OldTimer1960

I think we’ve been depressed by our own mock drafts with who might be available at the Bills’ picks. Just heard Gil Brandt claim that players picked in this year’s 4th round would have been roughly 6th round picks in the 2020 draft. That certainly fits my perception. Thoughts and counter arguments?

Me too, but I don’t think either will *really* be available at 61 in the actual draft.

If they hadn’t taken Ossai in round 1, I would look at Joe Tryon, Carlos Basham or Ronnie Perkins here. I know Basham isn’t the gazelle pass rusher that we all want, but I think he can be a good (not great) starting DE and at 61, that would meet reasonable expectations.

I think he means that he doesn’t like any of those options at 61.

He doesn’t have a lot of football experience. I believe he first played as a HS Junior and didn’t play a ton of games at Penn State before declaring for the draft. I don’t know if it will eventually click for him or if he will disappoint and disappear. I see him as a very risky pick early, but respected football people including Gil Brandt think he will have impact even this coming season. There is some truth in your statement about Maybin.

I could get on board with OL there. By pick 61 it might be tough to find positions of greater need without reaching.

I don't think he will go that high, but someone might like him enough to do that. I'd think maybe late 3rd given he hasn't run due to injury.

Eskridge is an exciting prospect, but his athletic ability at Western Michigan set him apart a lot more than it will at the NFL level. I'm not saying he can't/won't be good, just an added consideration when scouting players who played not the best competition. If he is a LB, isn't that just a 4-3 defense with him on the field with Milano and Edmunds? I think they have to be careful not to look too hard for a "big nickel". Sure, if you can get JOK great, but if they are taking someone and force-fitting them into a role that isn't ideal for them, just to say you have a "big nickel" it is a risky proposition.

A 4.69 at Indy would be a decent time for a TE, but it is disappointing with the “home field” 40 times coming out of pro days. Add in that he doesn’t have prototypical size for the position and pretty good, but not stellar production in college and it makes me think he isn’t a top prospect. Maybe he can sneak into the 3rd or 4th round - or maybe someone will like him more than that.

And not much in this TE class after Pitts. Freiermuth is OK, but it is depressing after that.

That’s true, but I have a hard time liking any of the 1T DTs in this draft. I know several people seem to like Tyler Shelvin, but I worry about him being and staying in shape and he offers almost nothing in pass rush. Rotating him out in passing situations might be hard because he will take a bit of time to get on/off the field. I don’t think that either will make it to pick 61.

Well that is possible. Still, with many players who opted out of last season and teams that didn't play or played reduced schedules, it has to be an added level of uncertainty.

I understand that is the logic, but I think this is over-hyped. Force-fitting an OK prospect at a high value position over a better prospect at a lesser position does not make much sense, to me. Sure, roll the dice on an OK DE prospect and *maybe*, just maybe he will turn out to be good enough to exercise the 5th year option, but there are many where the option isn’t exercised. I can certainly imagine a scenario where a player at a “lesser” position does have 5th year option exercised. I am not advocating for this, but I it hard to imagine someone like Landon Dickerson getting healthy and being good enough at C or G to use that option?

Yes, not a really strong group of DL at either DE or DT.

I don’t think that they need impact this year - would be happy to get it, but they need to balance who is most ready to help immediately vs who can help most in the long-term. I don’t like taking super athletes who did not produce in college, but likewise I am not crazy about taking a highly productive player with low ceiling, either.

There are always exceptions. There are good pass rushers who aren't super fast, good CBs who don't have good size, etc. Beasley had already proven to be very good in the NFL. Again, I'm not saying Rondale Moore won't be good - undersized guys like Steve Smith and Desean Jackson have had success, but a lot of undersized guys and guys with injury history have had problems making it in the NFL as well. Taking Rondale Moore in round 1 feels like taking a nickel CB in round 1. Maybe it is a good idea, but I'd be a bit cautious there.

injury and size concerns with him - not saying he couldn't be a consideration, but he does not fit all of the desired parameters.

Well, yeah, all things being equal. However, if the available DEs aren't as good as the available CBs, shouldn't that change the equation? Crop of DTs is pretty weak in the draft - at least based on my reading and many of the available guys don't have the size that you are looking for.

Thanks, I shouldn’t have been annoyed with the response.

Didn’t need a condescending response, was looking for your opinion. I can and have read a lot for the last 30+ years of drafts.

But who are the corners and how certain can you be that they are good prospects? Samuel is a good prospect with low-end size that may limit him to slot - similar thoughts on Mouldin, the two Georgia CBs have great tools, but limited film and production. Talk me into a great CB pick at 30 - I want to believe.

The Bills will have to be very sharp in order to find any future starters in this draft - not criticism of the front office, just draft positions create major challenges.

Bills are really in no-man’s land in this draft. Best positions available likely OT and interior OL, while needs (as they are) are weak positions in the draft (DE, DT). Whatever position they look at, this is likely the least well scouted class in many years considering opt-outs and limited schedules for many college teams. Hoping that Bills’ crack front office can forge an advantage in this odd year, but they are really disadvantaged given draft position and reported depth at positions of needs.

Boat load of injuries in his career, too. Will he last 4 years in the league?

I don’t know about that. I am not anti-Samuel, but you do have to wonder if he can play outside in the NFL or if he will be strictly a slot corner. If they think he can be good outside, then he should be a candidate at 30. If slot only, he would be a tough selection that high.