2003Contenders

I agree -- the only caveat I have is that if there is as great of demand for other teams to move up to #33 as Beane claims, he would be hard-pressed to avoid trading down if an offer comes in that is too good to refuse.

Exactly -- and given the number of calls they are reportedly getting about 2.01, I suspect that there is a high probability that they move down yet again. I have no idea how they have the players graded, but right now there is a pretty good collection of guys on the board that would fill a need who would not be unreasonable to select at 33: DeJean (S) McKinstry (CB) Powers-Johnson (OC) McConkey (WR) Franklin (WR) Coleman (WR) Mitchell (WR) Nubin (S) Lassiter (CB) Rakestraw (CB) They could move down as far as 40, still land their BAP (at a position of need) -- and pick up another (hopefully top 100) pick for their efforts. The plethora of 5th rounders also gives them some ammunition to move up a few picks here or there if they want to make a move later in the 2nd or 3rd.

Absolutely -- use some combination of those 5th round picks to move up in the 2nd and/or 3rd round(s).

I certainly believe that Beane has been doing his due diligence in terms of calling around in pursuit of an "aggressive" move up the draft board. I suppose the question is: what exactly is "aggressive" -- and just how "aggressive" is Beane willing to be. The biggest problem with all of this is that everything is so fluid -- and it won't be until the draft is well underway that we have any indication of what may happen. Let's just say that Beane is trying to land one of the top 3 WRs and is indeed calling around to see if any of the teams drafting in the top 10 are willing to move down. Picking all the way down at 28, it is highly unlikely that any of the teams in the top, let's say 6, would be willing to make a deal with the Bills -- even if the Bills were willing to part with an exhaustive list of future picks (in addition to 28 and 60 this year). Now, if at least one of those top 3 falls as far as 8, then things could start getting interesting, as parting with 28, 60, 2025 1st rounder, and one of the 2025 2nd rounders could possibly get that done with Atlanta. But that is STILL a lot for the Bills to give up when they have other needs. I just have a hard time seeing Beane be THAT aggressive, which could be why he more or less managed those expectations in last week's conference call when he indicated that he did not see us trading into the top 10. If one of those receivers surprisingly falls out of the top 10, then I can honestly see a serious possibility of an "aggressive" trade happening. The framework is there from the 2017 move that cost the Chiefs their 2018 first rounder and 2017 3rd-round pick to move up from #27 to #10. I would imagine similar compensation would be in play for a move up from 28 to, say 11-13. Of course, the Bills do not have a #3 this year -- so likely the cost would be one of the #2 picks NEXT year (plus the 2025 #1) in order to move up from 28. That is much easier to stomach, provided that the receiver really is an immediate-impact difference-maker. I really do hope that "aggressive" does not mean trading away anything significant to move into the top 20 to land whomever they have ranked as their 4th receiver (BTJ or Worthy or whomever). I could live with a move like they have made in each of the last 2 drafts (parting with, say, a 4th rounder) to move up a few spots to solidify such a pick. But I would not consider that "aggressive".

Indeed -- plus, (God rest his soul) John Butler already had one foot out the door for San Diego when he oversaw this, his final draft.

Prior to the Diggs trade I may have said Legette, as I think he has the size/speed/upside to round out the WR room. However, with Diggs gone, I think the team needs more of a "sure" thing -- and a guy that can contribute right away (which I am not sure Legette can do). That to me is McConkey, who may not have Legette's measurables -- but he come into the league right away as a polished and versatile receiver, and I believe has a better shot at off-setting Diggs' departure.

Agreed. Reuter actually does a decent job having them address needs -- but his sequencing of when these players are selected is odd. Would the Bills really draft Wilson ahead of several other WRs that wind up being drafted in the 3rd round of this mock? I will say that if Reuter happened to have any inside knowledge (which I doubt he does), I would be highly annoyed if the draft went the way he has it going for the Bills without some serious TRADING DOWN happening.

Reminds me too much of the McCargo pick back in 2006. The guy was viewed as a 3rd/4th rounder -- but leading up to the draft, suddenly his stock shot up. Of course, I have a great deal more faith in this current front office than I did in the one that oversaw that draft.

I doubt that the Falcons would be willing to move down 20 spots in the 1st round without getting something else back THIS year. My guess is that #60 this year as well as the 2025 first rounder would be a minimal starting point.

With all the picks the Bills have on Day 3, maybe they can package one or more of them in the hypothetical trade to make it more reasonable/enticing.

Given that there are 3-4 receivers on the board that are pretty closely rated, I voted to trade down. Ideally, that would mean moving into the top part of the 2nd round (where at least one of those receivers will still be available) -- and hopefully picking up a 3rd rounder for the trouble. Obviously, we would have to find a serious trading partner.

I agree -- there really is not much hype surrounding him. He is not a big-bodied receiver -- but he checks off pretty much all of the other boxes: speed, route running, versatility, and has played in big-time games. As we have seen in the WR threads, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder in this year's draft class. The top 3 (MHJ, Nabers and Odunze) will probably go in the top 10. BTJ will likely go somewhere in the next 10 picks (well before the Bills). If BB does not see great value with the collection of receivers on the board at 28, I could see him waiting until the 2nd to draft a polished receiver like Wilson.

I believe that the Bills were interested -- and probably did tell Armstead to come back with any offer he received from another team. However, there is simply no way Beane could (or should) have matched that offer that Jacksonville made. This is probably a situation similar to when the WR came in during the Buddy Nix era -- was it Brandon Lloyd? -- who was in the office literally working out a contract when a representative from another team called with an offer. When Buddy heard the terms the other team was offering, he immediately stopped proceedings and told the player and his agent -- "You better take that deal with the other team because there is no way we can match it..."

I highly doubt that we see any "big splash" deals. Instead, I think he will be patient, wait a few days until all of the hype dies down -- and pick up some depth/low key guys for modest contracts on 1-2-year deals. While I trust McD and the coaching staff to make do with these kinds of players in the secondary, I think (aside from another possible under-the-radar signing) we will have to wait until the draft to find a meaningful pickup at the position that we all covet the most, WR.

Nice signing (assuming money is minimal). My guess is that they will still want to bring in a veteran who can be relied upon for pass protection/blitz pick-ups.