dpberr

I don't see the Panthers saddling a defensive minded coach with the Cam Newton project. They will either get a weapon for Clausen (Green) or play to Rivera's strength and get a starter on the defense in Dareus or Peterson. The Panthers line and secondary have holes, so either would fit right away.

+1. Neck injury alone scares me off for a Round 2 pick. He's one shot away from calling it a career. You don't pick linebackers with neck problems with high draft picks. I find either Wilson or Ponder at #2 like milk on a hot summer day. Can't the Bills find somebody who wasn't seriously injured at #34?

I think Cam Jordan would not be a reach at #3. I think the pick will be Dareus, Miller or Jordan. As for the Alulu scenario, the Bills select Prince Amukamara.

Bring Vince Young in to Buffalo? What, getting the Bills to an 8-8 record isn't challenging enough? He may have all the talent in the world, but you can't teach maturity and work ethic, two things Young lacks.

Thing about that list...is that the majority of those guys are not late round lottery tickets. The top shelf on that list are second/third round picks. Obviously looking for bargains in the 4th round isn't cutting it.

I believe in Mayock's analysis. I personally believe that Carolina would love to get out of #1, but probably won't due to lack of willing trade partners, especially given that players under contract can't be in the mix in any deal. I think Carolina's weaknesses at CB, DT or WR are worse than having Clausen at QB for a year. If they get their OL healthy, with that running attack, it'd take some pressure off him. They need somebody opposite Steve Smith.

Late round picks, castoffs and UDFAs haven't been working out well for the Bills at TE. The great Pete Metzelaars was a 3rd pick. The ok, but often injured Jay Riemersma was a 7th rounder. And it's been absolute desolation ever since. If we don't draft Rudolph, Williams, or Stocker, we better spend some money at the position at FA. We need a blue chip at that position.

If the team doesn't play to win, there's no point in fans investing money, and more importantly, their time, into the team.

Hell, the whole offense should be there.

Right on. +1

It's in the players best interest to have a salary cap. It's the rising tide that lifts all boats. It forces teams to spend close to the cap, keeps markets somewhat competitive and provides some financial stability for the league, which is good for the NFL for both the owners and players. Teams like the Jets and Cowboys who are so ridiculously leveraged with stadiums, can't afford to hire everybody, so you need to have a mechanism to spread that opportunity around. If you are a top shelf player, you want competing offers from a variety of teams, not just one or two.

I don't buy any of what Buddy Nix says to the media. The media is concluding that the Bills will take Gabbert or nobody at all, but there are plenty of decent quarterback candidates with some talent to select from in this year's draft if you must take one and you don't want to use your 2nd or 3rd rounders on it. I'd keep an eye on Josh Portis.

I'm delusional. There's no way you reach for a QB at #3 in a draft of talent rich, top shelf defensive players when you're a pathetic run stopping team (league's worst) and you've got the #1 team in rushing points, and 4th overall in rushing yards in your division.

Bet you are a fan of Bowers too. I bet your draft picks don't make to the end of their rookie season on the field. That matters to fans with the exception of you, I suppose.

What is the deal with the love for Martez Wilson? Much like Bowers, he's got a pre-existing injury that takes one bad play from being on IR for an entire season his rookie year. He had surgery for the same problem that ended Antonio Pierce's career.

Kyle Rudolph would be a steal if he's at #34.

Cam Jordan and Kyle Rudolph would get you there.

Radioactive.

What gets me when I look at mock drafts like these is that they don't really look long and hard enough at the particular team needs. That is for sure, any and every Don Banks draft. Over-valuing the QB position in a weak draft is how Alex Smith & JaMarcus Russell go #1.

Mallett is really good at throwing a football. He releases the ball around eight feet high which is absolutely amazing. He played in a pro-style offense. A very big plus. However, he's a *big* project. He won't play for a few years. Is that what you want your 2nd overall pick to do in a year where you could really fix other positions with ready to play starters on either line or the long forgotten TE?

Right now, it's between Dareus and Jordan for me. However, Jordan's versatility and experience in the 3-4 and his intangibles (smarts, work ethic especially) edge out over Dareus. I like that he has a year of 3-4 under his belt under Pendergast, formerly of the Cardinals, where he ran their pretty effective 3-4. Mix all that together, and Jordan starts Day #1.

Quinn hasn't played in a year and that's too much of a risk. Like his size and quickness, but a year of rust, especially in learning the game, is a big liability. Von Miller played on a bad defense, and I think that helped elevate his numbers. He's a system linebacker like his A&M alum Coryatt. Miller's a good player, IMO, not a great player, and he's a project. He'll learn other moves and he'll work. You hope he'll add weight. He may be great three years from now. I just don't think he's worthy of the #3 pick for the Bills. You want immediate impact, plug and play, at #3. When talking about Miller, I think folks underestimate just how good offensive tackles in the NFL are, and how they eat up the lighter guys, regardless of how fast they may be.

"(Georgia OLB) Justin Houston is very talented, but he could be the next Vernon Gholston. It's scary, but he shuts it down way too much. He's one of the draft's great magicians. He can disappear with the best of them. Love that term: "Draft magician"

I separate out work ethic from the broader discussion about "character" and I think Nawrocki confuses the two when trying to explain both. Are Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp, Lawrence Taylor high character guys? Probably not, but they've never been accused of taking plays off or disappearing in games. Harvin, Raji, Oher and Maualuga all have top shelf work ethics. They work constantly to get better, and that's what's important, and that's what the Bills need. Guys that not only possess rare talent, but also have the inner motivation and drive to persistently hone it. That's the knock on Fairley and sadly, Dareus. These guys don't have that level of self motivation that's a big factor in their future NFL careers. I think Jamarcus Russell could have been half decent if he worked on his career. That's why even though I'm a Dareus fan, guys like Miller, Jordan, Kerrigan, Watt etc. are attractive for the Bills. You know that you don't have to rely on money and coaching to motivate them on a daily basis. I agree in the surprise in J.P. Losman. I didn't think he was a character or had a work ethic problem at Tulane or in Buffalo.

Panthers, Broncos and Bills all trade out of 1st, 2nd and 3rd spots. New slotting: Cincinnati, Arizona, Philadelphia