Shoutbox

I can believe it. Gilmore was a distant 4th behind Claiborne, Kirkpatrick, and Jenkins until his combine workout. He got burned way too many times last year to be considered a top 10 CB. He doesn't have the natural instincts of a CB and may project better at FS in the NFL.

Sure! Why not? There are many people advocating for CB's at 10th overall, and all CB's do is cover. They're not even expected to do much in run support, let alone rush the passer. A LB like Kuechly, meanwhile, will be on the field for all 3 plays and is actually faster than the best TE's and possession WR's in the game...in addition to his ability to stop the run. I really don't understand the Kuechly outrage. Oh right, he has the same skin color as Poz. Therefore, Kuechly = Poz.

Ok, but keep in mind the following before casting judgment on Sheppard: A. He was a rookie asked to play perhaps the most cerebral position in the NFL other than QB. B. George Edwards was the coordinator of the cluster!@#$ that was the 2011 Buffalo Bills defense. C. For most of the season, the defensive line in front of him consisted of another rookie, Dareus, plus a bunch of scrubs.

Yeah, this is a problem for me as well. I'm all in favor of drafting Kuechly, but why not have him take Morrison's spot at Sam LB instead?

I'll start: Here's the 5 who I assume will be on everyone's list: Luck, Griffin, Kalil, Blackmon, Claiborne. Now here's the 5 where I think there will more debate: Richardson, Glenn, Ingram, Kuechly, Gilmore

Gilmore would be a solid choice. One could make a case for him being as high as the seventh best prospect in this draft after the big six (Luck, Griffin, Richardson, Blackmon, Kalil, and Claiborne). However, keep in mind that we would then have SIX quality corners on the roster: a young pair of starters (Gilmore and Williams), a veteran pair who can still start in this league for a little while longer (McGee and Florence), and then a young pair of kick returners who provide great depth (McKelvin and Rogers). Most teams keep five corners; I don't know any that keep seven. Jenkins is a huge risk as is, but would be a major luxury pick after selecting Gilmore in the first round. There are just too many other roster holes at LT, WR, and LB.

Yeah, 0:53-1:25 is very interesting and difficult to interpret. In my (probably worthless) opinion, their reaction to the Floyd question is what I'd expect a reaction about Janoris Jenkins to be... However, if this was a smokescreen, then they REALLY like Floyd and may have him ranked in the 5th-7th overall range.

Let's be clear: Floyd wasn't just caught for underage drinking. He was ARRESTED for alcohol-related offenses THREE times, one of which was a DUI and another was a fight. Personally, I believe in giving people extra chances in life, especially when the mistakes they make are while young. However, I am also not in the business of giving multimillion dollar contracts and risking my own job security on the decision-making maturity of 21-year-olds. I'm not being some uptight teetotaller here; I'm just trying to understand why Nix wouldn't give such a high-profile player at a position of need an interview.

He actually made THREE poor decisions related to alcohol. I think it's the repeat offender thing that's the issue to Nix. Maybe the third time was the wake-up call he needed, and the past year is what you'll get from him for the rest of his career. But Floyd doesn't have Calvin Johnson elite talent, and there are a lot of talented WR's who will be available later in the draft. This is probably Nix's thinking here: the reward doesn't justify the massive risk at #10. Reiff is a much more interesting case to me. I am of the same opinion as others around here that Nix won't burn a #10 pick on someone he doesn't interview (Luck and Griffin as the lone exceptions). So it's very possible Buddy has Reiff ranked lower than both Martin and Glenn for the LT position. Even so...why not have an interview just to make sure? So anyone want to predict who the top 10 are on Buddy's draft board? I'll take a guess: Luck, Griffin, Kalil, Claiborne, Richardson, Blackmon, Kuechly, Kirkpatrick, Gilmore, Martin

That's my pick as well. Keeping in mind that the Wannstache D will be primarily in zone coverage, read this: http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/scouting-the-draft-alabamas-dre-kirkpatrick/

The bottom line is that a lot of people posting in this thread are idiots and deserve to be called out for their idiocy. I, Mark Miller, at least have an IQ in the triple digits and so will help clarify a few things for those who occupy the lower half of the bell curve: 1. Kuechly would play Sam LB in The Stache's 4-3 defense. He would also play all 3 downs. Sheppard would remain at MLB. 2. Not all white linebackers are the same. Beneath the pasty white skin of Kuechly and Chris White and Poz are three completely different people with different skill sets. 3. Linebackers are important to a defense. NFL teams typically like to complete their roster with defensive players that play positions beside pass-rushing DE and CB. 4. The NFL draft normally consists of more than 32 overall picks. The Bills will, in fact, have 9 more opportunities to draft offensive tackles and wide receivers this year.

Don't forget that the draft is still a couple weeks away. This interview list is incomplete. If someone like Floyd still hasn't had an interview by draft day, however, then I think it's a safe bet that Nix won't draft him. I think the MULTIPLE alcohol infractions are what may ultimately have Nix concerned; a single mistake might have been okay. I would love to know how that interview with Kirkpatrick went. If it went well, I think he's going to be the pick at #10. Keep in mind that him and Claiborne were battling it out for #1 CB until the marijuana situation (charges which were later dropped). His zone cover skills are a perfect match for Wannstache's D, he's an SEC boy, and we need more CB's to counter what the Pats have done this offseason. I also think that Kirkpatrick's ceiling is much higher than Reiff's or Floyd's or Kuechly's.

He/She was known as Kid Rock before he /she changed his/her name to Zoe Bell. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.celebs101.com/gallery/Kid_Rock/199774/sr386_kid_r66726625.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.celebs101.com/image-199774--4033--Kid%2BRock%2BPicture%2BGallery.html&h=718&w=470&sz=44&tbnid=GMeP5E0kBXrefM:&tbnh=92&tbnw=60&zoom=1&docid=EEQh7G6xt_rp4M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=MlaDT7idFcPn0QGz3uCiCA&ved=0CFsQ9QEwCg&dur=1288

No, none of us are.

Here is a positional breakdown of all 23 1st round draft picks this franchise has made since its historical pinnacle in 1990: DB: 8 RB: 4 DL: 4 OL: 4 WR: 2 QB: 1 Notice how the Bills have drafted as many DB's during this timespan as they have OL and DL combined (half of which were colossal busts - Mike Williams, Maybin, McCargo, Flowers...yikes). Also notice how the Bills have drafted more combined DB's and RB's during this timespan as all other positions combined. The OP is right: this is not a winning draft formula.

McKelvin is not an average starter. He's the 4th best CB on the roster right now and will likely be out of the league completely in a few more years. Give him a 2.25 grade, not 3.0.

A consensus of the top 10 is emerging: QB Luck QB Griffin RB Richardson WR Blackmon T Kalil T Reiff DE Coples DT Poe LB Kuechly CB Claiborne

Gilmore is a bit of a raw prospect, in terms of coverage skills and physical bulk. This is why he's generally thought to be more of a late first round pick instead of a top 10 pick. Maybe NFL-caliber coaching and weight training will correct these issues, but it's still a risk. We also don't know how Buddy Nix feels about Martin and Floyd, relative to all the other LT's and WR's in the draft. The roster holes at these positions are much greater than at CB. But based on how Buddy Nix handled the DB positions in last year's draft (Williams, Searcy, Rogers), he has earned my full support in whatever he decides to do with Gilmore. When you look at what the Patriots have done in free agency this offseason, you can't help but think that 5 quality CB's on the roster may not be enough in this division.

You would pass on a Walter Payton type (one of the top 5 RB's to have ever played the game) because we already have Jackson and Spiller?! Some of you guys are so committed to your anti-RB and anti-BPA policies that you start sounding foolish. I'm sorry, but the RB position is still very important. You can't just plug in any Average Joe RB behind "good blocking" and expect no significant drop off in production. If that were the case, why not trade both Jackson and Spiller for picks and go with the unstoppable two-headed monster of Tashard Choice and Johnny White? Anyone want to advocate for that? If not, then you are admitting that RB talent matters. I do agree with the sentiment that this franchise has wasted too many high-round picks on the RB position in recent years. Very much so, in fact. But that's only because the guys we've chosen (Lynch, McGahee, Henry) didn't really have elite talent, and their character problems necessitated their early exiles from Buffalo. If Richardson is going to be more like an OJ Simpson or a Thurman Thomas than an Antowain Smith or a Ronnie Harmon, then you make him your pick regardless of the RB talent already there. Going a bit beyond the RB position, I'd say the same for DeCastro at guard or Kuechly at linebacker. The Bills could do (and frequently have done) a lot worse with their first round picks than crowd "lesser" roster positions with guys who will regularly make the Pro Bowl.

Byrd, Levitre, and Jackson are the only ones on that list that may be difficult to keep if we let them hit the open market. I assume extending their contracts will be a priority right after the draft.

I sure hope so, because here is our record in the AFC East since Nix and Gailey took over: Pats: 1-3 Dolphins: 1-3 Jets: 0-4 If the Bills want to make the playoffs this year, they will need to at least sweep the Dolphins and split with the Jets and Pats.

It should be noted that the charges against Kirkpatrick were DROPPED. If he ends up being our pick, I will have full confidence that Buddy Nix and the team's southern scouts did their homework on Dre's character and his commitment to his football career. Before the marijuana charge, Dre was considered to be neck-and-neck with Claiborne for top ranked CB in the draft. His talents are especially valuable to teams that employ zone coverage schemes. So if Jonathan Martin gets picked in the top 9, don't be surprised to see Dre get selected at #10 on account of "BPA" philosophy...regardless of what you personally think of drafting 1st round CB's.

No no, all of us Bills fans are definitely getting laid. But more like this:

A-!@#$ing-men, my Western New York brother! A-!@#$ing-men! Robert !@#$ing Meachem didn't sign here because he knows blue collar Buffalonians like you and I will hold primadonna pieces of **** like him accountable for his efforts.

I'd be more impressed if she was a 55 year old grandma going back to school to become a doctor or lawyer or scientist or anything that's remotely useful to society. But all I see here is a 55-year old narcissist who's trying to revisit some shallow teenage dream she ruined by failing to use birth control. Having said that, yeah I'd hit it.