OldTimer1960

It is enticing to think of grabbing Ingram in round 1. With the addition of Williams and Ingram, their pass rush would be very much improved. I think that your earlier point about Fitz being a 3 step drop QB and therefore there is no need to invest in a quality LT is a little off. With the poor LT play the Bills have had with Bell out, they don't even have the threat of being able to throw mid to deep. Without that threat, safeties and LBs don't have to respect the deep play and can creep closer to the line, thus congesting the areas that those short passes go to, as well as making it more difficult to run the ball. I am not necessarily saying that drafting Ingram over a LT would be a bad move- quite the contrary. I am saying that finding a talented LT would open up the offense, even with a QB that doesn't have the greatest deep arm in the league.

From the link that you provided: WEAKNESSES The major knock on Kuechly is that he had a lot of "inflated" tackle production throughout his career, the idea being that he is indeed a superb tackler but most of those tackles came 5 to 8 yards downfield in pursuit. He didn't get up into the line of scrimmage to make powerful, impactful plays much, and won't be relied upon as a pass rusher at the next level and is strictly a tackling, sideline-to-sideline backer. The down-field production was the BIG knock on Poz. I don't care what their listed weights are, look at Ray Lewis' thick monster build and look at Kuechly. I think there is a big difference. Lewis is an INTIMIDATOR, Kuechly doesn't seem to be that based on what I've read, seen, heard. Now, I am not saying that Kuechly isn't a very good player. I think he probably is, and I think that Poz was unfairly criticized here and is better than he got credit for. However, I think Ray Lewis is probably the best LB in the last 30 years.

He is not big and didn't prove to be nearly as fast as advertised at the combine. For a smaller guy who was supposed to be a speed-demon, his 4.61 40 should be a real red flag. He looked "soft" in the body, too (IMHO) - ie, he didn't have the well defined, low-body-fat body that most receivers do.

It IS a rumor mill (and advertised as such). I go there for credible rumors, not all of which are true.

There are no good options. I can't imagine the Bills having the luxury to draft a WR early enough to be a legit number 2 this year. Many will disagree, but I don't like Michael Floyd, especially at #10. I'd rather see them reach for an OT or marginal DE like Melvin Ingram than take Floyd. I think that their best option would have been to sign another decent TE like Carlson or Bennet and go 2 TE, with Stevie Johnson and David Nelson at WR. The remaining FA WRs are nothing special (they could just as well get Josh Reed out of retirement) and they can't afford to spend an early pick on a WR in the draft with the state that the defense is in (and LT).

That's already gone. All of the good starting-caliber players are already off the market. There may be some OK depth signings available, but no real upgrades at any position left.

I agree that the Bills' must find a very good player, regardless of position, and avoid "reaching" for a lesser player at a position of need. Mario Williams is as good as gone when he leaves Buffalo tonight, so don't factor that into this discussion. The comparison of a maxed-out 242 pound Kuechly to the monster Ray Lewis is silly, IMHO. I am a long-time draft fanatic, but not a scout - but I see Kuechly as more Poz/Shane Conlan than once-a generation Ray Lewis. Besides, how much of an upgrade would Kuechly be over Kelvin Sheppard. He would have to be considered a MAJOR upgrade over Sheppard for me to consider him at 10 in this draft, especially considering that he wouldn't help the pass rush.

This "Easley love" is ridiculous. He has ZERO catches in the NFL, he was a one year starter at "football power" U Conn and he was a 4th round draft choice. Someone, PLEASE tell me why there is this optimism about Easley being the answer as a legitimate #2 WR. I get that Easley is a guy to root for and I get that he hasn't been healthy, but I don't understand the blind optimism. Heck, folks here BURIED CJ Spiller because he was playing behind the Bills' best offensive player (Fred Jackson) and didn't get a chance until Jackson got hurt.

Unfortunately, when he leaves it IS over and all the decent FAs that the Bills might have targeted are long-gone. I am not blaming the Bills front-office for this. I am confident that they came strong with money or Williams wouldn't have been here in the first place, nor would he have stayed so long. This is about the legacy of horrible football since the last Super Bowl run and the location. I love Buffalo and Western New York. I have spent 51 years here, but it isn't for every one.

I'm not sure how you were able to conclude that I am happy with the Bills' drafts over the last decade, but no of course not. I was simply saying that it isn't realistic to expect any team to routinely find stars in each of the 1st,2nd and 3rd rounds. Even the mighty Pats miss on early picks sometimes.

I disagree with the expectation that you should be able to find "difference makers" with all or most 2nd and 3rd round picks. You *hope* that you find good players in those rounds, of course. However, the reality is that if you get a solid contributor (doesn't have to be a star) in rounds 2 and 3, you are doing well. Heck, even in the first round, if you get a solid starter you have done well. I randomly grabbed the first round of the 2007 draft. Have a look at it and, yes, there are some great players, but there are a ton of outright busts including #1 overall Russel, #4 overall Adams, Jarvis Moss, Brady Quinn and Craig Davis. Many others never became solid starters. 1 Oakland Raiders JaMarcus Russell QB Louisiana State 2 Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech 3 Cleveland Browns Joe Thomas OT Wisconsin 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Gaines Adams DE Clemson 5 Arizona Cardinals Levi Brown OT Penn State 6 Washington Redskins LaRon Landry SS Louisiana State 7 Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson RB Oklahoma 8 Atlanta Falcons Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas 9 Miami Dolphins Ted Ginn Jr. WR Ohio State 10 Houston Texans Amobi Okoye DT Louisville 11 San Francisco 49ers Patrick Willis ILB Mississippi 12 Buffalo Bills Marshawn Lynch RB California 13 St. Louis Rams Adam Carriker NT Nebraska 14 New York Jets Darrelle Revis CB Pittsburgh 15 Pittsburgh Steelers Lawrence Timmons LB Florida State 16 Green Bay Packers Justin Harrell DT Tennessee 17 Denver Broncos Jarvis Moss DE Florida 18 Cincinnati Bengals Leon Hall CB Michigan 19 Tennessee Titans Michael Griffin FS Texas 20 New York Giants Aaron Ross CB Texas 21 Jacksonville Jaguars Reggie Nelson FS Florida 22 Cleveland Browns Brady Quinn QB Notre Dame 23 Kansas City Chiefs Dwayne Bowe WR Louisiana State 24 New England Patriots Brandon Meriweather DB Miami (Fla.) 25 Carolina Panthers Jon Beason MLB Miami (Fla.) 26 Dallas Cowboys Anthony Spencer OLB Purdue 27 New Orleans Saints Robert Meachem WR Tennessee 28 San Francisco 49ers Joe Staley OT Central Michigan 29 Baltimore Ravens Ben Grubbs G Auburn 30 San Diego Chargers Craig Davis WR Louisiana State 31 Chicago Bears Greg Olsen TE Miami (Fla.) 32 Indianapolis Colts Anthony Gonzalez WR Ohio State

It depends on how the Bills have the top OTs graded. From my favorite sources whom I know do their own scouting and have good connections in the NFL, I only see Kalil and Reiff rated as high as a top 10 pick. There are varying opinions on Martin from Stanford - some feel he would be good value at 10, others seem to feel that he is a better RT option and therefore shouldn't fit in the top 10. After Blackmon, I don't think that any of the WRs are sure enough bets to go as high as #10. I think that Kendall Wright really hurt himself with a slow 40 at the combine and I (personally) don't like Floyd from ND. Floyd has too many off-field concerns that suggest that he could have problems in the NFL for me to take him at 10. If Reiff isn't available at 10, my current thought is that Melvin Ingram could be the pick in spite of his less than ideal height. He is probably the best pass rusher in the draft and has shown outstanding athleticism and versatility. He could be very good in a hybrid 4-3 / 3-4 defense. Still, there is some concern about his height and arm length....

I am in general agreement with you that a player's performance over his college career should be weighed more heavily than his combine performance. However, since players play against different competition, in different schemes with different supporting casts (teammates), scouts can't always be completely sure of what they see on the field. For instance, a player may *look* fast on the field, but is he really fast or is his competition slow (or the scheme/teammates putting him in the position to look fast)? If you don't know exactly how strong a player's opposition is, how can you tell how strong a player is from tape? Granted, the combine drills don't translate directly to football playing ability (for instance, they can't measure how instinctive a player is or how good his on-field decision making is), but they are the only view scouts get of players on a completely level playing field. The things that the combine are useful for (IMHO) include: 1. Confirming a player is as athletic as he looks on the field (or raising a red flag if they aren't) 2. Confirming that a player has put in the effort to train for this event - BIG red flag if they haven't 3. Identify "potential" players - guys that have better athletic ability than they showed in college - perhaps because of scheme or that they were stuck behind a great player for much of their college career. 4. Teams get to interview players (of course they can do that in other venues, too).

I don't think that you should look at it as "3rd best LT vs 1st best WR (or other position)". The two things that matter are how good each individual player is and how they fit with your team's schemes and needs. Heck the 3rd best LT might be better than the best player and most other positions.

I like Upshaw. I think he will be a good solid run-stopping 4-3 DE with very good instincts who will generate occasional pass rush through power and tenacity. Just watching some games of his tells you that he isn't likely to be the premier pass rushing DE that the Bills are missing. I think that the combine just confirmed that he is as described.

I only see 3 top OTs: Kalil, Reiff and Martin. I think Adams would be an extremely risky pick. He is clearly huge and talented, but definitely does not work hard in the gym - I think there are players in the Lingerie Football League that can out bench press him. Unless he has had some injury that has prevented him from lifting, his workout at the combine was inexcusable. A guy that big with his obvious talent who hasn't bothered to train is a bust waiting to happen.

My claim (which only said "reportedly") is based on Mayock saying that Claiborne is a far superior technical player with better cover skills and ball-skills. No doubt at all, Peterson is the superior athlete. But that doesn't mean that he is a better DB. I might wager that Leodis McKelvin's athletic tests at the combine were better than Darrelle Revis', but there is absolutely no question that Revis is the better DB. I am NOT saying Claiborne is Revis nor am I saying that Peterson is McKelvin. I am only saying that athletic ability doesn't always translate to football ability.

Yes, we should trade all of our team for all of their team. They are much better than the Bills are.

Let's clarify this again. Morris Claiborne is the best CB prospect in this draft and reportedly a better prospect than Patrick Peterson was last year. However, he is NOT the LSU DB that they called Honey Badger (BTW, he is better than that guy, too).

I don't understand the premise of this thread at all. Is there an issue with the idea that Nix isn't willing to trade 3 #1 picks and change for RG3? He didn't say that he doesn't think that RG3 is any good. He is saying (if these reports are even true/accurate) is that there is only so much he is willing to give up to get that guy. Let's say I have a nice house for sale. Let's say that it is PERFECT for your family and about 6 other families. The overall market value of the house is about $150K. Are you an idiot to not bid against someone who is willing to pay $250K for it? This is an admittedly contrived example. In reality, the house is a (MUCH) easier decision. Buyers can easily evaluate whether the house will meet their needs prior to the transaction. They don't need to worry about how the house's value "plays at the next level" (or in a new neighborhood). They don't need to worry if the house will lose motivation when they pay $250K for it. They don't need to wonder what the house's value will be based on the properties surrounding it (that is already established). However with Rg3, we don't know how his game will translate to the NFL level. We don't know for sure that he can fit whatever scheme the Bills want to run (unless it is EXACTLY what Baylor ran). We also don't know how he would perform with a (relatively) weaker supporting cast than he had at Baylor. How could anyone complain that Nix won't get into a "whatever it costs, I'm buying" bidding war for a great prospect, but one (like all prospects) is unproven?

I agree that another pass receiving threat is needed on offense, but I am not sure that I like Michael Floyd - especially at the #10 overall spot. If the grades for a pass rusher or LT are even close to Floyd's (per the Bills), I would much rather have the DE or LT. I just have a feeling about Floyd not being too big of a star...

I don't think that there is ANY chance that Nick Perry will be around at the top of the2nd, much less when the Bills pick in the second. With his added weight/strength, I think he will go in the to 20-25. I don't think the Bills can afford to draft both Mercilus and Perry in the first 2 rounds, even if Perry were to miraculously make it to their pick in round 2.

If they consider Tannehill, imho I would consider what it would take to trade up to #2. I can't imagine a college coach playing this guy at WR IF they thought he had NFL starting potential. You can tell me that he was stuck behind a "system" QB at A&M, but if he was that good, he'd have been starting at QB in college.

IF they believe RG3 is nearly a can't miss franchise QB, then it is almost certainly trading 2#1s and other picks to get him. Problem is, what if they are wrong? Then they have completely handicapped their rebuilding for 2 more years.

Thank you. Every year, many here suggest this and either there is no suggestion as to why any team would give up multiple picks to get the 10th pick or there is some overvaluation of some player that the poster believes is worth someone else trading up for, but isn't worth the Bills' pick. The Bills' needs this year line up with the very highest priority positions in the NFL: pass rushing DE, pass rushing OLB, LT, QB and to a lesser extent WR. If there aren't any players worth taking at any of those positions, what would entice another team to trade up?