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I really applaud the job Nix has done in rebuilding/remodeling this team. He's turned it into something solid, into a team of big, fast, men with talent. On defense - man! we might as well be a different team! I can truly say I didn't have a full appreciation of the importance of the draft in turning around a team until now. I mean, last year I was so impatient to see the Bills win that I wanted Nix to bring in any number of free agent options just to ignite a spark. I was also clammoring for Wannstedt to take over the defense last year, and wondering why he wasn't doing more in that regard. But now a lot of that is much clearer. For one, what would Wannstedt have done, really, but move back to a 4-3 without adequate personnel, and give the rest of the NFL a season worth of losing efforts to build up a strategy to deal with his system. Now, at least, it'll be fresh (his Bills version) and he'll have the players he needs. I'd say we're better off now than if he'd of started last year. And, when it comes to talent - wow! We've gone from a group of over-achieving non recognizeable names, to now having a very young, exciting defense. Looking at the secondary, we already know how good Wilson, Searcy, and Bird can be. Add Aaron Williams, Stephon Gilmore, Ron Brooks (who I think is going to turn out to be a very good CB) Justin Rogers (who I think played good last year when he was in the games) to McGee and McKelvin, and our secondary is poised to be good for a long time. Our linebacking corps - which I was just considering, two weeks ago, to be a big weakness on this team, has suddenly become perhaps solid, and maybe more, if the draft choices this year pan out. I should say, we know what we have with Barnett, but if Shepphard, Bradham, and Carder pan out, then it becomes a decent squad. And, again, I'm high on this year's 4th and 5th round selections at LB. The D-line? It could be insanely good if K. Williams, Dareus, Mario Williams, and Anderson perform up to their capabilities. That isn't even mentioning guys like Carrington, or MERRIMAN - who looked very good last year before he was again hobbled, or Troupe. Add to this mix his additions to the O-line, which I think is now solidified as potentially one of the best in the league, and it is young, too! If Easley ends up doing what he looks capable of, and Graham pans outs - more if's. And the biggest IF of all, Fitzpatrick's play. Add to all that these two QB's Nix picked up in UDFA, and the TE, Dickerson - there are some really intruiging prospects to watch this year. With the backup QB position, all I really wanted was to have someone there who inspired a little HOPE, as opposed to Thigpen, who was obviously not capable of any greatness. This Alex Tanney looks to have really exciting potential, and reminds me so much of Freddy Jackson in the way he's been overlooked and dismissed. In sum, this turn around has largely been done in TWO drafts - and very wise Free Agency/Coaching moves. But the drafting wouldn't have been enough to remake this team so quickly unless the mid-round players and later pan out.

It may be a year away - because, as others have noted, we need to have that truly impactful LB - but, I'm hoping our 4th rounder this year ends up being able to step in by year's end and take over Morrison's spot. I can't say enough how thrilled I am, at least at how they look as prospects, with this draft. Our two 4th round picks could end up being excellent starters - they both have the dynamic quality that makes them capable of being not only good, but excellent pro's, if things fall their way. We'll have to see how fast the young guys can develop, but if they acclimate quickly, this Defense could be top 5 in the NFL. I expect that by the end of next year, for sure.

I think it is a very good point to make, that Buffalo has a track record, perhaps BETTER THAN any other NFL club, of taking virtually undrafted talents, or, at least, players not projected to be great LT's in the NFL, and turning them into good to excellent LT's. That tells me Buffalo KNOWS what they need to have, talent wise, in a player, and they know they can teach that talent to play. Now, you add a guy who is physically supposed to be very capable of playing LT - and you let Buffalo work with him... we're going to have a good LT in Glenn. I like Hairston, too, so I think we're now, for the first time in a good number of years, FINALLY SET on the Offensive line! I really like the players and the depth we now have (I just hope Buffalo gets the middle of the line re-signed so we can count on them all playing together for a long time). At the very least, I expect Buffalo now has it's Defensive and Offensive lines set for the next 4 to 5 years. They've got most of their secondary and WR corps set, too. They've got depth at the linebacker spot, and they have at least one RB for the next 4 years. If things don't pan out this year due to QB play, or lack of overall talent and readiness, I think they'll be able to go into next year's offseason and finish this roster, get the final pieces, and be ready to be a contender for the next half decade. It was a good draft. I can't wait to see these guys play together.

Man - there are a few QB's on that list that I think Chan could turn into something good. Jeff Garcia could outplay Fitz, I'd bet. Billy Volek, Vince Young, Dennis Dixon, and John Kitna are all HUGE upgrades over Thigpen. Either Buffalo doesn't care about it's backup QB position, or they are too afraid to add competition that might actually push Fitz, because it's obvious to anyone watching last year that Thigpen was too poor a QB to even replace a hobbling, ineffective Fitz. That is the only real negative about this draft - we didn't get a QB, again. That, and we didn't capitalize on the abundance of big, speedy WR's available in the draft. Hey, we'll all see how it pans out this year. I hope my fears are proved unnecessary, but I'm not sold on Fitz until he proves he can take us to the playoffs, and then he can't be the one to blow the big games, once there.

I agree! The thing that I like about Nix the most? He came into a Buffalo team that was undersized, and undertalent. Everyone watching saw the Bills get pushed around and beat on year after year. Teams didn't respect us in a physical way, because they could come in here and RUN US OVER! We were a push-over team that the NFL at large stopped taking serious. Nix saw that and he wanted to CHANGE the Bills into a team that was A MAN'S Team. He wanted to create a football team of Big Men that would Push Back! He wanted a team that was not easily handled, that could deal with the bad weather in Buffalo, that could run the ball when they wanted to run the ball, that could stop the run when they needed to - in short, he wanted to put together a real big, nasty team that would not only be taken seriously, but that teams would begin to not want to have to play. And, 3 years into this regime, I look at our squad, and I have to say - it is a team I can easily get behind! Look at our NASTY D-line! We got big dudes on that line who are going to give opposing players a headache. The linebackers? Bennett, Sheppard, and Bradham? would be a 4-3 lb corps with speed AND size - and you add to that our secondary (our new CB's - Brooks and Gilmore are both going to be starters, and are FAST, added to Williams, and we have SAFETIES and CORNERS who can HIT!!!) So, Nix has given us a defense that can play with anyone! As for offense, our new O-line is BIG and NASTY. We can make holes for any RB's - but we've got two of the better RB's in our conference! If our WR's pan out, we've got a team to recon with. Next year he can deal with the QB situation, if it turns out we need to address it for more than just a back-up/developmental purpose.

Had I made a 7 round mock for Buffalo right before this draft, I don't think I would have been optimistic enough to have had them getting all the players they got. I mean, usually with a Bills draft I'm left scratching my head with just about every pick, and its only afterward that I come to like many of the players they drafted. But, with this draft, I really am amazed at how well the slotting lined up for us. I only question the WR pick, and the kicker pick. Otherwise, I like every pick made, and I just can't say how exciting it is that we ended up getting so many players that look like they might be gems, or later round picks that end up starters down the road. In a year or two, our depth will be very nice because of this draft, I think. Even now it is exciting. I am disappointed we didn't get a QB. But, I'm not going to complain one bit about the overall draft. And, I'd have to say that the Bills must think Easley is the answer at WR#2 or they would have gone harder after one of the bigger speed WR's in the first 4 rounds. Brooks, Sanders, Bradham, and Carder, all look like mid round selections that will end up starting, or contributing in sub-packages, regularly. Brooks is very exciting, I think, as is Bradham - who I am very happy isn't a smaller LB (that is one thing I was a little worried about - I like the bigger LB's, but he's got the speed to still cover). And, getting Glenn in the second, when no one would have batted an eye had we selected him with our first pick, was just so lucky for us. Our defense looks set! And our Offensive line looks finally set, too! Next year's draft we can focus on QB and maybe the final pieces, like upgrading LB's and WR's/TE's. Great job Nix and Co.!

I feel we absolutely need a QB. Imagine if Fitz gets seriously hurt in the first few weeks, and he's out for maybe 6-8 weeks. All of a sudden, a year when Buffalo is supposed to be relevant, instead they'd already be sunk, if all they have is Thigpen. Now, I agree, a 6th or 7th rounder for Colt McCoy - that'd be an answer, because he's got similar features as Fitz and could come in and win games if Fitz went down, and might actually be able to beat Fitz out in a competition. Or, we need to get a QB who can win games, because, as another poster mentioned, if the QB can't be good enough to lead an NFL team, then you don't waste a pick on him. So, if Buffalo feels there's a QB available in the 2nd or 3rd who can become a winning QB, they should take him, especially if they don't plan on another, like the above mentioned, option. We simply cannot go into this season with the backup situation as it is. That is just as bad as the LT or WR situation.

Let us not forget the teams that were in the playoffs, and the teams that are the best in the NFL - the teams Nix and Co. see us competing against - not to mention our own division's Champions, New England - are almost all powerhouse passing teams: New England, Houston, Now Denver, and teams on the other side like Green Bay, New Orleans, Giants, Detroit. The model of defense that we are implementing, which says that the 4 down linemen must be able to get to the QB by themselves, is, of course, a defense to beat these passing teams, and to terrorize QB's. Well, our secondary needed the influx of talent, and now we have the pressure AND the coverage. That will equate to very good defense. We've still got the rest of the draft to get a WR, OLB, and LT. I'd rather us end up, after round 3, with, say, Zanders at LT, Gilmore at CB, and maybe a Lavonte David, or a Wagner at OLB, than just having gotten LT Kalil. We needed the spread of talent - and Gilmore is the first step in that process! Good Pick!

I really, really wanted the Bills to come out of this draft with 3 starters - I though they could manage to get an OLB, a 2nd WR, and either a CB or a OT. If they give up their 2nd pick to move up for Kalil - at least we can just be done with these lines! I mean, what an offensive line we'd have! Kalil, Levitre, Wood, Ubrik, Hairston/Pears. That would be a very good, young line to grow together and it would give Buffalo one of the best Offensive and Defensive lines in football. You can go a ways with good lines - especially with the running backs we have... but then it'd be up to our F.O. to get the WR/OLB/CB with the rest of the picks. I think we could land a WR in the 3rd - or an OLB. Go Buffalo!

Excellent point! It is true - and not often considered. It really puts pressure on the F.O. to make the right moves for the right players, and not end up being a few picks too late every round. I looked at the top 100 players, as ranked by profootballweekly, and isolated the players the Bills would be interested in - and of the top 100, surprisingly, I'd say 65 - 70 percent of the players they'd likely want to pick, and who would have a chance to start, were slated between 20-60. It ends up meaning that the guys Buffalo is likely to want are going to be going AFTER their first pick, yet BEFORE their 3rd pick. Now, of course that holds loosely true about a lot of teams, but, considering Buffalo's particular needs, if would benefit them greatly to increase the number of picks they have in the lower 1st, 2nd rounds, and upper part of the 3rd round. I think that is where they'll maximize their value at. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Bills go about this draft. They stand to really put themselves in position to compete with the good teams, with the right picks, or, if they draft poorly, fall behind yet again.

I've been thinking about it a lot, too. I think it's a deep draft for areas of our needs - WR's, OLB's, CB's, and there might be 4-8 OT's that end up playing well in the NFL, although which ones will be good LT's is the hardest part of this whole draft equation, because there's a chance OT's in the 2nd and 3rd round, a few of them, might end up being better LT's than some of the other guys supposed to go after Kalil. The good thing for Buffalo, I think Keuchly, Floyd, Reiff, Glenn, Kirkpatrick, and maybe Gilmore will be available to them at 10. That's 6 players who could come in and start, and help, right away - at a position of need. So, it's up to whoever the Bills feel has the best potential. There will be guys available in the 3rd and 4th who will be able to start at times, too. I'm really growing more and more fond of Russel Wilson in the 4th round. I think this kid might end up being the steal of the draft. I hope Buffalo's team of scouts has a bunch of em lined up.

Agree - there are a handful of players that simply won't be available to Buffalo without a trade. Kalil is one of them. It's too bad, because the LT position in this draft, value-wise, is not lining up good for Buffalo. The others - Glenn, Adams, Reiff, and Martin - the other 4 of the top 5 available OT's, are all slotted for the 15-30 range, and all of them are questionably capable of handling the left side. The Bills would be so, so much better off if they could get a trade partner, trade down to somewhere around 20, pick up an extra 2nd rounder - because a great majority of the players in this draft who look like starters, and who would be nice fits for the Bills, are looking like going between picks 20-60. It leaves the Bills either reaching for guys, or just missing on them the following round, according to most mocks. But, I can only hope Buddy Nix plays the board right, and we get who we need, and a few to get excited about, too.

If you can get an impact, starter in the 2nd - especially at a position of need, you do it. Lavonte David would be a perfect fit for us, added to Barnett and Sheppard, would make our LB corps a solid trio, instead of a liability, which it is now. I just don't think David will still be there for us in the 2nd. I sure hope he is, but if not I hope the Bills have the option on another LB early, one who can HIT, and cover.

You know, my opinion on what it means to be great: you are so good at what you do it doesn't matter what the opposition brings, or how it tries - you are still going to hand it to them. The Bills need to get back to being so good that it doesn't matter what the opposition does to try to win; the Bills will still fight the good fight and come out on top - at least 75 percent of the time! It's a bad mentality that we feel we need everything even, or else we're going to be screwed! I say, give the opposition an advantage. Until we're good enough to overlook that stuff, we're not going to be good enough. And, by the way, if the schedule were to opposite, I have a hunch you'd be saying, "finally, the Bills get a break!". If the Bills Defense becomes as good as it can this year, we'll be a playoff team. That, and Fitz's play will go much, much further in determining how the season ends than our schedule.

The Bills still need another LB, another CB, another WR, another OT - as has been said, to really be ready to go to battle without any glaring weaknesses. If we were to find a good starter in each of these four areas for our team, and those players were to play well, we'd still have areas where we could upgrade. So, how far do we have to go before we are good enough to compete with the best teams in the NFL? I'd say we still need to bring in the right 5 or 6 players before we're talking championship - so, as many of those players as can be had this year the better. How important is the draft? How long do you want to wait to see Buffalo in the playoffs? A good GM can bring in enough talent through the draft process to turn a team around in 3 years. We're at the point now where this year could put us in position to be a playoff team. It's important. I can't wait.

I like your draft. Another thing - I made a post on another thread about the prospects teams bring in - wondering if teams spent much of their total allowance on players who would be available in the later rounds. It seemed to me that most teams spent the majority of their visits on guys who would all be gone after round 1. But, I noticed some teams spent more visits with guys who would be around later. Was there a correlation between preparing more for later round success and having better total drafts, I wondered? Anyway, it would be pretty cool if Buffalo ended up being able to draft a bunch of guys they actually took extra time evaluating. Would show a lot of foresight and preparedness on their part. I am really psyched about this draft - I've got the feeling Buffalo is moving forward in the drafting department since Buddy's arrival, and now sits in the top tier of teams that is putting together a real power-house team via the draft. If only we could get our QB situation settled with a real star, I'd be so happy with this team.

I think your point is a very good one to make, though - you didn't include in that list guys like Blackmon or Tannehill - and who knows who else might sneak into the top of the first round. But, if the Bills stay at 10 they are sure to get a very highly rated player drop into their laps. Now, the story is that Buffalo would like to trade down. If things fall this way and a few good players are on the board when the 10 pick happens, then maybe they'll get their wish. And, if not, then maybe they end up with a good CB or LB to move forward with. Either way, it looks like it'll end well for Buffalo this year. I can't wait to see how this draft unfolds.

It's simple: if the Patriots are really entertaining trades for Mallett - and, I mean, if they're the ones initiating the trade talk, then they either want higher draft picks - they want a profit/return on their investment, or, they are willing to take a 3rd or less, then they're taking a hit/loss on their investment. If they're talking about letting him go for less than a 3rd - NO WAY!!! That means they've not only invested the initial pick, and the money, and time, and the experience He has in Their system - all of that, which adds up to MORE than the initial pick alone. If they want to let him go and are trying to get something for him, then forget it. If that is the case they maybe know he has issues still... But, on the other hand, if they picked him, put in all that time, money, etc., and now he is ready to be a starter - and they want to get a return on a smart investment... then the question becomes, does he fit your system? And, how good is he, what is he worth?

This could be a special QB class? - COULD BE? I'd say it's already set to feature 2 very elite QB's - and that isn't all that usual; after all, a class is lucky to see the likes of a LUCK once every 10 years, at least, that's what we're hearing. But, then you throw in a guy like Griffin III, who will no doubt spend his entire NFL career proving why Indy was wrong. Then you've got guys like Osweiler, Cousins, Weeden, Foles, Keenum, Wilson, Tannehill, and Moore - 8 Qb's, of which, I'd guess at least 4 will end up playing in the NFL at one time or another in the next few years. If one or two of these QB's ends up being good, then this class will end up being one of the best in the last 30 years.

You know, I think this is the best way to make an accurate guess/prediction at who the Bills will be taking. Chances are Nix and Co., are going to have a list of 10 players, in order of either the 10 very best players from best down, or the 10 best choices for Buffalo, if they could choose any player in the draft. Now, thinking of it like that it gets pretty exciting, and there are different ways to make up the list. As I said, there is a difference between the top 10 players and the top 10 best fits/choices for Buffalo. However, I think Nix is pretty much a BPA kind of guy, regardless, so I'm thinking the way to go about this is to make a list of the 10 BEST PLAYERS from BEST down, and the highest one left available come pick 10 is the guy we end up with. Another exciting thing - there's a very, very strong chance that Buffalo ends up with, talent-wise, maybe the 6th or 7th best player in the entire draft! Because, we know there will be a few teams reaching for players. I cannot, rightly judge which are the best 10 and so on, since I don't follow the college game enough to determine those rankings accurately.

I don't know if there are better talents to be had at 10, so that passing on Keuchly would be wise in that we ended up with a better player - but, I do know that every layer of our defense - D-line, linebackers, safeties, and corners has some top talent, except the linebacking corps. I'd say the corners and safeties are more important in the current NFL, with all the passing going on, but I believe most great defenses have great linebackers, too. If Keuchly is a beast of a linebacker, and not something like a London Fletcher - which is good, too - only I prefer a Clay Matthews to a London Fletcher type LB - then we can't go wrong with adding that kind of talent to the linebacking corps. Again, we probably can't go wrong adding a very good CB, either, as far as the defense goes. So, if it is a defensive position to be taken, I think it should come down to which is the better positional player? Is Keuchly a better LB than, say, Gilmore is a CB? Or, is Keuchly a better LB than Ingram is a DE? That is the question it'll come down to, I think.

What I got from watching the Nix clip was this: fans should not consider it out of the question if the Bills found a player at 10 who would, in their opinion, provide the team with the most impact, but who plays a position that the Bills are strong at already. I say this because Nix said, 1. The 10 pick should not only be a starter, but an impact player 2. Kind of contrary, now, to the starter statement - the player isn't guaranteed a spot on the field right away; that the Bills like to let the players compete. This tells me the position might be one where the Bills already have good players. What positions does this sound like a good match for? Defensive Tackle or End, as Mark Anderson could be seen as a rotational end. Offensive Guard. Now, basically, Nix just opened up all the positions on the field, now, for sufficient debate. I agree that it will be best player available - and I'm glad that they'll take that player even if they have strength there.

I wouldn't have a problem if Nix and Gailey decided they wanted to finish this defense with a flurry of draft picks, if in so doing they put together a great defense. If they said, "we want to make this defense great. After this, we'll devote next draft and next offseason to the offense." I'd be fine with that, too. I'm guessing they don't see it that way, though. There's more than likely a desire within the organization to capitalize on Mario Williams and Stevie and Co., and start winning. So, balance is probably the direction we'll see.

You make a pretty good point here - the Bills are so thin at LT they probably shouldn't wait to address that position past the first pick. But, just because they are thin at the position doesn't mean their hand is forced, when it comes to drafting in the first round. We've seen these Bills, after all, go into a season terribly short at various positions - O-line being one group. They've shown a real tenacity when it comes to throwing off convention, so anything is possible. I do believe, though, that LT will be the pick in round 1.

I agree, totally, with Astro - we need more than anything to be sure that the combination of players we're selecting in the first 3-4 rounds will all be eligible starters - rather than getting a heck of a player in round 1, but not getting, consequently, as good of players at the other need positions in the later rounds. I'd be fine with LT, OLB, WR in that order. And I would LOVE it if we could manage a Reiff,Adams,Martin,Glenn hit in round 1, followed by Lavonte David in round 2! He is the type of OLB we're looking for. Audie Cole, in the 3rd, wouldn't be bad, either. And, I like Mosley in the 3rd, as well. It's up to Nix to make sure we're getting the best combination - and I can't wait to see how he pulls this one off.