Brandon

I'm guessing that you must be Malcolm Kelly's physician. Its good to know that you've examined his knees and are in a position to tell us this.

Here are the Colts last 10 top picks: 2007 - WR Anthony Gonzales 2006 - RB Joseph Addai 2005 - CB Marlin Jackson 2004 - S Bob Sanders 2003 - TE Dallas Clark 2002 - DE Dwight Freeney 2001 - WR Reggie Wayne 2000 - LB Rob Morris 1999 - RB Edgerrin James 1998 - QB Peyton Manning One defensive lineman in the group and a whole lot of skill position players, including two DBs. Not that it proves anything, mind you. Just an interesting contrast to Dungy's statement.

Kiper also has Malcolm Kelly listed as his 22nd best player, DeSean Jackson 24th, and Devin Thomas 25th. Seems a little odd that he has Thomas going before those two. Then again, its often been said that you should never pay much attention to Kiper, especially his mock drafts, until the final one comes out. Myself, I think that if Kelly gets a clean bill of health and proves that he can run (and I think he will), he's worthy of that 11th pick as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not sure of the details, but NFL.com's draft profile mentions him as suspended twice at Alabama. I've tried direct linking their profiles at other sites and it doesn't work, so you'll have to find it under 'featured prospects'. You'll also have click on 'analysis' on his particular profile. http://www.nfl.com/draft I know that NFL Draft Countdown also references off the field issues. http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/scoutingr.../wr/djhall.html

The biggest problem with DJ Hall is the fact that he's had a few significant off the field incidents.

With the exception of the DT (I think its a non-need; the player is a good prospect), I like it as well as any of these mock drafts posted so far. I'd also like to see a better TE prospect, preferrably in R2, where I think we stand a good chance at the 1st TE off the board. I'd hate to be the one who had to decide to take (or pass on) Devin Thomas at 11. Just to watch him play, I think he has a tremendous amount of talent. Its too bad that he was a one-year wonder in college, as its going to be difficult for the team drafting him to know what they're really getting. Is he Chad Johnson or Rashaun Woods? Its a tough call, and while I'd probably come down on the side of caution and pass on him, I couldn't blame the Bills if they picked him.

It really doesn't matter to me. I'm just pointing out that scoring totals for their 2001 season really don't tell the whole story.

Possibly, though perhaps not in every case. The ability to move the ball and keep the opposing offense on the sidelines does have its merits, even if those sustained drives are ending in field goals or punts, as opposed to going three and out.

They were also 26th in total yardage that season.

No offense, but I've heard that story before. How many times have the Bills made changes to their offensive staff over the last five years and then tried to pass it off as a cure-all? Quite a few. How many times has it worked? Not once. If that's what they're trying to sell, I'm not buying it. There's really only one way this offense is going to get significantly better and that's by improving the talent level.

With all that they've already invested in this DL, a middle rounder is what I'd expect this year. If they're disappointed with the results this upcoming season, maybe they might push the panic button, but I'd be suprised if they do it next month.

You're right, and Whitner filled a gaping hole at SS. Kelly would fill a gaping hole at WR. The reason we didn't hear any of the Whitner rumors was for one simple reason: none of us wanted to. They may have been out there, but if they were, we probably ignored them. I do know that we all laughed at Mike Mayock when, starting about a week prior to the draft, he kept insisting Whitner was their guy. And no, they do not telegraph their picks, but after digging through every little scrap of pre-draft, Bills related info I can find through the last 8 or 9 years, my own little theory is that you can pick up hints of their interest, sometimes strong hints. Its probably the same with any team. Then again, I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.

They did anything but with Lynch. At this time last year, the Bills were rumored to have 'fallen in love' with Lynch as well. Modrak also spoke in glowing terms about him a few weeks prior to the draft. The Bills really aren't that secretive about their interest in certain players, especially for that R1 pick. If there's a reason to put no stock into this rumor, its the source. McShay completely blew it last year, missing their obvious interest in Lynch, even so much as labeling him a major reach if/when selected at 12.

---"I'd be really curious to know what this woman had in her nipples," Mr Baird said on CBS. I bet.

I agree. Harvey is significantly better than any other DE prospect likely to be available the rest of the way. Where I differ is in the belief that this is anything more than an ordinary WR draft. It looks like a typical year at both, IMO. There are 4-5 good prospects, a few nice projects, and a whole lot of crap.

Some people want a team of nothing but DEs, so I guess I wouldn't be alone in that if it were true. You know what the irony is here? I fully agree with the need of pass rushing DE and would not be disappointed with the selection of Derrick Harvey at 11. I don't think he's 'can't miss', however, nor do I think he's an appreciably better prospect at his position than some of these WRs are. If I view the overall player quality roughly the same, yes, I will give a somewhat higher priority to need.

As I've said time and again, it depends upon what the actual player grades are on the Bills board. 11th vs 27th may look like a large gap, but in reality, it could be a tiny difference if they're packed closely together. That's something that neither you nor I know.

That's true and its why the front office would need to be right about it, but you can just as easily say that of any player selected at 11. He wouldn't be rated 27th overall or whatever if he were expected to be a dud. Likewise, Derrick Harvey wouldn't be rated in the mid teens if he were a can't miss prospect. The reality is that neither player is perfect and some people really need to get over it.

That argument is a double-edged sword. It also means that a higher-rated WR will have a better probability of panning out than a lower rated one. If you believe that the Bills have a critical need at the position, it may be in their best interests to take that best WR, provided that they aren't passing up Bruce Smith to do so.

I agree. No one is going to remember that Limas Sweed, for example, was a 'reach' at pick 11 a few years from now if he's busy catching 80 passes and 10-12 TDs per season. The rankings are subjective. What's the expectation of a late first round player? Its usually that he'll become a near Pro Bowl caliber player. I can live with that at 11, in most cases, especially when the team is being crippled by a lack of talent at the particular position.

I don't think that aspect of it is really a stretch. Its possible that there are 20-30 better players in this draft than the best WR. The question I have is just this: How much better are they? Once you get past the top 5-12 picks in most drafts, the next 25-50 usually grade out very similar overall.

I couldn't care less where USA Today has their first WR rated. All I really care is how the Bills grade the top WR on the board. This is something that neither you, I, nor USA Today know. If you want an unbiased (or perhaps, less biased) poll, ask it this way: Would you rather: a) Draft a WR at 11 b) Draft the BPA, regardless of position c) Draft the BPA at a need position As its worded, yours is a classic example of push-polling.

Now that's a loaded poll if I've ever seen one.

For my part, I'd say that it depends. What are the actual grades on the WR as well as the 16 players ranked above him? If there's very little variation in the grade from player 11 to player 27, for instance, I would definitely consider it. Thinking of it in terms of rankings instead of grades can make a pick look a whole lot worse than it really is, and its part of the reason why those 'reaches' often become outstanding players.

Anquan Boldin's case was a little different. He came back and ran a halfway decent 4.59 at his Pro Day. He was also still suffering some effects of a knee injury the season prior.