Cheddar's Dad

Mayock looked at Coples' senior year tape, now has Ingram as the best DE. But says he hates the DEs in this draft. How long has it been since you watched the NFL Network?

The most interesting thing that I see in this mock is that a trend seems to be developing where both Upshaw and Ingram are falling in the first round. Mike Mayock, last night (NFL Network), said he loved the DTs in this draft. He hates the DEs. He said that based on watching tapes of Coples' senior year, he can't see Coples as a good pick anywhere in the FIRST THREE ROUNDS. This mock has Coples going to Miami at # 8. Upshaw goes to the Jets at 16 and Ingram to Tennessee at 20. This mock indicates two things to me; 1 Mocks are somewhat out of touch with reality. Miami and Buffalo, I'm certain, have been watching those same tapes. 2. Coples, Upshaw and Ingram will be there for Buffalo at #10. But 10 might be too early to select any of them. So; where does Buffalo go from here? Brockers has risen in the mocks. This mock has him going to Carolina at #9. Brockers is one of the DTs that Mayock loves. Can he play DE and should Buffalo take him to play that position or look at one of the OT left on the board? Or should Buffalo select Ingram to play OLB even though this mock has him "valued" at #20? It could be the best course would be to trade down even if you have to accept less than chart value for the 10th overall pick.

WalterFootball.com has Coples going to Miami @ #8 due to the Dolfhins' move to a 43. He would be a complement to Cameron Wake as a pass rusher. However, Walter adds the following Caveat Emptor; "the effort was not there when he was a senior, and the only times he looked good in the Senior Bowl was when he was matched against guards Kelechi Osemele and Senio Kelemte. Tackles Mike Adams and Mitchell Schwartz completely stonewalled him. I wouldn't touch him with a top 12 pick, but there's no doubt that he'll likely be picked in the top 10". Walter has Buffalo selecting Melvin Ingram stating "Gailey has recently harped about not being able to get the quarterback". "Melvin Ingram is currently the top pass rusher available in the wake of dominant Senior Bowl practices. He's a bit short for a 43 scheme (6'1") and has arms like twigs, but he has elite explosion. The Bills are officially sticking with the 43, so he makes more sense than Courtney Upshaw. Incidently; Walter has Upshaw going to the Jets at #16 due to the fact the Jets play the 34. I know there are readers of this site that love Coples and Upshaw. Is there anyone out there that would like to offer a cogent comment?

You can't possibly be a true Bills fan. What shortcomings are you thinking of; that he throws accurately; that before his rib injuries he had a completion percentage of nearly 70%, that he gets rid of the ball quickly making his O line look really good, that he knows the routes his receivers are running and is able to throw at or before they break or cut their routes, that he is smart and can read defenses, that he is good at looking away from his intended receiver, that his teammates consider him to be a leader. Are those the things you dislike about him?

I see risk in taking Coples. No doubt about his ability, just his "want to". Regarding Ingram and Upshaw, let me refer you to BuffaloBills.com; specifically Chris Brown's blog titled Ingram to Leapfrog Upshaw?

Regarding the Brady's safety, Brady said he had to get rid of the ball. There was no one open and he had no other place to throw it. Both teams, the Patriots and the Giants, played close coverage. The pass rush was part of it but tight coverage was just as important.

Exactly. Would you rather hit him at the LOS with a 210 lb safety or with a 276 lb LB? The premise of my post was IF Ingram can run a 4.6 it makes him as fast as Gronk. The big question is can he change directions with Gronk. If he can, he can cover Gronk. Thinking that no one can cover Gronk is a bit of defeatism in my opinion.

There is a blog on BuffaloBills.com today speculating that Melvin Ingram, at 6'2", 276 lbs. may run a 4.6 40. Buffalo needs a strong side OLB, one that can defend the run, rush the passer, and defeat TE's. If Ingram is as fast as expected and if he is nimble footed, i.e., able to turn and run, he might be the player that can neutralize Gronkowski. Buffalo has to be able to defeat New England if it ever expects to win the AFC East. A big part of that is dealing with the Gronk. Watching him at the Combine is high on my to-do list. If he does as expected and both he and Coples are there for Buffalo at #10, Buffalo will need every second of those fifteen minutes.

No. Just so happens we have nothing better to do this afternoon.

Show you a link? Hasn't that already been done by others? How many links do you need before you admit you are just plain wrong? Chan thinks Sheppard can handle MLB. Why would you doubt the Bills' head coach? Other than reading mock drafts, do you actually have any scouting experience? I'm not saying that Hightower will not be an excellent pro player, but if you read his bio, he has many of the same qualities as Sheppard had while at LSU. If you think he can play middle, why would you draft another middle when you already have a developing player at that position and Buffalo has other significant positions to fill? If you think he can be an OLB in a 43, do you think it is ever a good idea to draft a player with the intention of moving him to a position he is not familiar with, particularly at #10? The reasons that I thought the Bills should pick Dareus, and that was way before the combine, is that he played a 34 DE at Alabama. He played it exceptionally well. He sometimes played the Nose. He did that exceptionally well. Buffalo was using the 34 as our primary D going into 2011, and the team needed size and talent on it's D line. If you want to your first rd. pick to be successful, to be a very good pick, find a player that plays a position where you have a need and plays the position exceptionally well. One more thing; the combine should never be used for the purpose of significantly upgrading a player. It should only be used to confirm some of the information already gathered by a team's scouting dept., in my opinion.

Found it. Go to page 6, page down to subject, Leading Pass Rush Candidates With Short Arms. As I said, it was me! I think an apology from you is in order if you're man enough for that sort of thing.

Typical hipster? I don't think so. I don't know how long they keep previous posts on this site but I can say this; I visited GBNREPORT.COM on the first day of Senior Bowl practices. Height, weight, arm length were listed for all Senior Bowl participants. That is when I notices that both Ingram and Upshaw had short arms and "originally posted" that fact and questioned whether Buffalo should draft either of these players. This would have been about the 23rd. or 24th of January. I don't know if you can reach into an archive and pull it up but you should try before calling me a Typical Hipster for that matter. As to Hightower; he played one of the inside LB positions in Saban's 34. Gailey has already named Sheppard as Buffalo's starting middle LB for the 2012 season. Why would you want to draft a backup at #10 or do you feel he can transition to strong OLB in Gailey's 43? If so, please explain why.

That was me.

I don't like any OT at #10. Profootballfocus.com just had a piece about Demetrius Bell being one of our most improved players this past season. I know. Bell has a history of injuries but that does not mean he will continue to get injured. He has now shown he is a quality Left Tackle. With pick #10, Buffalo should be looking for a definite upgrade; someone you can start from day 1 and he will play. With a healthy Bell, Martin would be a pine sitter, perhaps for his entire career. I want more from pick #10 than a career back up. Completely wrong. Apparently you don't really follow college football. Dareus became an expected early first round pick when he destroyed Colt McCoy in the BCS game TWO YEARS AGO.

So MADDOG69; Since you didn't like or understand the question, you felt compelled to refer to it as idiotic and moronic? You could not think of a better reply? You could not suggest that if not being able to fill their biggest need at #10, perhaps they should trade down or some such thing? Using insults as you do is an easy thing to do when on the computer but it doesn't really add to the discussion. Why not just move on to a question or topic you do like and understand?

No. But as close to one as you can get, I think. Still, Indi really has no alternative but to select this, very close to a sure bet, QB prospect. If one were to study first round picks, and I haven't done this; I'm fairly certain that drafting success improves the higher up you go in the first round. So, trading your first overall pick when you have a great need at QB and there's a great prospect sitting there, for multiple picks later on in the first round hoping to get that franchise QB later, is not what I would do.

Intentionally or not, your response is rude. My question was meant to be rhetorical. I was hoping to get responses regarding where the Bills would go if Coples is not available; i.e, which positions would they target, which players might they select. Everyone responding so far seems to have understood, except, of course, you.

The real question is this; does Indi have any alternative but to draft Luck? Many "insiders" are saying that Manning's career may be over. His nerve has not yet regenerated. Luck is said to be the best QB prospect to come along in years. What would you expect Indi to do but select Luck? Should they stay with the QBs they had last season which earned them, what, two wins? The Colts, I'm sure, considers themselves extremely lucky (pun intended) to be in a situation where they can draft Luck. I think the Indi fans that endured last season, will be very happy with the success that Luck brings to the team next season and for many seasons to come. Tim; there are no sure bets in any draft.

Since Chan's announcement that the Bills will use the 43 defense, most fans are now discounting the possibility that the team will draft Upshaw or Ingram. Many are saying that Coples is now the target. Many mock drafts, however, have Coples going to Jacksonville at #7. So, if Coples is not there when Buffalo picks, as is likely the case, who does Buffalo pick. Some of you like Mercilus. Stat wise, he had a great year. But Mercilus is a one year starter. One year wonders are risky and most mock drafts have Mercilus going no earlier than #20. Some of you like Nick Perry. Perry had three productive years at SC but he is considered somewhat undersized at DE and most mocks have him as a late first, early second round pick. Based on the above, Mercilus and Perry would be "reaches" at #10. What does Buffalo do if there is no DE having a #10 value when the team picks at 10? Do we have a plan B?

Gailey said one of the reason he was going 43 was that it was harder to find players that fit the 34. Specifically, Gailey said, "it gets extremely hard to find those outside backers year after year". That sounds like Upshaw and Ingram will not rank as priorities for their defense unless he feels that slower players with shorter arms can be OLBs in a 43.

Upshaw and Ingram were nearly invisible in the Senior Bowl. To me, their performance was disappointing. Coples' performance was good. He made some plays. But there are lingering questions about Coples' work ethic and how much he really wants to play consistently good football. Wes Bunting of NATIONALFOOTBALLPOST.COM has his latest mock draft, dated today, showing Buffalo by-passing Coples, Upshaw and Ingram for Martin, the LT from Stanford. Coples goes to Seattle at #12, Upshaw to the Jets at #16, and Ingram to Green Bay at #28. These players were, before Saturday's Senior Bowl, considered top 10 selections. Was this fall from the top 10 the result of the Senior Bowl? If Buffalo feels these players do not offer top 10 value, where do they go with their #10 pick? Do they reach for one of them or draft for #10 value?

Why? It caught your attention, didn't it?

Pad work is finished for Senior Bowl practices. A lot has been said about the South team's defensive line and, in particular, it's pass rush. Mayock and the boys feel that the South's defense will dominate the game on Saturday. All of the talk has been about Courtney Upshaw, Melvin Ingram, and Quinton Coples. All have shown they can rush the passer. But a lot of talk regarding Upshaw and Ingram has been about their lack of height and the fact they are "tweeners". Mayock says that they are so good that you have to find a place for them on your team. This is a troublesome comment in my view. It means they are not 43 DEs and and may not be 43 OLBs. They may be 34 OLB's but there is a question about whether than can cover. Their strength seems to be pass rush and run stopping. Are they two down OLBs in a 34? So how and where does a coach play them and should Buffalo select one of them at #10 if the position they would play is rather obscure at the moment and Buffalo may be moving to the 43? Buffalo might decide to avoid the problem of where to play them and, instead, select Coples who is, without a doubt a 43 DE who can also play DT in the 43. Coples has been good in practices UNTIL he met OG Cordy Glenn who successfully stoned his rush. Glenn has been a surprise. At 6'5" and 345 lbs., he was considered to be strictly a Guard. But his work in one on ones against Coples indicates he can play tackle and maybe even LT. Is he another Jason Peters? So...Upshaw and Ingram are tweeners with a not yet well defined pro position. Coples can play DE but could not beat a large guard with his pass rush. Could it be that the smart move for Buffalo would be to select....Glenn?

I guess you don't appreciate Welker and have you seen Rainey, the receiver from Florida?

The Senior Bowl practice sessions are underway. Two leading pass rush candidates showed up with short arms; Courtney Upshaw's arm length is 31.0 inches. Melvin Ingram's is also 31 inches. It is well recognized that scouts and coaches like to see longer arms on their pass rushers which helps them disengage from o-line blockers. For comparison, guards Osemeli and Glen both had arm lengths of over 35 inches. Will the length of Upshaw and Ingram cause these players to fall from their lofty positions on many mock draft estimates?