OldTimer1960

I completely agree. It isn't that Williams is a BAD player, it is that he'd be a pretty big reach at 9. This is a big strong guy, but he didn't even play NT at Tennessee and the reports I have seen say that while he has very good power, he gets pushed off the line due to losing leverage too often. Now, perhaps that is a "coachable" point, but he did play for former NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin at Tenn and if he couldn't correct it, then why would we expect that he'd be better in the NFL.

Not 5-10 picks too early, an entire round too early. I have not seen ANY one touting Brown as even remotely a 1st round candidate, much less top-10 pick. I HAVE seen him compared to major bust Winston Justice from the very same USC Trojans. I just don't like Brown at all. If the Bills pick him, obviously I hope that I am wrong. However, based on what I've read from my favorite sources (ProFootballWeekly and GMJr/SportingNews), Brown is a maybe-2nd rounder with considerable upside, but considerable questions, too.

I think Dan Williams would be a horrible pick at 9. The only place I see him rated as a top 15ish pick is Pro Football Weekly (who I respect), but most others have him as a late 1st - or later pick. 1. Williams has not even played NT in college. 2. He did not stand out prior to his senior year - red flag. 3. He has his weight under control now, but he has had signicant weight problems in the past. 4. For as big as he is, he doesn't bench much and he reportedly gets pushed off the line a lot because he doesn't play with leverage. I would see Dan Williams as a Donte Whitner type pick that high. Maybe he is an OK player, but not what you want in a top-10 pick. (all IMHO).

I think the OT options are really going to be gone by pick 41 and they'd be looking at a 3rd or 4th round caliber player at OT if they were to force a pick there. Somebody like Charles Brown would be simply a bad pick at that spot. (I don't think Saffold will be available and I don't think Ducasse is really an OT, especially not a LT). I don't really like any of the QB options after Bradford and Clausen - and I don't much like Clausen, either. I really think taking a QB in the 2nd or 3rd will just be adding yet another backup quality QB to the roster. I admit that I like Colt McCoy's attitude, effort, leadership and dedication, but I think his arm-strength says NFL backup. I like the same things about Tebow, but I think he is such a project that I'd be very reluctant to take him at 41. You can flat have any of the other QBs in the draft - I don't want them in any round, the Bills already have enough backups. NT is another problem area that looks to be a problem to fill in round 2. Cam Thomas, Linval Joseph, Torell Troup and the lot are more 3rd round guys from what I've read, but they will likely go a round earlier than they should due to the need for NTs in the NFL. I am afraid that the best ploy for this year is to mostly ignore need and take the best player available in each round with need being only a minor consideration when choosing between players of nearly equal ratings. The only caveat there is that I would not take a DB or TE regardless of rating. Just my $.02 worth...

OK, here is one negative thing about Graham: He is very short for a DE or LB. Many (most?) OTs will have 5" in height and considerable arm length advantage over Graham in the NFL. Now, I am not saying that he may not be able to overcome that disadvantage, but that is a concern. Just like Bulaga's lack of prototypical arm length is for him.

I'm no Kiper-apologist, but it is hard to take DL players when value doesn't line up with need. Clearly, the Bills need a NT, but somebody PLEASE show me a NT worth a top-10 pick in round 1 or 2. Realistically, if they spend either their 1st or 2nd on a NT, then it will most likely be a "reach". Dan Williams shouldn't be a top-10 pick and Terrance Cody, Cam Thomas, Linval Joseph, Torell Troup, Jeff Owens, et al should probably not be taken 41st overall, either. I understand that the 2nd round pick becomes more of a crap-shoot. I guess Cody at 41 is not bad (but, he'll probably be over-drafted before that) and *maybe* Cam Thomas isn't too much of a reach there. The other NT prospects would be major reaches there, but are not likely to be available at the Bills 3rd pick. I think it is reasonable to expect that they might not be able to acquire DL help, even though they clearly need it. Remember, they aren't going to solve all thier problems this year....

You're suggesting that they'll get Clausen then a good LT in round 2 and a starting calibre NT in round 3 and a starting LB in round 4? That would be a hell of a draft, but I don't see it. Unlike many, I think the starting calibre LTs will be gone by the end of round 1. I don't know if I like Clausen enough to use the #9 on him. I think they might be able to get a rotational NT in round 3 (someone who might eventually become a starter). I've no idea where they'll find a starting OLB in round 4 or later.

I was with you up until you said they could get a comparable talent at OT in the 2nd. I am sorry, but I don't see it. Who do you see that has a chance to be a good starting LT in round 2? I don't think Ducasse is a LT (or even RT) and I think Saffold will be gone by pick 41.

I am not a fan of taking Iupati at 9. Everything I've read recently says that he is mainly a G and not a LT or even RT. I love his toughness, strength and aggressiveness, but how many Gs can you spend 1st and 2nd round picks on? (They already have Wood and Levtre from last year). G's are kind of like safeties on D where it is tough to spend a high pick on. I'd be OK with Tebow or McCoy, but only if the team thinks one of those guys can be a top-10 QB in the NFL. I don't think McCoy would do well in Buffalo's wind with his marginal arm. Tebow is interesting, but I am a little leery of taking him as high as the 2nd round. I am not a big Terranc Cody fan, but I'd consider him in the 2nd. I don't think he'll make it to the Bills' 3rd round pick.

Well, on the plus side, Clausen is used to getting pummelled behind a bad ND OL. Clausen has shown good accuracy, fire and an ability to keep coming back in spite of a bad ND defense. On the downside, if his teammates can't stand him and he is a prima-donna, he will fail in the NFL I'd have little real quarrel with taking Clausen at 9, but still, I'd prefer a very good LT if available. I do think that there is quite some likelihood that any QB will get scrambled and ruined with no viable LT and a very marginal RT in Green. I know that they could come back in round 2 to take a LT, but I don't like who will be available. Not a Charles Brown fan and I don't think Saffold will be there. There are precious few other legit LTs that might be available in round 2 ( don't think Ducasse is one).

There were precious few really top-quality free agents who weren't getting old. Specifically, whom should the Bills have gone after, price be damned, in FA? Sure, I'd like them to sign every top available FA and trade the 5th-7th round draft choices for young-up-and-coming-already pro-bowl players, but that is just not all that reasonable to expect. Yes, the Jets have made a splash this off-season. They've traded for a highly talented CB that SD didn't want because he was a head-case and didn't tackle. They've signed LT on the down-side of his career and they've trade for a very troubled (and suspended) Santonio Holmes. Still, I like how they built the core or their team with draft picks on the OL and defense, only filling in a QB when most of the holes were filled....

He might be the top-rated NT in the draft, but that doesn't mean that he is worth a top-15 pick. Based on what I've read by my favorite draft guides (Pr football Weekly and GM Jr), Williams is a "late bloomer" who didn't play particularly well until his Sr. year and is a marginal 1st round pick mainly because there is such demand for NT and such a short supply. Please note that I am not saying that he is bad, just that he is a stretch at the 9th pick.

I've been accused of being a shill for Russ Lande before, but I've been a draft fanatic for 20+ years and BY FAR the best draft coverage I've ever seen is his GMJr draft guide - available instantly by PDF. The current guide is 400+ pages with full-page very small font reports on the top prospects at each position. Lande is a former NFL scout for the Rams and Browns and, in my opinion, that gives him excellent credibility. Plus, his writeups on each player clearly indicate that he has watched signifcant game tape (not highlight reels) of the top prospects. For the $20 it costs to download, I'd highly recommend it over any 3 or 4 of the draft mags. My 2nd choice is Pro Football Weekly's draft guide which is really excellent, too.

Well, I just disagree with the "too much young talent on the team at that position" part of you post. I do agree that LT, NT, QB and LB trump the need at WR because each of those positions is more important than WR. Just the same, if there is a much higher rated WR available at pick 41 than at any of the positions listed above, then I would be on-board with taking the WR - regardless of the QBs, LTs, etc on the roster.

Word!

Thanks to the posters that came to my defense. I think the sarcastic posts with little substance have gotten a bit out of hand, but anyway it's draft time and I love the discussion! I agree with the point that good NTs are very difficult to find and that really this year is not any worse than other years - it is hard to find them any time. Perhaps the title of the thread should have been something more like, "should Bills reconsider switching to 3-4". The number of highly regarded 4-3 DTs this year is much greater than NTs and the coaching staff says that it prides itself on fitting the scheme to personnel rather than vice versa. At any rate, I think they are committed to the move to the 3-4, so I agree with the last poster who suggested drafting multiple NT candidates in the mid rounds and continue doing so until they find a couple of good ones. I think that is really a reasonable strategy. I wouldn't be upset if the spent their 3rd and 4th or 3rd and 5th on a couple of NT prospects. If they take one in round 2, I could see another in the 4th-5th round.

I think in that scenario, they would probably probably not trade the 2nd pick until they (the Bills) were on the clock with #9 and they knew Clausen was there. Even then, they might not make the trade until well after they took Clausen.

Yes, a team can trade a player that they already have on their roster or can trade the rights to a player that they have selected in the current draft for draft picks and/or players.

Yeah, that Russ Lande. I agree that he goes out on a limb sometimes, but at least he has done the studying and has an opinion rather than regurgitating the same things that everyone else is saying. I am not saying that he is always right. However, who among the other draft "scouts" has ever worked as an NFL scout? Anyway, doesn't matter what you think of Lande, who else do you see touting the NT class? Who are these supposed great NT prospects in "the deepest DL draft in years"?

1. I know that Gerald McCoy is probably not an NFL NT, but thanks for clarifying that in a sarcastic way. 2. Just because the draft is deep in DL doesn't mean that it has a lot of NT candidates. Many (most) of the top DT prospects are much more suited to the 4-3 or possibly to 3-4 DE than they are to NT.

I am not sure that there were more, less or the same number of good NT candidates in last year's draft. I am not sure it is that relevant, either. My point is that finding a NT is going to be difficult and they'll have to over-draft one because so many teams now play 3-4 and quite a few could use a NT.

This year's DT class is highly regarded, but most of the DTs are 4-3 DTs and few are true NT prospects. Discounting Suh and McCoy because they won't be available to the Bills, the following are the NT candidates and my opinions (admittedly based on the reviews I've read from ProFootballWeekly and former NFL scout Russ Lande). I think if the Bills want one of these guys, they'll have to pick him about a round higher than their talent justifies and they'll be passing over better players at other positions. 1. Dan Williams - split opinions on him. Really didn't impress anyone until his last season so there is reason for concern there. PFW considers him a top-20 prospect, Lande sees him as a late 2nd-3rd round prospect. Is big and has power in his lower body, but lacks elite upper body strength and plays high losing leverage to hold the line. Has some potential, but is probably a stretch in the top 10 - would almost certainly be the lowest "rated" player taken in the top 10. 2. Terrence Cody - Massive very slow run plugger. Has shed an impressive amount of weight to get down under 350lbs, but will he keep it off once he gets paid. Won't be a playmaker due to his lack of speed and quickness, may be very valuable just taking up OL blocks. May only be able to play a limited number of downs due to lack of conditioning. Some team may stretch to grab him in the late 1st or early 2nd. Even if he makes it to Buffalo's pick in the 2nd, I'd consider him a risky pick due to his lack of effort and conditioning concerns. 3. Cam Thomas - described as "country strong" has excellent size for a NT. Little production, so is really just a plugger. Consensus seems to be late 2nd-3rd round for him. 41st is probably a bit high for him, so he'd be a moderate reach there. 4. Linval Joseph - May be the most athletic of the NT candidates and has good size and strength. Played at a mid-tier level of competition with East Carolina. Reportedly has good upside. 3rdish round projection. 5. Torrell Troup - Big guy, but limited athlete. A possible 3rd-4th round pick. 6. Al Woods - LSU, big and strong, but didn't play much prior to his Sr year (why?). Has the size and strength to be good, but why did he only start 1 year in college? Probably picked in the 2nd-3rd round.

I don't know about your assessment of Bulaga, but I respectfully disagree with your assessment of Dan Williams. What about him says "upside"? If he goes in the first round at all, it will be at least a round too high for him. He is not a "dominant" NT, he didn't even play NT in college. He should be picked in the 2nd or 3rd round, but the demand for NT is much greater than the supply of them, so he'll likely go in the 1st. Of all of the names being thrown around as possible Bills' picks at the 9th spot, he seems to me to be the biggest "reach". ProfootballWeekly has him rated around 20th, so in their estimation, that would not be a huge reach, but SportingNews' former NFL Scout Russ Lande has Williams rated as a 2nd-3rd round pick. He isn't saying he is bad, just that there isn't enough there to be a 1st round pick. Who knows what is true?

None of the QBs impress me other than Bradford. I think Clausen would be a bad pick in the first round - too many questions regarding his personality and leadership ability for me to invest a high pick on. No other QB is even remotely worth a 1st round pick, much less a top-10 pick. I would strongly prefer to use the 2nd and 3rd rounders on positions other than QB because I think they can find viable starters/solid contributors at other positions in those rounds, but at QB I think they are looking at marginal future starters/career backups. I wouldn't be completely upset if they gambled on Tebow or Colt McCoy in round 2, but I think there will be better value at other positions. I don't think any of the other QBs are worth a 3rd round pick and they are likely long-term backups at best. It wouldn't bother me if they didn't pick a QB at all this year. Why add another backup to a group of backups?

While I agree on the premise that a dominant NT would be a very big help, I haven't read ANY reviews that suggest that Dan Williams is one. Based on what I've read, he is maybe a mid-to-late 1st rounder, and then only because of the low supply of NTs in this year's draft not because he is that good.