OldTimer1960

I think the answer is that you can’t expect to fill all of those needs in this draft. Just get good players at important positions.

I agree with you. One of the linked posts said late first/early 2nd. It was Garafolo’s post.

Of course that has no bearing on whether he will be or not.

Kneeland is a late first/early 2nd guy?

I think the cap savings from Tre are needed for signing the rookies.

You really want to count on Miller? He *might* be better this year, but I wouldn’t count on that. Really, that can sink their season as easily as wr can.

They do have too many needs - and I don’t think it is realistic that they will fill them all in this draft. For all the talk of owning “so many picks”, they only have 2 of the first 127 picks. My view has changed to finding the best players they can at important positions and just expect to have some unmet needs this year. If that means the first two picks are WR because they are the best players, so be it. I would put pass rush up there with WR. If Miller is no better than he was last year the that important position will be split between Epenesa and Toohill.

It seems to me that McConkey and Worthy have relatively high floors. McConkey should be a reliable player who is frequently open, even if he isn’t a major deep threat. Worthy seems certain to be at least a dangerous weapon deep, but may not have the bulk or hands to be a consistent chain mover. Mitchell and Coleman seem to have more bust potential. Mitchell because of alleged effort issues and Coleman trying to get open in the league. Franklin just scares me after the combine- he looked a lot smoother and a better route runner in games than at the combine.

This is the scenario that I was thinking of upstream when I talked about being open to after round 1. There is no question in my mind that there are at least a dozen receivers who could help the Bills given the state of the receiver group. They need someone to play the boundary for sure as all they currently have is a complete unknown in Justin Shorter, but they als need someone who gets open consistently since they lost that guy (Diggs). They don’t have to solve both needs with one pick. However, if you dismiss the mostly slot guys McConkey, Wilson, Pearsall, Corley, the receiver depth is shallower than the hype.

I’m not excited about Franklin in round 1, but he certainly makes sense in round 2.

After the top 3 and Thomas Jr, I think Mitchell is probably the next guy, but I will admit that I really like McConkey, too. After them, I think we fans really need to be open to guys that have been characterized as mostly slot guys. If they aren’t open to guys like Pearsall and Wilson then the “deep pool of WRs” gets a lot shallower. Just get good football players at important positions - don’t reach for need.

I agree that a pass rusher is of the utmost importance, I just don’t see how you get one in this draft if they go WR in the first. Once you get past Dallas Turner, Jared Verse, Latu and Chop Robinson the pickings are pretty slim for a true DE (there are some 3-4 OLBs, but they don’t help Buffalo). By pick 60, your looking at Austin Booker, Braden Trice and Adisa Isaac - Booker and Isaac have some pass rush potential, but probably need to add considerable muscle before being ready to contribute. I can imagine them liking Trice with his high-effort approach, but it’s possible all 3 of them are gone by 60 as well.

I’m not a big Coleman advocate either, but I think it’s inaccurate to say he has been unproductive. 108 receptions and 18 TDs over the last two seasons against high level competition with less than stellar QB play isn’t bad.

I really like Chop Robinson. He has every athletic trait you could want with the exception of having longer arms. He does need to develop more pass rush moves, but similar can be said about any WR the team can expect to find available at 28 with the exception of McConkey and probably Mitchell and Pearsall. I know that any player except a WR in the first round will be hugely unpopular with many fans, but it is more a hope and prayer that Miller will be able to give the team much than it is an expectation, so pass rush is a huge need as is WR. How about Jehrzan Newton?

Sweat seems like an ideal player to replace Daquan Jones next year, except that his recent DUI and frequent weight problems are concerning. How about: Ladd McAconkey?

You don’t know that next year’s pick will be #28, could be in the teens if the season doesn’t go according to our wishes. And we don’t know that the guys available at 41 are any better than they could get next year in the first. Who is the special star they can get at 41 that is sure to be better than a first round one next year? But, I am fine with addressing WR this year at 28 and maybe even 60, just recognize they are likely to need a starting DE next year to replace Miller and a starter at CB to replace Douglas who will be 31 then.

Next year’s first might not even be worth pick 41 in this draft. You are unlikely to get 41+ more for it. It’s poor business overall trading future picks.

I am not disputing that the Bills need WR help.

I agree that he would be a great addition.

I think DeJean would make an outstanding S, but I think Late first is a bit early for S. Back to the DEs, I think any of those 3 are likely better out of the gate than any DE currently on the roster, but Miller likely still starts, at least early season out of deference to his great career. As you can tell, I’m not optimistic that Miller can bounce back from last season - I of course hope that he can.

Where there is smoke … oh wait that was just Beane coming back from the dispensary. I’m with many here - if they like him, ok in the 2nd, but still not what I would do. I just don’t see him as a receiver worth even a late 1st. I don’t think adding Coleman gets the Bills any more wins than they would get without him. I’d go a bit higher than “situational pieces”. I think there are several more who have potential to be solid or better starters.

Troy Franklin obviously interests the Bills, but I don’t think he is worth a late first round pick. He would certainly have a chance to help the Bills passing offense right away, but I have a lot of reservations about him. I think the number of visits and workouts he has had with the Bills means that they are still not sure what to make of him. Is he what he looked like on film or is he what he looked like at the Combine? I think at minimum he can be Gabe Davis - better in the passing game, but nowhere near the blocker Davis is. I’m concerned about inconsistent hands, his thin stature and whether he can become a more refined route runner. If he reaches his potential, he might become a good deep threat who can make plays at the intermediate level as DBs will have to respect his deep speed. I don’t think he will be dominant, but he could be good+. I think McKinstry would be interesting. I don’t think it’s out of the question that he could beat out Douglas or Benford. CB is a much bigger need than many think. I’ll play: how would Chop Robinson, Laiatu Latu or Jared Verse impact the Bills?

Most of that currency is nickels and pennies. Counting the number of picks without regard to the total value is pretty meaningless. The media hyped the whole “11 picks” thing. In reality, the 11 picks they have combined are worth less than some other team’s first round pick on its own.

Agree - for me, I would take the best BPA at WR, DE, DT, CB in round 1 (or after trade down), then repeat the rest of the way while expanding the positions to choose from as it gets later in the draft. Smaller trade ups using later picks to nail guys they like, if there are any that late. I could possibly see them being in the race for division or wild card this year, but I don’t think they are really challenging for the Super Bowl this season. So, no need to stress about filling one specific need.

Looking at the roster, this team, in my opinion, needs a lot more than 2 WR and they are not going to address those gaps in one offseason. Nobody wants to admit that this team probably will not be as good as it has been the last few years. I think that the front office saw that as an opportunity to do a mini-rebuild, especially on defense. They have seemingly improved their cap situation going forward in the process. i know that I am in the minority of fans, but I am fine with that approach. But, if we recognize that is what is going on and that they need at least 1 starting WR and another young one, a pass rusher to replace Von Miller, another starter at CB for after 30 y.o. Douglas is done and hopefully 2 better safeties than they have now, then it lessens the urgency to get both WR this year. Keep next year’s picks and use them when they have full value unless there is an opportunity to get a definite star in a trade up. 35 years of following the draft tells me that none of these prospects are absolutely sure things, so I don’t think giving up future picks at less than face value is wise in most circumstances. To your last point, I think they will try to use their excess 4th, 5th and 6th picks to make small moves up.