OldTimer1960

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.

I acknowledge that young QBs need some "development" (coaching, experience, etc). However, these kinds of posts make it seem like you can just take your pick of QBs in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th round and just "develop" them. The QB has to have significant talent and aptitude in order to be developed. It is just like saying, "hey, let's take a NT in the 6th round and "develop" him - only it is probably even more unlikely to occur at QB than most other positions. Few QBs in any draft after the 1st round really "develop" because they lack important skills to begin with. Sure, there are a few examples, but they are few. This draft is even more devoid of "developmental" QBs than other years - at least based on what I've read.

No, you don't HAVE to take him. Clausen is definitely not an elite QB prospect. I'll grant that he is an OK to good QB prospect, but comparing him to Kelly coming out of school is off the mark (IMHO).

I think it is a big assumption that there is ANYONE in the draft (aside from Bradford) who Gailey wants to "groom". There is a difference between coaching up someone with talent and trying to take a no-talent and make them acceptable with a ton of coaching. Other than Bradford, there are only 2 QBs that seem like they *might* have enough skill/talent to be "groomed" into a starting NFL QB. Clausen with the questions about his arrogance/leadership and Tebow with the questions about his ability to develop a NFL-calibre release and to learn to read complex defenses in a NFL offense. The rest of the QBs are such long-shots to ever amount to anything in the NFL, that I'd just as soon pass on them all. The Bills already have a cast of 3 mediocre QBs, why add more like that?

??? Where's the "first round talend in 2 and 3"? Cody will be lucky to be picked in the second, but MAYBE could slide into the late first, but no way the 5'8" 165 lb-ish McCluster is a 1st round talent (or even 2nd). Really don't like that as a dream draft because there is no OL help and they already have McCluster on the roster (Roscoe Parrish). Not a big fan of Cody's, either, but he is probably the 2nd best NT prospect in a draft that is weak at NT (good at 4-3 DTs, but not NTs).

I don't know whether Tebow will ever be a successful QB in the NFL, but everything I've read suggests it will be a struggle for him to get to that level. All of his leadership and intangibles will evaporate quickly if he has to sit for a year or two while he changes his delivery and learns to read an NFL defense. Likewise, nobody will be following him if he is throwing ducks and getting picked off by NFL defensive backs due to his slow delivery. Just my opinion, but I'd not even consider Tebow (or any QB besides Bradford) in round 1 this year. I could be OK with Tebow in the 2nd, but I thik there will be better players available at other positions of need. I hope that I am wrong about Tebow, someone who is willing to work as hard as he reportedly does is hard to root against, but I just don't feel comfortable betting a high #1 pick on a gamble like him.

I'd agree, but I am not a big Dan Williams fan and I don't think he will be a major impact player at NT in the NFL. He was really only good for 1 year in college. His own coach said he'd be lucky to get drafted prior to last season. Big risk on a guy who is mainly a run-plugger and not dominant at that. NT is definitely a need, I just don't see the value of reaching for someone like Williams. Other's may disagree and think Williams is worthy of such a high pick. If the Bills' scouts view him that highly, then it could be the pick.

No disagreement on the importance of QB vs. LT, but I don't see a QB worth picking that high (ie, one that will solve the QB problems the Bills have). Some like Clausen, I don't like what I've read about him and I think it would be a big big gamble to pick him at 9. QBs must have leadership/intangibles in addition to being physically good passers. From what I've read, there is at least a significant question about Clausen's leadership and intangibles. Too much risk for me, but that's just my opinion.

I haven't seen Morgan described as an elite pass rusher. The impression I get from the reports that I've read is that he is a good all-around DE, capable of playing the run very well and not a bad pass rusher - just not elite. I do know that he had a fair number of sacks last year, but those numbers can be deceiving.

Why is that your fear? It isn't like the defense wasn't AWFUL against the run last year. The defense needs significant upgrade, too.

I agree that there are major weaknesses at other positions, but really, the Bills have only 1 #1, 2 and 3 WR and his name is Lee Evans. NOBODY else on the roster has caught more than a handful of passes in their NFL careers. I am not advocating taking a WR in the 1st 2 rounds, BUT, it is probably as big of a need as any other position on the roster. That being said, it is probably easier to find an older FA that can be at least moderately servicable at WR than at LT and NT.

Why all the excitement about getting Jared Gaither and why does anyone think he is worth a 2nd, let alone more? He is a big tall OT (note I didn't say good LT) and he is young, but he was also noted for not working very hard just a few years ago coming out of college and I don't think he has proven that he is a special tackle in the NFL. If he had shown that he'd be a really good LT or even RT for that matter, I can't imagine why the Ravens (one of the most astute personell managing teams in the league) would be considering trading him. Buyer beware.

"2 cody althought looks like he is rising again maybe reach for thomas here we have to get a 3/4 n.t " I think he's rising from all the yeast in the doughnuts that he's eating :-)

If it were, he most likely wouldn't have been in the CFL. Note, the statistics say in "15 career starts", they don't say how many games he also played in but didn't start. Still, I am glad that they are doing their due diligence on everyone.

It takes waaay more than a strong arm to be a successful NFL QB. 5th round or later, I have no problem with taking a wild shot on either of these QBs, but before that I'd prefer spending picks on players at other positions who have a chance to contribute as starters, solid backups and/or special teams players. Nothing is much more useless than a 3rd string developmental QB who is a very long-shot to amount to anything.

I like Iupati, but I don't see where his selection solves any problems. He is a very good OG prospect, but only a so-so RT prospect. The Bills don't really have a need for another G, unless they plan to move Wood or Levitre to C, but even if that is the case they still don't have a good player at either T position. Taking a good G and moving him to T where he might be OK isn't a good plan for a #1 pick, IMHO. I don't like Tebow in the second round - I just think he has too much work to change to think he could play this year or even next. A couple of years on the bench will also significantly diminish his vaunted intangibles/leadership skills. Who is going to listen to a bench warmer? I do think that you have the NT candidates at about the right spot for their value, but I am afraid that since there are so very few NT prospects this year, that they'll go about a round earlier than they should. I don't hate the picks, I just don't agree with them.

Agreed, you can't pin any one loss on any one player. I guess my point was that I wouldn't want to compare NT candidates using Jeff Wright as an example of a good NT. IMHO, he was definitely not one of the strengths of that defense.

The Bills lost to the Giants because they could not stop the run. Wright was a very undersized NT who could penetrate on occasion, but was not stout against the run. You certainly can't blame him alone for the loss, but with a big time NT instead of Wright, I think the Bills would have beaten the Giants. You can disagree if you like.