was released because he was making too much to be the backup. Titans couldn't get him to take a pay cut, so they released him. Much as the Bills did with Fitz.

I am not saying that Patterson might not be great and I don't think that there is any debate that he is an outstanding athlete. All that I am saying is that he is a considerably riskier pick than AJ Green was. Without even looking, I am sure that his JUCO stats are incredible, but I am also certain that most WRs that will go in round 2 or 3 would put up outstanding stats against JUCO competition.

I don't know if any of the QBs are worth taking at pick 8, much less giving up one or more other high picks to move up and take Smith or Barkley. Sit tight at 8 and let Oakland and Arizona take the risks on these guys. IF a trade up is considered, I might be able to get on-board with a move up from their 2nd pick to the late first/top of the 2nd in order to take Nassib, Manuel or Wilson. Even then, the Bills are in tough shape filling other holes (if they trade their 3rd and 2nd to move up). In the event that they could find a trade partner to move down in the 1st to pick up a 2nd, then I could see trading both 2nd round picks to try to get back into round 1.

This QB debate (for me) boils down to: IF the Bills think that there is a QB who has a good chance (not a long-shot) to be a good starting QB, then I think they should take him at #8. However, if they don't think there is anyone that is likely to be a good starter (QB) in the NFL, then it would be foolish to spend the first or even 2nd round pick on a player like that. Those high picks are too valuable to just "take a flyer" on a QB. Like everyone here, I would love for the Bills to find a very good young QB who could be a good starter for many years. I just don't know if there is anyone in this draft that is that guy. Geno Smith: Has a good arm, is reportedly intelligent and a hard worker - however, there are questions about his leadership skills/ability to pull his team out of a slump or bring them from behind as evidenced by West Virginia's disappointing fall after a hot start. Some also question his accuracy, in spite of his gaudy 71 completion percentage. He was throwing to two very very talented WRs - he had a better WR group at WVU than he would have with the Bills. Matt Barkley: I don't care about the history of USC QBs - that is no reason to pass on Barkely (IMHO). The same was said about Cal QBs, but Aaron Rodgers is pretty good. However, there are questions about his arm strength that are a bit of a concern. He is reportedly a very good leader and can make quick decisions and make accurate throws. Yet, there is something about him that seems a bit "golden-boyish" to me. I don't know how to quantify it and I may be completely off base with that, too. Tyler Wilson: I like what I have read about him, especially the leadership and toughness. However, I don't know if his arm is strong enough to be more than a nice backup/maybe game-manager starter. Ryan Nassib: I read that he is a hard worker and is built strong. I think his arm is pretty strong, not great. I don't think I've seen where he is a super leader, but he did lift a Syracuse program out of the dumper, so credit to him for contributing to that. That he would have a leg-up in learning Hackett's offense over other QBs is completely irrelevant to me. You are drafting a QB for the long-term, so a few months less or more to learn the offense means nothing. Many reports that I have seen don't rate him as a likely long-term starter, but at least 1 former NFL scout thinks he is the best player in the draft. EJ Manuel: I like his size, arm strength and intelligence, but he never really "lit it up" in college. He deserves some credit for his team winning multiple bowl games, but he didn't always play particularly well in those big games. Tyler Bray: I wouldn't want any part of this guy before the 4th round. I don't care how strong his arm is, he is reportedly immature and not a leader. He couldn't get Tennessee to play well even though (like Smith), he had two outstanding WRs to throw to. Above, I argued that Geno Smith's high completion percentage may not tell the whole story. With Bray, I think his 58% completion rate is strikingly bad considering who he had to pass to. Of the above, I think that Wilson, Nassib and Manuel show enough to take a shot at in the 2nd. I don't think I like Smith or Barkley enough to spend the 1st pick on, unless the Bills' scouts really don't have any reservations. The worst thing that they could do is talk themselves into overlooking too many shortcomings because they are so desperate for a QB.

You say: 8. Buffalo Bills - Cordarrelle Patterson / WR / Tennessee - Lord knows Stevie needs some help and I think he will get atleast two, if not three, potential cadidates from this draft. Patterson is the best WR in this draft and should be an immediate impact player, depending on who is getting him the football, along the lines of AJ Green. They are almost identical in size and possess the same traits on the field. With the top two QB's off the board Buffalo will make this pick to improve the offense at another skill position. Along the lines of AJ Green? Well yes, except that AJ Green caught 166 passes for 2600+ yards and 23 TDs over 3 seasons in the SEC whereas Patterson caught 46 passes for 778 yards and 5 TDs in one season. Patterson is much more of a projection (and bigger risk) than AJ Green was. I am not saying that Patterson might not be a good choice, but he has only 1 season of production at the major college level. AJ Green was a surer bet when he came out than Patterson.

I think it is a very big assumption to say that any QB that the Bills could draft this year is EVER ready to be a starter, much less in their first year in the league. This is a bad QB draft and just because the Bills (and other teams) desperately need a QB doesn't change that. I am not saying that it isn't worth taking a chance on one of the QBs this year, only that if they do they need to be prepared to accept that he may never be starting material. They need a veteran alternative. If they think Tarvaris Jackson is that guy, then OK. If not, then I'd like to see them pursue Kolb.

I wouldn't mind at all if the Bills selected any of the 3 very highly rated OTs with their first pick. Instead of moving Glenn to G, I think he'd make a dynamite RT and find a G somewhere else, maybe even Colin Brown. If there were a QB with a very good chance of becoming a good NFL starter, I'd lean that way, but I just don't see anybody this year. If the Bills' scouts also don't like any of the QBs, they could do a lot worse than to add a very good OT prospect and focus this year's offense around the running game.