OldTimer1960

I like that Shakir was trending upward at a pretty high rate to end last year, but are we getting ahead of ourselves thinking no way do they draft competition for Shakir? He caught 39 passes last year and defenses now have a year of film on him so they will try to take away what he thrived on last year. I am excited about Shakir, but I’m not sure that you can write it in ink that he is for sure a good starter in the slot or out wide.

The receiver class is very strong, but that doesn’t mean everyone in it is a future dominant receiver in the NFL, nor does it mean that a receiver that still needs development can’t contribute while they develop or that they won’t become outstanding. I think fans expectations are a little high. Patience will be required for many of these receivers and some who start modestly will become outstanding. Most rookies take time unless they are so physically dominant that it carries over to the league immediately. Even Bruce Smith had only 6.5 sacks as a rookie.

I’m a big fan of your knowledge, but what do you do if the top 3 and Mitchell and Thomas are gone by pick 28? I know that you would take Legette - and that might be the right thing to do, but assume that the Bills don’t have him rated before mid-2nd and then what? What WR left isn’t very similar to a mostly slot WR? Would you take Troy Franklin or Wothy? I was pretty hard on Franklin from the Combine, but possible I overreacted. Still, I don’t know that I’d take Franklin there. I’ don’t think I’d take Worthy, either.

Many of the top WR in the league we’re not 1st round picks.

I’m not trying to convince anyone that the Bills should take Robinson. I am just saying that I’ve watched 3 games vs Big 10 competition and I see that he has made an impact in those games (to my eyes). This isn’t the game video that I’ve watched, but this is all his rush snaps vs Michigan. He isn’t perfect, but his athletic traits are at least as impressive as any of the WR in this class and are basically the best of the edges in the class. Again, not arguing to pick him, but I would understand if they do.

Now, I’m not pounding the table for him, but Ladd McConkey continues to crush the athletic testing in draft run up. He posted a 20 yard shuttle time in the 95th percentile since 1999 and his 3-cone was 85th percentile among this year’s class. That doesn’t erase the fact that he does a lot of the same things that Kincaid, Samuel and Shakir do in terms of area of the field that they operate in, but he is a very good prospect.

I agree mostly, but I like what I’ve seen of Chop Robinson vs Michigan, Ohio State and IIRC, Iowa. He made impact in each of those games with numerous pressures, though I think only 1 sack. That’s against some of the best college competition (admittedly not SEC).

That’s too steep a price for 1 player, in my opinion.

28 & 60 & next year’s #1 might get you to pick 12ish. Not sure that is high enough. Regardless, I think it would be foolish to trade next year’s picks - they are going to need them as they will still be tight to the cap for the foreseeable future. FWIW, all 11 picks this year would maybe get them pick 13.

All I have done for S is to read scouting reports. With few exceptions, the reports I’ve read describe a lot of what they used to call Strong Safeties. - I think they call them “box” safeties now. Most are described as good in run support leaving something to be desired in coverage. I don’t think that is what the Bills are ideally looking for in a passing league. Now, maybe the reports I’ve read are wrong or maybe just that there are different opinions on the prospects.

It wasn’t that he tested poorly in the 40 or vertical, he just looked really shaky running drills- gauntlet and running patterns. I understand he said he was sick then, so maybe that’s all it was, but his thin frame also gives me pause. I think he’s a good step down from Mitchell and Thomas.

I don’t think it is loaded a S. Who do you like there that you don’t have to take in the 1st or 2nd? Looks like a bunch of box safeties mostly after the first few. Boy, I haven’t studied any film on the S group, but what I’ve read doesn’t align with “loaded class of S”.

Agree on the speed point and would be happy to have Bishop, but unless they take him at 60, they won’t get him. I think there will be better players at other positions at 60 and by the late 4th I don’t think there will be any S worth picking in this class. Maybe you could get Kam Kinchens there after his disastrous combine testing, but is he fast and explosive enough to use any pick on?

This doesn’t seem to be a very good S class once past the first couple. They may not get a good S prospect at all this year. Picking as late as they are in each round and looking at >60 players being picked between their 2nd and the next pick they are better off in my view just concentrating on finding the best prospects they can regardless of positional needs.

That’s right. I support what they are doing, but it is likely to cause short-term pain on D.

Really like Pearsall, but I think he is too similar to Samuel and Shakir. He kind of has to operate in the intermediate and short middle of the field and there will already be a lot of traffic there with Kincaind, Samuel, Shakir, Diggs.Quote I disagree - I think Coleman might very well be available at or close to 60, less likely, but still possible with Franklin in my opinion. I know that he says he was sick at the Combine and the game tape is not as bad as his Combine performance, but that was a pretty questionable performance there and his weight/strength is concerning. I think Legette will be gone by mid 2nd.

I don't like the Darius Robinson idea, but I challenge the idea that not drafting WR in round 1 is "failure". To me, if Brian Thomas Jr or Mitchell is available, I am completely on-board taking whichever one is there. If they are both gone (and Harrison Jr, Odunze and Nabers of course are gone), then I would consider other positions or trading back if a suitable offer is available. I have the highest respect for the guys who can evaluate the game film of these guys and I know some good evaluators like Xavier Legette, but I think you can get him or Troy Franklin 10 picks or more later. My hesitation with Legette is that he still needs route running refinement and he is an older prospect for a 1st round pick - I'm not saying I wouldn't be happy with him, but there is maybe more risk there than with other players. Franklin doesn't ring the bell for me, either, but I'd happily take him in a trade down. Xavier Worthy is just too small for my tastes at pick 28. To be clear, if the team decides to take Legette, Worthy or Franklin at 28, I will understand and support the pick, I just have some reservations with them. I don't see any other WR that I would strongly consider at 28 - I LOVE McConkey, but I don't think I'd take him there and I think Pearsall is really only a slot guy and too similar to Shakir and Samuel.

I don’t like this idea at all. Darius Robinson can be a good story with great effort, but he is not a good starting DE unless you are really looking for just a big run stopper and if that’s the case just re-sign Shaq Lawson. I’m not a pro scout, but Darius Robinson feels more like a tweener than some great weapon to move around the DL.

Kris Jenkins in round 2 could be someone to watch.

First round is too rich for me for a 165lb receiver with real elite speed and quickness, but just OK hands. I think his floor is pretty solid as a dangerous playmaker, but one with size (and maybe durability) issues. He *could* do much better than that, but I would be concerned about durability and NFL DBs beating him up physically. I won't question a team if they take Worthy in the first, but I am hoping it isn't the Bills.

The Bills appear to have done what they could to shore up the secondary before the draft. They now at least have veterans who have played S in the NFL in FA signees Taylor Rapp and Mike Edwards. At CB they still have Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford to start with Kaiir Elam the top remaining backup - and he is questionable after 2 seasons in which the coaches did not trust him to play much. Given that Douglas is close to 30 and is expensive and neither Rapp nor Edwards have been consistent starters so it is conceivable that they take a CB or S early - even round 1 if they really like the prospect. Now, I'm not advocating using their 1st on a DB this year, but I could really imagine Beane and McDermott loving Cooper Dejean - though he has yet to workout while recovering from a broken fibula. We have reports that the Bills met with the following DBs at the Combine (list may be incomplete): - Cooper Dejean - He is the opposite of DE Chop Robinson, Dejean has outstanding production and really fits the McDermott profile. Don't know if he can play CB to 1st round level in the NFL, but he could be a dynamite S. - Kamari Lassiter (CB) - He is very quick, but he skipped the 40 at the Combine and ran 4.61 at his pro day. I think the 4.61 eliminates him from consideration before the 3rd at the earliest. Bills' new DB coach coached him previously. - Javon Bullard (S) - Could see the Bills being interested, but nowhere near the 1st round. Bills' new DB coach also had Bullard at Georgia. - Kamren Kinchens (S) - his athletic numbers at the combine were borderline undraftable, but the Bills have strong connection to Kinchens (new DB coach had him at Miami) - Calen Bullock (S) Let's discuss!

I am not yet knowledgeable about what proper hand usage looks like in pass rushers, but I was really pleasantly surprised at Chop Robinson. I watched his games against Michigan, Iowa, and Ohio State. I thought he was quite disruptive, stouter vs. the run than I expected and generated a good amount of pressure on the pass rush. I'm not pounding the table for him, but I was really surprised at what I saw after reading the concerns about his pass rush production.

I understand your point and agree mostly, but I think the play to to trade up into maybe the 3rd using the glut of later picks where the value of those picks moves the needle in the trade. The earlier of the two 4ths would maybe move them two spots up in round 1 - perhaps worth it if they could get someone like Thomas or Mitchell, but I think they might need to go further up for those guys.

I think that if a trade down is considered, it will be because they have multiple guys that they like, but not love, at key positions available to them. I’ve come around on Mitchell enough to nab him if he is available, but after him I don’t know that there will be a player that I really have enough conviction on to say no to a fair trade down proposal. At WR, Legette is a possibility, but we clearly seem higher on him than most. I don’t personally think that Franklin is so good that I couldn’t pass on him, Worthy is too small for my tastes and I don’t think Coleman is worth that pick. Could 1 or more of these guys be great? Sure, but any of them could be just OK or worse. Newton and Murphy are good enough to take there, but they do duplicate Oliver’s skill set a bit too much. Could you play Oliver and one of them on passing downs? Yep, but that front likely struggles against the run. Latu has injury concerns and Chop Robinson has production concerns. The question is, who would be interested in trading into that spot, how far would you have to go down and what would you get in return? I do think if they moved back 10 or 15 spots, they could still have at least 1 of Legette, Worthy, Franklin and McConkey left. I know that not all are the X guy that they ideally seem to need, but those are all still good WR prospects that could help the team.

The speed is a concern, but I am as concerned about his quickness/lateral movement skills too. He is very smooth with some agility for his size, but with that he has rarely gotten open in a good college conference.