Brandon

I definitely agree and in fact, I think that there's a big misconception that there truly is such a thing as a #1 or #2 WR in the NFL. Its only kind of true. Its like a #1 or #2 CB. They're both on the field 90% of the time, and if one of them sucks, you can bet that the opposition will isolate that player and use them to cripple the rest of the team offensively/defensively. Of course, we saw just that this past season, when opposing teams were able to take Lee Evans out of the game with double and triple teams with no fear whatsoever that Reed or Parrish could consistently make plays against them.

I agree about the height/speed thing. You see plenty of that with these posts about 'sleeper' picks, where guys suddenly become message board all pros because they're 6'4 and can run a 4.5. Never mind that they never caught more than 20 passes in a season. In the end, I think that if they select a WR at 11, its probably going to be Devin Thomas. He's the only one that I can't question athletically and think is extremely talented. That said, there's also that huge question of having only one year of production. He wouldn't be the first highly talented one-year wonder to bomb in the NFL. I usually like to see a player have three solid, productive years if they're to be a first round pick.

I'm not so sure it is that easy to fill. It certainly hasn't been for the Bills, who have blown 2 second round picks in recent years for decent, if unspectacular situational players (granted, one is an excellent punt returner) and a 4th on a special teamer. Its not just WRs. This team is just short of terrible at acquiring talent offensively after R1. That said, I also share the concern over the talent level of Kelly and Sweed. My completely unfounded and unprofessional opinion of both is that they are true boom-or-bust type guys. They're either going to have the ability to separate in the NFL, or they aren't, which means they're probably either going to be really good or really terrible with no in between. Watching them both, I'm leaning towards believing that both have the short area quickness to make it in the NFL, but I'm not 100% convinced of it. Usually by this time of year, I've locked onto a particular prospect that I believe they should pick. This year, I'm not entirely even convinced of position yet. WR/TE is far and away the biggest need on this team, IMO, but while I'd love to see them get another 'playmaker' and would support a pick of Sweed or Kelly if that's what they do, I'm not quite sure I'm ready to endorse either one prior to the draft at this point.

After putting up with the guy for four years on my favorite college team, I was willing to believe that maybe he was just miscast at QB and that a switch to WR would work wonders for him. All those questions about attitude and his love of the game, maybe those were misplaced as well. There comes a time when you have to realize that the guy just can't play, whether its because of a lack of ability or a lack of want-to. I don't know what the problem is with Matt Jones and maybe it really is coaching. All I know is that he never developed as a QB at Arkansas, for whatever reason, and now I see him failing in the NFL as well. There comes a point where you say 'enough is enough'. I've seen enough. Maybe it really isn't his fault, but after seeing him underachieve for 7 years now, I'm convinced he'll never 'get it' where ever you put him on the field.

But are we sure about that? Mike Mayock and Mel Kiper can spew that line until they're blue in the face and people are free to believe it all they want, but is it really true? We have no idea where the Bills or any other team have these guys rated. Lets not forget that a lot of draftnicks, even the supposedly professional ones like Todd McShay of ESPN, thought Marshawn Lynch was a horrible reach last year where the Bills took him. The same with Donte Whitner the year before. Both picks turned out better than OK, particularly Lynch. The point being is simply this: be careful in how much weight you give the opinions of the draft nicks, or even your own. Throw the misconceptions about 'player rankings' out the window, because that's exactly what they are. We do not have a friggin' clue how the Bills, or any other team, for that matter, actually rank these guys. In the end, there's only one relevant question that we, as fans, are really all that qualified to ask: Would a particular player, if chosen by the Bills, make this a significantly better football team, either immediately or over the course of the next 1-2 seasons. If the answer to that question is 'yes', then that player is probably a solid selection for the team at that position. Obviously, you have to apply a little common sense and not project them to take a kicker or FB in R1, or some guy expected to go in R5 who might start because your team has no alternative on the roster. But as long as you don't try to get cute and/or stupid by twisting it to suit your argument, its a good rule to follow as a fan when evaluating potential draft choices given the lack of information we have regarding the Bills' actual draft board.

That would be true, if I agreed that there are 5 or 6 WRs in this draft of a similar talent level. I don't. Now that said, I'm not entirely sure that I'd pick Limas Sweed 11th overall, though I would lean towards a WR pick at 11.

Chronic wrist problem? It had never been a problem prior to the spring of '07 and he had a major surgery on it just in October. Is it really that much of a suprise that he's still feeling some ill effects? Sorry, but I'll trust the evaluation of the Bills' doctors on this one, just like I trusted their evaluation on Marshawn Lynch's supposed 'chronic back problems' last year.

Yep. And perhaps its not just a coincidence that our offense has sucked ass ever since. They've finished 25th or worse in total yardage every season in the five years since that trade (30th three times). They were no worse than 13th in the five years prior. Maybe you really do need two solid WRs to play offense in the NFL?

The only ones of that group I'd expect to still be available are Nelson and Caldwell. The others will very likely be off the board. I like Nelson, but not as someone I'd rely on as a rookie. Caldwell? Straight-line speed, only. Devin Thomas will be a first round pick and quite possibly the first WR off the board. Athletically, he'd also seem to be the best fit of the taller receivers in this Bills offense, given their reliance on quick timing routes and the necessity for precise route running.

The problem is that he has the same type of extremely laid back, surfer boy type personality as Rob Johnson. People have been questioning just how much he cares about football since well before his senior year at Arkansas.

Pass.

More like a case study for how nagging injuries can derail a solid prospect. He actually hasn't been bad when healthy, which has been rare. He caught 52 passes this past season, despite a knee sprain early in the year and some terrible QB play.

I'd venture a guess that none of us have actually seen him play, so its hard to accurately judge just how good he really is. The stats say he can play, the combine numbers say he can play, but you never know unless you actually watch them. That said, if I were the Bills (or any other team in need of a WR), I'd be digging up some game tapes. Its a similar situation with Arman Shields of Richmond, who also lit it up at the combine. However, he injured a knee early in his senior season and only had 14 catches this past year (54 and 62 the prior two seasons).

It seems that many are content doing just that at WR, CB, or TE, so why not? Sarcasm aside, I do not advocate ignoring the position. In fact, I think they could very well draft yet another 2nd round DE this year. But for financial reasons, I have a very hard time believing that they'll add one in the first. Lets also not forget that they've already invested a 3rd and a 5th in this defensive line by trading for Stroud this offseason.

Denney doesn't turn 31 for a few more months and is only three months older than Aaron Schobel. Not that I think he's going anywhere, mind you. He's not particularly expensive to keep around and plays a solid overall game. He's under contract through 2009.

That's always a possibility. However, that day has not arrived as of yet and until it does, it is a reasonable assumption that they will not select another one in R1. There is no evidence that the Bills have an interest in disposing of Kelsay or Denney.

While they do need a pass rusher and I think they will draft a DE, I just don't see it happening in R1. The Bills already have three 2nd round picks and about $85 million tied up in Kelsay, Schobel and Denney over the course of the next several seasons. I can't see them burning a high 1st rounder on another DE and adding yet another $20-25M to the outlay at the position over the next 5 or 6 years.

Just based upon the last 10 drafts, the 41st overall pick will, on average, net the 7th WR on the board. So if that holds true, you can write off James Hardy and probably even guys like Early Doucet and Mario Manningham. You're looking more at the clear 2nd tier guys like Andre Caldwell and Jordy Nelson.

I don't think its necessary this year. The Bills are almost perfectly positioned and could very well have the chance to draft the best available WR or CB in R1 as well as the best available TE in R2, should they so choose. That takes care of two of their three most immediate needs and leaves them still with six more picks to play with. In fact, I think its probably more likely this year that they'd trade up from round 3 into round 2 in order to secure a solid prospect for that final need position. That could yield a draft similar to this: 1) WR Limas Sweed 2) CB Antoine Cason 2) TE Martellus Bennett

Malcolm Kelly supposedly has some sort of thigh injury that has kept him from running for the scouts.

Almost. He went 34th overall back in 1996.

I don't know if it really proves anything. Its still only one pick. Most of the better teams in the league do a very good job finding quality players after the first round. The bad teams don't. That's the difference between the winners and losers. The Bills fall more into the latter category than the former, particularly on offense, and its part of the reason why I'm not too thrilled about the idea of waiting to pick a WR or TE in this draft. The Bills simply have not proven that they can draft offensive players effectively at all outside of the first round. Combined with a defense-minded coaching staff, I feel much, much more confident in their ability to find sleepers on defense a little later in the draft than on offense.

It seems like your case for drafting a CB is based on the idea that you don't want to draft anything else. I'm not sure that's a particularly good strategy. Put aside your own personal biases toward any particular position, and its pretty clear where they're going with this pick. They have three major needs going into this draft: CB, WR and TE. They have two major areas of weakness in their receiving corps and only one in the defensive backfield. They're probably going to want to do all they can to ensure that at least one of their holes offensively gets filled. That suggests they are likely to select a WR at 11, ensuring that they get their highest rated prospect at the position, whoever that may be. Add in the fact that they've already gone to considerable expense improving their defense, and its highly likely that they'll turn their attention toward the offense early in this draft. That doesn't rule out a CB in R1, but I feel its fairly unlikely at this time. The best chance of it happening is if they do not have a WR on their board carrying a grade similar to their top CB available at 11 and that's something that we do not know. There's little chance, otherwise, IMO.

If the Falcons don't want him as a member of their all-pro receiving corps, why would we?

He measured in at just under 6ft tall and 181lbs at the combine. Myself, I'm not all that concerned about it. I don't care as long as he can play. However, it certainly appears that the Bills want a bigger, more physical receiver, so the smaller guys can presumably be scratched off the list.