OldTimer1960

I think the bigger deal, if he holds out, is Troup. The guy was fortunate to be picked in the 2nd round after a fairly non-descript college career at a good, but lower level college. He needs to be in camp day one working on getting to be good enough to see the field. The Bills raved about his work ethic and how he "just wants to play", so let's see him back it up by being in camp day one. Spiller's case I "get", but don't like. This whole garbage about slotting should be replaced by a rookie wage scale that is based on the round/position within round that a player is drafted in. That is essentially what they do with this slotting, but everyone sits around until a couple of guys sign to see what % increase they are getting over last year's guy drafted in the same round/position.

I have to take issue with this. There is paying for performance and there is over-paying for performance. If you over-pay certain players on your roster vs. their performance level, it will hurt you in two areas: 1. there will be discontent on the team as other players will want to be compensated "equitably" to the over-paid players 2. there will be less money to spend on the rest of the team. The reality is that there is a limit to what any team can reasonably spend. It is a function of their revenue and the salary cap. Spending within a given team's revenue is NOT an indictment of a team's owner as "cheap". It is fiscal responsibility. Reality is that if Mr. Wilson spent more than his revenue, then he'd be more inclined to move the team or sell the team to someone who would move the team. There is a balance to achieve. Now, if one wishes to take issue with the Bills' selection of coaches and players, then I think that is fair. IMHO, for a team in the lower third of revenue, I think it is imperative to be as efficient as possible when it comes to coaching and player selection. Now, it isn't necessarily fair to hold them to a higher standard than the other teams when it comes to this, however, I think it would be prudent to spend a little more on coaching and scouting since the margin for error is less than with Dallas, NY, Wash and other BIG cities.

While I'd stop short of saying that Quinn can't be a good starting QB, I would say that no other team in the league thought that he was a legitimate candidate to become that based on the 5ht and 6th round picks that Cleveland was able to land for him. If any team thought he had a good shot to be a competent starter, there would have been better compensation for Cleveland. Then, to add to that, the team that acquired Quinn turned around and traded a lot to move up and draft Tim Tebow - no sure thing himself. I'd say that the opinion around the league is that this guy is a try-hard backup QB that won't embarrass you if he has to play, but isn't a winning starting QB, either. As bad as Trent Edwards has been, I think he has shown more under equivalent hardships.

My memories of watching the Bills goes back to the early-70s and my opinion is that Schobel was a very very good player - not a super-star, but very good and consistent for a long time. Not many players have the career that he had. No, he wasn't Bruce Smith, but he was a credit to the team and the community. I'd put him somewhere in the neighborhood of Daryl Talley - a very good player, though Talley had the knack of making significant game-changing plays that Schobel couldn't quite match. Still, pretty similar IMHO. Having Schobel retire is a blow to the team.

The Seahawks gave up practically nothing for White and some other guy that they got in the deal, too. They swapped spots with Tennessee in the 4th and 6th rounds which when translated probably cost them the equivalent of a 5th and 7th for two players. Not a great lost investment. The scoop I read is that while White has lost a lot of weight, his effort was extremely below par in comparison to his teammates and they cut him to be clear that won't be tolerated.

It was all based on trade-offs. * OL need vs. DL need (DL need was considered even more important by the Bills - at least it appears so). * Best player available vs. need (Bills apparently thought that Spiller was much better than the available OTs such as Davis and Bulaga). Sometimes improvement in one position can be had by improving other positions around it. I imagine that the Bills look at it that "we need to improve the offense. One way to do that is to improve the LT position and keep our OK-to-good RBs. Another way is to take a dynamic playmaker at RB and hope that he can do more with the mediocre lines than Lynch and Jackson did."

What makes Dan Williams or Bryan Bulaga a "safer" choice than CJ Spiller? I don't see it. It isn't as if Spiller was a one-year producer or has questionable character/work ethic or a history of major injuries.

In the big picture, I think the Bills addressed many of their biggest needs. They clearly didn't have enough high picks to address all of their needs, so necessarily some went unmet (OT and QB). I think that the focus on defense make sense even in light of the needs on the OL. The Bills were abysmal in stopping the run last year and would never be much good until they can shore that up. I think that if the run defense has been improved with the addition of Troup and Carrington and the conversion to 3-4, that will give the secondary even more chances to shine. The offense got little help other than Spiller, but he may help a great deal. With the group of QBs they have, they need to be a run-first offense mixing in some play-action passes. They probably didn't find an upgrade at LT nor did they find a QB to compete for the starters job (at least this year), but you can't fix it all this year. In my mind, Spiller the RB has a better chance to make a major impact as a rookie than any of the rookie QBs would have. In round 1, the Bills got a concensus top-rated offensive playmaker in Spiller. They had their choice of all of the NTs (except Dan Williams) in round 2 and they obviously preferred Torell Troup to the other candidates including Cody, Linval Joseph and a name I heard here a lot: Cam Thomas. Just because the draft prognosticators didn't have Troup rated above those guys, it doesn't mean he can't play. Look at how highly Cam Thomas was rated by some and he didn't go until the 5th or 6th round. In round 3, they got a big DE that they feel can be part of a rotation at DE this year and hopefully grow into a starter eventually. Round 4 brought an athelete with not a lot of starting WR experience and only 1 year of production. However, in the 4th to take a chance on a 6'2 3/4" 210 pounder with 4.42 speed seems reasonable. I am sure that we'd have all preferred that they take an OT before the 5th round, but they clearly knew that T was a need, but apparently felt that either defense was a bigger need or that those defensive players were better than the options available at OT. A couple of DL-to-LB conversions from small schools were the remaining picks. Arthur Moats sounds quite interesting from what I've been able to read about him. I am reasonably happy with the draft. It feels good to have two scouts like Nix and Modrak running the draft. Last year's draft looks to have been excellent with a chance to get better if Maybin improves with a full offseason and training camp. Let's hope that this draft continues that trend.

I don't think anyone is debating that finding a good pass rusher is a need for this team. However, they have other needs, too. A bigger need than pass rush is finding a way to stop the run. If they can't do that then they have little hope of generating a pass rush even if Bruce Smith is reincarnated. If you can't stop the run, it is rarely 3rd and long. Trying to ring up sacks on 3rd and 2 is very very difficult, plus it makes you compromise your pass defense by having to bring extra players up to help stop the run.

I concur. Just look at how little Tennessee got for LenDale White. I don't remember all the details but they traded White and some other player to move up 7 spots in the 4th round and about the same in the 6th round. They got the equivalent of about a 5th round pick for LenDale White. As much of a headache as Lynch is, he is certainly worth much more than a 4th or 5th round pick to the team and I would say that is about all that teams were willing to part with based on what Tenn got for White.

Someone please identify the great offensive tackles and QBs that they bypassed to take Easley. I don't see any that are obviously better than an athlete like this guy.

This is purely a size/speed pick at a position of need. Certainly Easly's 7 career starts in the Big-East conference don't justify a 4th round pick, but 6'2 3/4" and 210lbs with 4.42 speed generates interest. Bills definitely need WR help, but this pick is all about potential not production.

There is no question that Campbell's athletic ability is that of a high first rounder and should be enough to make him worth a pick in round 4. HOWEVER, there is definitely something about him that ALL 32 NFL teams don't like for him to still be available after 100 picks. It is a mistake to think that all the NFL teams that spent $ MILLIONS on scouting failed to find this guy when the draft publications and internet sites found him. There is at least 1, maybe more, big warts on this guy. We just don't know what they are - total speculation, but the could be among: injury, 'roids, attitude, legal/off-field problems, bad play in college, bad reports from his college coaches, etc...

Haven't they already said multiple times that they like Levitre at G much better than at T? I am pretty sure the conversation was something like "we don't want to weaken two positions by moving him to where he isn't as good".

I really don't get the sentiment that they must add yet another backup QB. Pike does not look like a long-term answer to be a good starting NFL QB, so why waste a 3rd on him? To me, if they don't like McCoy or Clausen as a likely starter, then they should stay away from QBs until the 5th or later.

Thank you! This point seems to be lost on a lot of people.

I don't understand the Charles Brown love. Admittedly based on what I've read, he is very athletic, but is underpowered and doesn't play aggressively and is perhaps a bit of an underachiever. Unless the Bills think more highly of him than that, he isn't really worth a high 2nd round pick. Now, sure if they think that all that he needs is some strength improvement in a pro program and they are sure that his body can get stronger and he is willing to put in the work, then maybe. But, I have to imagine that USC has the best weight facilities and coaching in the country, so why isn't he already strong?

I am not a big fan of Clausen, but I could live with him in the 1st. I HATE the idea of Charles Brown in the 2nd. From everything that I've read, he is an underpowered underachiever who would be a significant reach in the early 2nd. On top of that, how could you draft Charlie Brown that early - he has never even been able to kick that damn ball!

Most important reason they won't take a QB in round 1 is because there isn't one worth the 9th pick. I could imagine them taking Clausen, but I would not be very enamored with that pick.

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....