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NastyNateSoldiers

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Posts posted by NastyNateSoldiers

  1. 5 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

    Dorsey was the QB coach, McD was the defensive coordinator, Beane was Assistant GM. They went to the Super Bowl that year losing to the Broncos.  Looking at the roster two thing concerned me. They seem to be constructed in similar fashion as we have been. Specifically the WR neglect seems pretty apparent in the make up of both teams.  They seem to be MUCH more talented than any version of the Bills we have seen thus far. It's nearly at every position. Beane has had a good amount of time working on our roster. This was a very good Carolina team but I don't like that it appears we have a deficit against them in nearly every position.

     

    QB - This was Cams MVP season, but still would rather have Josh

     

    Cam Newton

     

     

    RB - Both went to the Pro Bowl that year, Stewart was actually a really good back at that time. This is close but nod to Carolina. 

     

    Jonathan Stewart 

    Mike Tolbert  

     

    WR - It's possible our current WR room is better than the one they fielded in 2015 🤢. Ginn was very explosive but nobody had over 750 yards. Our WR units have been better the last few years which is really concerning as far as how Beane views the position. 

     

    Ted Ginn Jr

    Jerricho Cotchery

    Devin Funchess

    Corey Brown

     

    TE - Olson was an absolute monster. Very high hopes for Kincaid but hard to put him in Olson's class at this stage

     

    Greg Olson

     

    OL- Two all pros and Michael Oher. Nod to Carolina

     

    T Michael Oher

    LG Andrew Norwell

    C Ryan Kalil

    RG Trai Turner

    RT Mike Remmers

     

    DL - Short was a pro bowler. This was the young version of Star. I would say DL is pretty close.

     

    DE  Charles Johnson

    DT Star Lotulelei

    DT Kawann Short

    DE Jared Allen

     

    LB - One of the best LB cores of the decade. Not close. 

     

    Shaq Thompson

    Luke Kuechly

    Thomas Davis

     

    DB - When we had pre injury Tre and younger Poyer and Hyde we probably get that nod. That unit hasn't been intact for a bit though. 

     

    CB Charles Tillman

    CB Josh Norman

    SS Roman Harper

    FS Kurt Coleman

    I'm surprised Dave Gentleman hasn't been hired by the Bills he was the GM for those Panthers . McBeane probably offered him a job Gentleman probably wants to go into retirement. 

     

    The Bills are not top heavy talented other then Josh we have no real difference makers on this team. The Bills like hard working culture players and we usually have good depth that's why we've been successful up to this point ntm our division has been pretty much easy the last few years . 

     

    Beane doesn't put great priority on speed at the skill positions and that's a skill thats paramount in today's wide open spread game. I liked this draft I believe there's some good football players that have potential to start at some point in the near future. All in all I agree with you it seems like another early playoff exit coming in the future with the same talking points next off-season. 

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  2. On 4/28/2024 at 1:07 AM, Logic said:

    I'll start by saying that this was far from my favorite Bills draft.

    I'm usually Mr Optimistic when it comes to draft classes, but I thought this year's class was just...fine. It was like if you fed Brandon Beane's draft tendencies and the Bills' needs into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out the 2024 Bills draft class. It was completely on brand, it filled the needs we all knew the team had, and it'll probably end up producing a few average players and a couple good ones.

    Ho-hum. Nobody in this class makes me stand up and say "that guy's really gonna help the Bills get over the hump and win a title". 

    Onto the picks:

    1. Keon Coleman - I was not a fan of this pick. For a team whose WR corps needed more speed and separation, this guy made the LEAST sense to me of all the 1st/2nd round WR prospects. Josh Allen has historically thrived with fast, shifty WRs who separate well, and has not clicked with big-bodied guys who struggle with separation. So adding Keon Coleman? It feels like "Square peg, meet round hole". He does have great athleticism and RAC ability for a man his size. He's also young to the position, having played football full time for only two seasons and being only 20 years old. I have concerns about his ability to play X in the NFL, and I'll believe that he's a better fit as a big slot until proven otherwise. Here's hoping I'm wrong about Coleman. The absolute ceiling I see for him is "Solid WR2". Not what I was hoping for in a star studded WR class and with a crying need at the position.

    2. Cole Bishop - Looks like he should be just what the doctor ordered at safety for the Bills. He seems to be more Poyer than Hyde, in that he's at his best in the box and playing the run, and he packs a wallop when he tackles. He appears to have untapped man coverage potential, with Dalton Kincaid saying Bishop usually got the better of him 1-on-1 at Utah. He also has freaky speed for the position and a great mental disposition. Should be an easy fit in the Bills' scheme. At the VERY least, I expect him to contribute from day 1 as a dime 'backer, but I'll ultimately be surprised if he doesn't wind up starting at one of the two safety spots by midseason. 

    3. Dewayne Carter - Good bull rusher, great motor, tons of experience, impeccable character. Seems like a 1T/3T 'tweener. Quickly apparent from his interviews that he's one of the smartest, most likable, easy to root for guys you'll ever see in the NFL. Should be a quality rotational tackle for the Bills and seems like, in time, he will provide quality leadership and a steadying presence on the D-line. May never be a big play guy, but may at least be a "dirty work" guy who allows others around him to thrive.

    4. Ray Davis - Hard running inside guy with great vision, ability to get skinny, contact balance, and underrated breakaway ability. Had the most receiving TDs in 2023 of any SEC running back in 25 years. Should provide a nice change of pace to James Cook without the Bills necessarily losing anything in the pass game when he comes on the field. An older prospect, but I don't care, because he's a running back, and he won't be here past his first contract anyway. Another "likability" and leadership All-Star. Davis should provide steadiness and depth, but doesn't do anything that wows you, and I'm not sure he moves the needle much on offense.

    5. Sedrick Van Pran - Tons of starting experience at Georgia. Has some traits reminiscent of Mitch Morse in terms of quickness, twitch, and ability on the move. Stop me if you've heard this one before -- lauded for his leadership. Should provide a good backup plan to Connor McGovern at center and/or provide competition at that position. It will not shock me if this guy is starting by year two. Seems like a great value at this point in the draft. One of my favorite picks.

    5. Edufuan Ulofoshio - What do you want me to say? You didn't think the Bills would let a draft pass them by without selecting a late round special teams linebacker, did you? The room is starting to get a bit crowded with Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow, Spector, and Ulofoshio. However...the Bills lost ST stalwarts Dodsen, Matakevitch, and Neal, and needed some reinforcements there. That's what Ulo seems to be. I'll be surprised if he ever amounts to more than that, but at this point in the draft, that's what you're getting.

    5. Javon Soloman - Undersized speed rusher (though he does have a great wingspan for the position) who had absolutely eye-popping production at Troy, where he out-produced Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyoira. He can be a designated pass rusher and special teams guy and can learn from his idol Von Miller, after whom he says he models his game. Very much a boom/bust prospect, with seemingly equal potential to be the steal of the draft or an outright bust. I liked this pick a lot, and I'm betting on the former over the latter.

    6. Tylan Grable - What do you want me to say? Did you think the Bills were gonna let a draft go by without taking a project offensive tackle late? I don't have much to say about this guy. He's just like Tommy Doyle or Luke Tenuta before him: a developmental tackle prospect who's a long shot to make the 53-man roster. With VanDemark and Collins already in place as backup OTs, it's hard to see this guy making the roster.

    6. Daequan Hardy - Special teams guy. Standout punt returner and gunner. I usually look to Bills' late round corners with excitement, because they're usually big-bodied guys with zone eyes who only dropped due to underwhelming athleticism. Hardy does not appear to fit that mold. He appears instead to be a punt return candidate and, beyond that, I'm not sure where he'd fit in. His only hope is as a nickel, but the Bills are obviously set there with Taron Johnson.

    7. Travis Clayton - At least this one's fun. A guy from the International Pathways program who has never played a down of football in his life. But he's 6'7", 301 lbs and runs a 4.79. The hope is that he turns into the next Jordan Mailata. A fun story and will be fun to track, but obviously a longshot and likely a practice squad guy at best.



    Overall, it was clear that leadership, maturity, and experience were high priorities for the Bills this year. Again and again, they picked guys who were team captains and lauded for their leadership abilities. Given all the leadership that walked out the door this offseason, that certainly makes sense. Again and again, they picked guys with lots of starting experience, guys who shined at the Senior Bowl, and guys who have their heads screwed on straight. Given that they will be counting on some of these guys to contribute from day one, and given that they seem to be doing a bit of a locker room reset, this also makes sense. 

    The reason that I am ultimately unexcited by this year's draft class is this: I wanted the Bills to prioritize building around Josh Allen. I wanted them to either take a swing for the fences by trading up for a star receiver, or -- failing that -- to go the Packers route and draft a handful of skill position players to surround him with. If they were unable to acquire great quality, then I hoped they would at least acquire quantity. I fear that in choosing Keon Coleman, they may have failed to achieve the "quality" goal, and in refusing to draft any other receivers, they also failed to achieve the "quantity" goal. And Ray Davis is the definition of "uninspiring" at running back. He'll be a fine depth player and grind out tough yards, I'm sure, but he doesn't move the needle much on offense. Neither Coleman nor Davis seem like they upgrade the offense. Just...status quo at best.

    In a year where I felt the very TOP priority was to improve on offense, I feel the Bills failed to meaningfully do so. In an offseason where I hoped they'd make a bold move or two to try to find an elite player for this offense, they failed to try. After hearing "Josh needs more weapons" for a couple years running, he now seems to have less. The WR corps seems to have regressed, and seems to lack any true downfield explosiveness or viable deep threat. 

    This draft class was not a disaster, by any means. it seems FINE. Just fine. Keon Coleman doesn't scream "Alpha WR1" to me. Ray Davis seems like an average NFL backup. Cole Bishop and Javon Soloman seem to perhaps have playmaking potential on defense. Beyond that -- meh.

    When the Bills decided to go young and start a roster reset, I had hope that Beane was gonna try to do things differently, since the old way he was doing things didn't get the Bills over the hump. They've been hitting too man singles and doubles over the years and not enough home runs. Instead, he appears to be doing things exactly the same way this time around. He seems to be content to collect character/culture guys, whose ceiling is "good, solid NFL player", rather than taking any risks or big swings for potential stars. He hasn't really taken those swings, to my estimation, since the Allen/Edmunds class. THAT'S why I'm disappointed in this draft class. It seems fine, solid, steady, and logical, but it doesn't seem like it'll move the needle much.

    I will move on to hoping that the post June 1st money infusion brings us a quality veteran receiver and maybe a pass rusher either via free agency or trade. Failing that, it would be hard for me to conclude anything other than that it looks like the Bills are poised to take a step back this year. 2025 looks promising in terms of cap space and draft capital, but if it's gonna continue to be "business as usual" for Brandon Beane, then I'm not sure how excited I should allow myself to get for that. 

    The more things change, the more they stay the same.

    The Bills #1 priority in the draft is BCA - Best Character Available . 

    • Eyeroll 1
  3. On 5/6/2024 at 3:01 PM, Kirby Jackson said:

    I understand that. They were okay going from 28 to 32 not knowing if Coleman would be there. What is the Pats went to 31? What is SF took him instead of Pearsall? There’s layers to this…

    I understand that. See above  ^. When they went from 28 to 32 there was no guarantee that Coleman OR Legette would be there. 

    If the 49ers took Coleman Leggette would be a Bill and we would have the better player. 

    Just now, NastyNateSoldiers said:

    If the 49ers took Coleman Leggette would be a Bill and we would have the better player. 

    Looks like the Bills love to draft BCA , Best Character Available. 

  4. Coleman Prediction for season 

     

    Targets 100

    Targets per game 5.8

    Catches 60 

    Catch Rate 60% 

    Per Catch 14.1 

    Yards 850yds

    TDs 8 

     

    I have the catch rate even under average numbers at usually 63.3% I believe this is a floor for a full rookie season from Coleman especially if he starts all 17 games . If he doesn't reach this threshold I close to it that's gonna be a problem. 

  5. On 4/28/2024 at 1:12 AM, Meatloaf63 said:

    With all the offseason moves, and adding just Coleman in the draft, did we do enough or will Beane look to trade or add a free agent after Trey’s money frees up?  

    I for one can’t believe we are finished, how about you?

    On Paper it doesn't look like enough but I think some people here are underestimating what Shakir role will be in this offense. 

     

    I got Shakir 

     

    Targets 130 

    Targets per game - 7.64

    Catches 95 Catches 

    Catch Rate 73% 

     Per Catch 14.5

    Yards 1377 yds

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  6. 21 hours ago, Pete said:

    Eric Moulds

    Ted Washington 

    If it's prime definitely TO and Evans why because nobody will stop are offense they will average 45 per game. 

     

    If it's prime and players that played in the playoffs at one pt 

    Moulds & TO 

     

    If it's strictly drought players u have to go Peters and Evans or u know what if it's pre injuries Sammy I'm taking I'm at Wr over Evans . 

  7. 1 hour ago, Wizard said:

    When Beane said the team is "in transition" what does that look like for you in 2024-2025.

     

    For me, it means four (4 things).

     

    1. Bills will be 10-7 and get a Wildcard

     

    2. Bills will offload Miller and Knox and will have more cap space heading into 25-26 season

     

    3. Bills will focus on finding a new punter, kicker, and a #1 DE and #1 WR with their top 3 2025-2026 draft picks.

     

    4. With Bills having more cap space and and younger platers, Bills will extend Allen by 3 years.

     

    5. 

     

    Sounds like 2 yrs of transition.

  8. 2 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

    Samuel.  Hamlet.  Isabella.  Three guys on the roster right now with speed.  I am sick to death of this stuff.  Why assume there was a guy on day 3 that offers more?

    I can imagine this is the exact way Beane would reply.

     

    So your gonna say an oft injured Hamler and a journey man in Isabella is gonna all of a sudden become weapons in the NFL? or a career long possession wr in Samuel is all of a sudden going to become a deep threat? I don't know what football your watching . These are definitely not the answers and you will witness that come September and if I'm wrong I'll admit it. 

  9. 21 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

    Bombs away isn't consistent. Yes, Allen can throw it 65 yards down field but to ask a WR to get open on that route or time things perfectly is no easy task as we saw with Diggs' playoff drop. Instead you play small ball to keep moving down field until get a TD or hopefully get a FG aka put points on the board. Sure you can throw a deep pass every so often to take a chance and/or keep the defense honest but to think you're going to hit one with any form of consistency is just foolish. I'll admit Coleman wasn't in my short list of WRs I wanted to us to draft. Yet I've been wrong before as I admit I never expected Josh Allen to be a top 5 NFL QB and even muttered Wrong Josh when he was drafted because watching the clips in college he wasn't always taking the way throw to move the chains and seemed like a guy who threw it long or a ball that most of the time wouldn't get completed. The more you watch the more you realize the best way to beat an opponent is don't beat yourself. As most games nowadays are won and loss by a handful of plays. 

    Obviously u can't throw the ball deep on every play but u do need the threat of being able to if it's not covered. As of right now this roster doesn't have that explosive speed threat on the outside. Teams are going to flood the short to intermediate passing lanes and dare us to hit them deep . By the very least the Bills needed to draft a speed wr after they selected Coleman and they failed to do so. It's a smack in the face of Bills fans when Beane mentioned players futures contracts for the reason why they didn't double dip. Tyrell Shavers are FN kidding me! 

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  10. 15 hours ago, ShakAttack said:


     

    I have to admit, this video is indeed a bit disappointing.  
     

    Especially if you compare it to the same video of Xavier Leggette.

     

     

    It’s disappointing because Coleman is billed as the “contested catch guy” but if you watch all of Leggette’s targets, he has a higher success rate of coming down with those catches, and seems to be better at just about everything else as well.

     

    For all the buzz about the trade KC, it’s the trade with Carolina that leaves me with more questions.

     

    Do we know for sure that Leggette was not our guy? 
     

    For all those that say we wouldn’t have made the trade if Panthers were coming after our guy, ok, then what is the point of trading up one spot for either team in that case? Why would the Panthers make this trade if they weren’t worried about us taking Leggette??? They could have just had him with the next pick after we drafted Coleman if this was true. 
     

    Not sure I’m convinced we didn’t get screwed.

    I think Coleman won the Character game over Leggette and he's 2 yrs younger then him plus he's a menacing blocker . Otherwise Leggette is better all around player in my opinion and has superstar potential. 

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  11. 5 hours ago, YodaMan79 said:

    I've been trying to think of a comp that we could hope to compare K. Coleman to.  What do you guys think of Brandon Marshall as a comparison?  He had a very good career, his stats surprised me.  He's 24th in all-time yardage.  Not bad for a 4th round pick.  Look at the physical similarities (yes I know Coleman is a little lite):

     

    Marshall: 

    https://www.nfl.com/prospects/brandon-marshall/32004d41-5237-0922-7f60-5556d0dc6ec1

     

    Coleman: 

    https://www.nfl.com/prospects/keon-coleman/3200434f-4c29-5571-54fa-77236b775ae1

    I heard this comp and would love for Coleman to be anywhere near as good as Marshall. The thing is Marshall was a 4th Rd pk for a reason and that was because of his measurables. With that all being said if Coleman puts up Marshall type numbers he will definitely exceed his draft position. 

  12. 12 hours ago, ShakAttack said:

    Sorry if this was already posted, but here is a good video.  While it does confirm that Coleman struggles with separation on deep routes, you can see him doing very well in creating separation on other routes. 

     

     

     

    The film of his struggles to separate vertically starts around 6:20.

     

    After that, you will see some impressive route running in which Coleman is successful in separating from DBs.

     

    Enjoy.

     

    The problem is really not the player its that this team lacks a bonafide burner on the outside. If we signed Hollywood Brown instead of Samuel this pick would make alot more sense. Right now we're lacking speed on the outside in a big way. 

    • Eyeroll 1
  13. 6 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

    Lol, this is the saddest thread on here in a while. There are people on here that think this WR room is good. We are now suggesting ways to make it even better!! People are talking about adding (in no particular order): Chase Claypool, Kenny Golladay, washed Michael Thomas, washed OBJ, and washed Allen Robinson.
     

    What are we doing here? The Bills needed to upgrade the WR room. They needed 2 boundary receivers at the top of the depth chart. They added one guy that was the most polarizing WR prospect, in arguably the greatest WR draft ever. That’s a massive failure. You aren’t going to dig yourself out by adding Kenny Golladay. As it stands the Bills have the worst WR group in the NFL. The TEs are good and the backs can catch but the WRs are last IMO.

    I think it's the 2nd worst on paper #1 is the Pats. 

  14. 1 hour ago, hondo in seattle said:

    Every blue moon, an intrepid crime podcaster breaks a criminal case.  But imagine your daughter was kidnapped and you had a binary choice: (A) You can have the FBI, with all its trained investigators, forensic scientists, labs, subpoena power, police connections, and other resources handle the investigation.  (B)  You can have Debi from Depew, who views herself as an investigative reporter because she podcasts from her mom’s basement, search for your daughter.  I don’t know about you, but I’d choose A.   

     

    It's part of fandom to stand by our unfounded opinions, call the GM a moron, and generally spout nonsense. But, if we want to be honest about it, we’re all - to varying degrees - Debi from Depew. 

     

    Fans are notoriously lousy at assessing draft picks.  Many of us criticized Beane when he picked Josh in the draft while few of us offered up flowers when he chose Milano.  And, look, talent evaluation is hard.  Go back and look at what sportswriters said five years ago about the draft.  Their hit rate isn’t high.  Even the analytic guys, armed with their algorithms and statistical analyses, aren’t good.  They told us that if Josh became a successful NFL QB, it would shake the very foundations of all math, science, and human knowledge. 

     

    I doubt if there’s anyone on this board who knows as much about scouting college players as Tyler Pratt who starts researching and evaluating players at 5:30 am each day and keeps at it until 8pm.  Tyler is an area scout for the Bills Personnel Department which includes 18 dedicated fulltime professionals, not including the admin folks, and is aided by 7 equally dedicated professionals in the Analytics & Football Research Department.  While none of us matches Pratt hours and expertise, we don’t hesitate to act like we’re smarter than Beane and his entire, fantastically resourced organization. 

     

    So when someone starts spouting that Beane is an idiot because he drafted a slow wideout, a lineman with short arms, and a guy who never played football before, I just yawn.  Debi from Depew doesn’t interest me.  Beane and his team have spent millions of dollars, studied thousands of hours of tape, conducted hundreds of interviews.  I just hope the Bills FBI (Foot Ball Investigative) unit is better than the FBI units at our rivals.  Time will tell.  But I trust Beane and his team of experts far more than Debi from Depew.

    Study long study wrong! 😂 Jk

     

    Actually I agree with u to an extent there's much more to it then just measurables and stats . Obviously there's scheme fit character fit and other things we don't know about . 

     

    Do u know who is the NFL version of Debi from Depew ? It's the Cincinnati Bengals I believe they have like 3 scouts only and they always seem to take the players rated highly by the media or the guys that are dropping due to character concerns and let me say the Bengals are damn good at drafting especially recently. Its just funny how that works and they are basically the admiration of all Debi from across the globe! 😂

     

    I'll be honest I'm definitely a Debi from Depew and have been one for nearly 30yrs. 😂 

  15. 8 hours ago, thenorthremembers said:

    During his end of draft press conference Beane mentioned they worked out a WR today they will end up signing.  Regardless of them drafting a wideout to play the boundary I've fully expected the Bills to bring in another boundary WR post draft.  So who is it?  Given the Brady connections I've expected OBJ or Michael Thomas.   Any other thoughts on who it may be?

    The draft was strong at Wr and although I think this was a rock solid draft this shouldn't be the answer bringing a vet off the streets. Beane dropped the ball not double dipping in this draft at Wr i don't care if we have Hamler or Isabella or whatever else he mentioned in his press conference. Malik Washington was a flat out steal in the late 5th and we didn't take advantage of that Miami got themselves a player there. 

     

    I was truly hoping the Bills would take the Packers approach to building there Wr core. Going multiple Wrs in a strong draft was definitely the way to go. 

    • Agree 2
  16. 11 hours ago, Logic said:

    I'll start by saying that this was far from my favorite Bills draft.

    I'm usually Mr Optimistic when it comes to draft classes, but I thought this year's class was just...fine. It was like if you fed Brandon Beane's draft tendencies and the Bills' needs into ChatGPT and asked it to spit out the 2024 Bills draft class. It was completely on brand, it filled the needs we all knew the team had, and it'll probably end up producing a few average players and a couple good ones.

    Ho-hum. Nobody in this class makes me stand up and say "that guy's really gonna help the Bills get over the hump and win a title". 

    Onto the picks:

    1. Keon Coleman - I was not a fan of this pick. For a team whose WR corps needed more speed and separation, this guy made the LEAST sense to me of all the 1st/2nd round WR prospects. Josh Allen has historically thrived with fast, shifty WRs who separate well, and has not clicked with big-bodied guys who struggle with separation. So adding Keon Coleman? It feels like "Square peg, meet round hole". He does have great athleticism and RAC ability for a man his size. He's also young to the position, having played football full time for only two seasons and being only 20 years old. I have concerns about his ability to play X in the NFL, and I'll believe that he's a better fit as a big slot until proven otherwise. Here's hoping I'm wrong about Coleman. The absolute ceiling I see for him is "Solid WR2". Not what I was hoping for in a star studded WR class and with a crying need at the position.

    2. Cole Bishop - Looks like he should be just what the doctor ordered at safety for the Bills. He seems to be more Poyer than Hyde, in that he's at his best in the box and playing the run, and he packs a wallop when he tackles. He appears to have untapped man coverage potential, with Dalton Kincaid saying Bishop usually got the better of him 1-on-1 at Utah. He also has freaky speed for the position and a great mental disposition. Should be an easy fit in the Bills' scheme. At the VERY least, I expect him to contribute from day 1 as a dime 'backer, but I'll ultimately be surprised if he doesn't wind up starting at one of the two safety spots by midseason. 

    3. Dewayne Carter - Good bull rusher, great motor, tons of experience, impeccable character. Seems like a 1T/3T 'tweener. Quickly apparent from his interviews that he's one of the smartest, most likable, easy to root for guys you'll ever see in the NFL. Should be a quality rotational tackle for the Bills and seems like, in time, he will provide quality leadership and a steadying presence on the D-line. May never be a big play guy, but may at least be a "dirty work" guy who allows others around him to thrive.

    4. Ray Davis - Hard running inside guy with great vision, ability to get skinny, contact balance, and underrated breakaway ability. Had the most receiving TDs in 2023 of any SEC running back in 25 years. Should provide a nice change of pace to James Cook without the Bills necessarily losing anything in the pass game when he comes on the field. An older prospect, but I don't care, because he's a running back, and he won't be here past his first contract anyway. Another "likability" and leadership All-Star. Davis should provide steadiness and depth, but doesn't do anything that wows you, and I'm not sure he moves the needle much on offense.

    5. Sedrick Van Pran - Tons of starting experience at Georgia. Has some traits reminiscent of Mitch Morse in terms of quickness, twitch, and ability on the move. Stop me if you've heard this one before -- lauded for his leadership. Should provide a good backup plan to Connor McGovern at center and/or provide competition at that position. It will not shock me if this guy is starting by year two. Seems like a great value at this point in the draft. One of my favorite picks.

    5. Edufuan Ulofoshio - What do you want me to say? You didn't think the Bills would let a draft pass them by without selecting a late round special teams linebacker, did you? The room is starting to get a bit crowded with Milano, Bernard, Williams, Morrow, Spector, and Ulofoshio. However...the Bills lost ST stalwarts Dodsen, Matakevitch, and Neal, and needed some reinforcements there. That's what Ulo seems to be. I'll be surprised if he ever amounts to more than that, but at this point in the draft, that's what you're getting.

    5. Javon Soloman - Undersized speed rusher (though he does have a great wingspan for the position) who had absolutely eye-popping production at Troy, where he out-produced Demarcus Ware and Osi Umenyoira. He can be a designated pass rusher and special teams guy and can learn from his idol Von Miller, after whom he says he models his game. Very much a boom/bust prospect, with seemingly equal potential to be the steal of the draft or an outright bust. I liked this pick a lot, and I'm betting on the former over the latter.

    6. Tylan Grable - What do you want me to say? Did you think the Bills were gonna let a draft go by without taking a project offensive tackle late? I don't have much to say about this guy. He's just like Tommy Doyle or Luke Tenuta before him: a developmental tackle prospect who's a long shot to make the 53-man roster. With VanDemark and Collins already in place as backup OTs, it's hard to see this guy making the roster.

    6. Daequan Hardy - Special teams guy. Standout punt returner and gunner. I usually look to Bills' late round corners with excitement, because they're usually big-bodied guys with zone eyes who only dropped due to underwhelming athleticism. Hardy does not appear to fit that mold. He appears instead to be a punt return candidate and, beyond that, I'm not sure where he'd fit in. His only hope is as a nickel, but the Bills are obviously set there with Taron Johnson.

    7. Travis Clayton - At least this one's fun. A guy from the International Pathways program who has never played a down of football in his life. But he's 6'7", 301 lbs and runs a 4.79. The hope is that he turns into the next Jordan Mailata. A fun story and will be fun to track, but obviously a longshot and likely a practice squad guy at best.



    Overall, it was clear that leadership, maturity, and experience were high priorities for the Bills this year. Again and again, they picked guys who were team captains and lauded for their leadership abilities. Given all the leadership that walked out the door this offseason, that certainly makes sense. Again and again, they picked guys with lots of starting experience, guys who shined at the Senior Bowl, and guys who have their heads screwed on straight. Given that they will be counting on some of these guys to contribute from day one, and given that they seem to be doing a bit of a locker room reset, this also makes sense. 

    The reason that I am ultimately unexcited by this year's draft class is this: I wanted the Bills to prioritize building around Josh Allen. I wanted them to either take a swing for the fences by trading up for a star receiver, or -- failing that -- to go the Packers route and draft a handful of skill position players to surround him with. If they were unable to acquire great quality, then I hoped they would at least acquire quantity. I fear that in choosing Keon Coleman, they may have failed to achieve the "quality" goal, and in refusing to draft any other receivers, they also failed to achieve the "quantity" goal. And Ray Davis is the definition of "uninspiring" at running back. He'll be a fine depth player and grind out tough yards, I'm sure, but he doesn't move the needle much on offense. Neither Coleman nor Davis seem like they upgrade the offense. Just...status quo at best.

    In a year where I felt the very TOP priority was to improve on offense, I feel the Bills failed to meaningfully do so. In an offseason where I hoped they'd make a bold move or two to try to find an elite player for this offense, they failed to try. After hearing "Josh needs more weapons" for a couple years running, he now seems to have less. The WR corps seems to have regressed, and seems to lack any true downfield explosiveness or viable deep threat. 

    This draft class was not a disaster, by any means. it seems FINE. Just fine. Keon Coleman doesn't scream "Alpha WR1" to me. Ray Davis seems like an average NFL backup. Cole Bishop and Javon Soloman seem to perhaps have playmaking potential on defense. Beyond that -- meh.

    When the Bills decided to go young and start a roster reset, I had hope that Beane was gonna try to do things differently, since the old way he was doing things didn't get the Bills over the hump. They've been hitting too man singles and doubles over the years and not enough home runs. Instead, he appears to be doing things exactly the same way this time around. He seems to be content to collect character/culture guys, whose ceiling is "good, solid NFL player", rather than taking any risks or big swings for potential stars. He hasn't really taken those swings, to my estimation, since the Allen/Edmunds class. THAT'S why I'm disappointed in this draft class. It seems fine, solid, steady, and logical, but it doesn't seem like it'll move the needle much.

    I will move on to hoping that the post June 1st money infusion brings us a quality veteran receiver and maybe a pass rusher either via free agency or trade. Failing that, it would be hard for me to conclude anything other than that it looks like the Bills are poised to take a step back this year. 2025 looks promising in terms of cap space and draft capital, but if it's gonna continue to be "business as usual" for Brandon Beane, then I'm not sure how excited I should allow myself to get for that. 

    The more things change, the more they stay the same.

    Daniel Jeremiah said it best saying it was a rock solid draft  and I was actually using the same phrase threw out the draft. 

  17. 11 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

    So there are a certain number of folks here who are wailing and gnashing teeth over Coleman because he’s not fast.  That we don’t place emphasis on speed.  So let’s do some math and compare a supposed fast time (4.2) with the supposed slow time of 4.6, which if memory serves correct is Coleman.
     

    The formula is simple:  40 yards/time gives you how many yards per second.

     

    For 4.2:  40/4.2= 9.5 yards/sec

    For 4.6:  40/4.6 = 8.7 yards/sec

     

    So if you have a guy running 40 yards downfield they’d gain about 3 yards. At 4.2 vs 4.6.  Seems like a significant difference although I haven’t run stats.  But I also don’t consider other variables like time to accelerate to maximum speed, effect of equipment on times, and such.  
     

    For me I’d be looking not just for speed, but how fast you get to top speed, how long you can maintain top speed, arm length (longer arms may negate the gap based purely on speed), quickness in getting in and out of breaks.  And likely more if I gave it more thought.  This is why Marcel St. Jacques wrote an article for espn.com indicating the 40 time isn’t very useful anymore.

     

    So this kid may not be a sprinter, but he’s quite the athlete (all state basketball), young still, will have height advantages over many corners.  I’m intrigued to see what he and other drafted guys bring to the table.

    Speed matters no doubt about it but like u said there's different types of speed and speed is just a part of the equation to making a good to great Wr . There's plenty examples of slower Wrs putting up huge numbers because they have other strengths to lean on and there's also the design of offense they play in and the type of QB they have that factor into this. 

     

    I truly believe Josh plays better with separators. Josh is not the most accurate QB and neither is he a conventional drop back timing anticipation QB either. So the problem to me is if Coleman is the right type of Wr for Josh. Wrs like Coleman play better with accurate QBs like Drew Brees or Brady . Big Ben needed fast smaller separators to play at his best and I believe Josh plays more like Ben then those other QBs I mentioned. 

  18. 28 minutes ago, Billzgobowlin said:

    I think if he hadn't had concussion symptoms Aaron Williams had a good albeit short career moving to safety.  

    Yeah that was sad he was becoming a bonafide player. My point to this topic was players that come into the league picked high in the draft 1st Rd players usually don't pan out when they have to switch positions right away. I was talking about these Hybrid tweener types . Especially outside corners making transition to safety in particular haven't been very successful. Slot corners are usually the players making a successful transition but that's because a slot corner has basically the same responsibility as safeties. 

     

    If your telling me draft Cooper and play him as a outside corner his natural position that's fine with me but to move him to a new spot as a first Rd pk is too much projection for me and rather take a player later in the draft to make such a move. Players drafted between Rds 4-7 usually make this move more naturally because they have the time to adjust and learn there new position with no pressure of being a 1st Rd pk that needs to showcase his skills right away. In Cooper case some have said he's a good to great Zone corner and if that's the case I still don't want him because zone corners are like running backs in a way u kind them all threw out the draft u hardly see Zone Only corners being drafted high in the draft. 

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