Brandon

He certainly didn't help himself today with a poor workout at the combine. That said, John Carlson ran a 4.88 last year and all he did was catch 55 passes for the Seahawks as a rookie, so I wouldn't totally write Pettigrew off, but that's a worrisome 40 time.

The Bills allowed right at 2,000 rushing yards, 4.3 yards per carry and 18 rushing TDs this season. As bad as that was, it was their best season against the run in the last four years. That's not all the fault of these DTs, but a DT is going to have more impact on their run defense than any other position. Besides, assuming that they dump McCargo at some point this offseason, they'll have only three DTs on the roster. They need to add at least one DT this offseason, if not two. Granted, they don't have to draft one in the first round, but its something that should be considered depending upon the available players. The need is definitely there.

Its true to an extent. The Bills do have a bad habit of trying to get by with guys who are just 'good enough' instead of actually being 'good'. That's been something they've done all too frequently over the last decade, particularly on offense and their offensive line. I think there's certainly a place on the team for guys like Kyle Williams and Keith Ellison, but they should not be starting and are best suited to be backups. The Bills can probably get by with one or two of those types starting on one side of the ball, but not four or five as we've seen at times in the last decade. Guys like that don't really embarass themselves, but they don't make plays, either. If you have a team full of them, that team is probably going to be worse than you think it looks on paper. Of course, that describes the Bills perfectly. And I disagree strongly on Brad Butler. I think he's a good, if not very good RG and the downturn in our running game this past season while he was injured should make his contribution clear. Nor does it bother me to hold a roster spot for arguably the best punt returner in the league. Parrish's salary is too high for what he contributes, but the Bills are well under the cap, so that's not really an issue right now and otherwise, I wouldn't mess up one of the few things this team does well.

Its a good signing. He's not a starter, but he's a dependable backup that isn't going to embarass himself if he has to play. They could do a lot worse and in fact, they've got a few starters in other positions who routinely embarass themselves with their play on the field.

He might well sneak into the last couple of picks of R1, no question about it. He has a few things working against him in that regard, however. The first is the tendency for centers to be undervalued on draft day. The second is the fact that this is a pretty good year if you need a center from the draft and that could easily serve to devalue them all a bit. Finally, there doesn't seem to be much separation between Mack, Unger and Wood. I could just as easily see him being picked third of that group as first, depending upon what a team such as the Steelers, for example, are looking for out of a center.

Its both. You don't want a thug on your team under any circumstance, but at the same time, you also don't want to pass over an excellent player because he has a few problems. I'm definitely not going to throw a guy under the bus for not having a piece of paper that would've otherwise made his actions perfectly legal. There should be some consequence, but there's no reason to go overboard.

As long as it is indeed a minor injury and there's no underlying issue, it'll have no effect upon his draft status. I still think he'll go sometime in top half of round 2.

Freeney was considered too small, but for a different reason. Freeney's issue was height. He was 6'1", but weighed over 260lbs. Maybin in 6'4", but weighs less than 240. Obviously, Maybin would seem to have the potential to add some weight without losing speed or quickness, but that's pretty risky with the 11th pick in the draft. At best, he's probably a situational pass rusher for a season or two. At worst, that may be all he ever is. All things considered, I'd rather they target someone like Larry English in R2. He may only be a situational rusher in the NFL, but at least they wouldn't have a top 15 pick invested. In fact, I'm beginning to lean that direction over all of the DEs usually mentioned as R1 prospects. None of them are standouts and as we've seen in recent years, guys that don't stand out at DE in college very, very rarely turn into anything close to great pros. I'd rather take my chances with a 2nd tier guy in that situation.

But what has he really done? He appears to be guilty of carrying a loaded weapon locked in the trunk of his car. BFD. If it had been unloaded, it would've been perfectly legal. Yet a complete klutz could probably drop 6 rounds into a .357 in less than 10 seconds, or pop a loaded magazine into a 9mm in about 2 seconds. There's a pretty damn small distinction from 'legal' to 'felony' in this case, and that's why I can cut him some slack. If he'd been caught walking down the street with a loaded handgun or something, I might agree with you, but under the circumstances, I think there's a world of difference.

The injury question is a major factor, but I would not be surprised if Taylor goes to another team and posts well over 1,000 yards next year. In 2007, he had runs of 50, 62, 76 and 80 yards. He probably still has most of that speed. I don't think the Bills should sign him, mind you, but I do think he can still play if he can stay healthy. A team that signs him to an incentive-laden one or two year contract will probably be happy that they did so.

Its a felony charge, but we do not really know what he's done. Lets wait for details before we push the panic button.

Good luck finding one of those. There have been nine DEs drafted in the first two rounds over the last two years. The four drafted this year had a grand total of 9.5 sacks this season between them. The five drafted last year had a total of 12.5 this season and a total of 12 last year. So, our last two DE classes have a grand total of 224 games in the NFL...and a total of 34 sacks. It looks even worse when you consider that Gaines Adams and Chris Long have 18.5 of those. Those other 7 guys aren't doing much of anything. The point is, if you're looking for a DE to come in and make an immediate impact, you are very likely to be disappointed. The DE position is like QB. Its a long term investment that rarely pays dividends in the first couple of years.

Yes. Its something that the Bills would need to check out thoroughly. I only know about the one incident, and I *might* be willing to let that slide, depending upon details that we the fans will probably never see. If there are multiple issues over the years, then I would likely take him off the board.

Its definitely something that should factor into the decision. My preference for drafting Raji is based upon my belief that he's the best defensive player in this draft and the best DT I've seen in a couple of years. I also think there's a pretty significant gap between Raji and the rest of this class if you're looking for a run stuffer, especially in the athleticism department. He might be the only bigger DT that really fits into this scheme. But yes, just as with the DEs, the Bills will have to consider how much he'd play and it does not make sense to draft a player at 11 if they only plan to use him half the time and that's a real possibility with this defense. Honestly, I would much rather they use this offseason and the draft, specifically, to upgrade their offense. The problem is that I don't really see a great prospect available at the two major offensive needs; C and TE. There's no question in my mind that they can get a very good C prospect this year in R2, so that's when I'd fill that spot. TE? I was all for drafting Jermaine Gresham, but he stayed at Oklahoma. Pettigrew? He may well end up being my second choice for the 11th pick once April rolls around, but the questions regarding his speed and athleticism are concerning. The only guy I'm really sold on offensively would be Maclin, but do we draft another WR in R1 after last year? I'm not against it, but its not my first choice.

I think a C could certainly make a major impact as a rookie. I just don't think there's any reason to pick one at 11. I think there's at least a 50-50 chance that either Mack or Unger are on the board in R2 and if not, probably about a 90% chance that Eric Wood will be. All three would likely be huge upgrades.

The Bills would be crazy if they didn't bring in some quality competition for Edwards this offseason, but at the same time, how many QBs has this team gone through since Jim Kelly retired? Todd Collins Billy Joe Hobert Doug Flutie Rob Johnson Alex Van Pelt Drew Bledsoe Kelly Holcomb JP Losman Trent Edwards None of those guys had any sustained success with this team. Common themes during that period? A poor OL (particularly C), a lack of a quality #2 WR and, with the exception of the Riemersma, who was only decent, some absolutely awful TEs. There comes a point, when none of this sh** gets corrected, that I can no longer blame the QBs. This team has had very serious problems offensively for the last decade, and especially the last six seasons. Until they make a realistic attempt at correcting those problems, its not going to matter who they put back there. Again, that's not to say that Edwards should get a free pass. He shouldn't, but at the same time, if they continue to ignore gaping holes in the roster and try to play football with 8 or 9 guys offensively, the results will never change.

I know. It wasn't so much a question as me telling the original poster to ask himself why the Eagles would do this. The Eagles wouldn't be letting him walk if he could still play at a high level. He may be worth a look as insurance if a rookie pick struggles, but he's definitely not the answer at TE at this stage of his career.

My top 5 are Raji, Brown, Pettigrew, Maclin and Orakpo. Raji is clearly the best of the group, IMO, with the next three being very, very close, with Orakpo a bit further down but still a solid pick. I'd avoid Mack, Maybin, Johnson and Maualuga at 11. I think the Cs in this draft have been overhyped and while one of them might go at the tail end of R1, there's no doubt in my mind that the Bills will be able to get a very good one in R2, so drafting one at 11 is unnecessary. I wouldn't even be surprised if Mack lasts until our second pick. Maybin? Its been beaten to death around here, but at his weight, he's a 3-4 OLB in the NFL. He's probably not going to be able to handle the coverage duties as a 4-3 OLB. Perhaps if the Bills think he can gain enough weight to be a 4-3 DE he'd be a good pick, but he's probably just going to be a situational pass rusher for a couple of years if the Bills draft him. Unless they think he's the next Bruce Smith as a situational pass rusher, the risk/reward ratio isn't very favorable with that 11th pick. The last thing we need is another Corey Moore. As for Maualuga, I really do not see a major need at MLB, nor do I think he fits this D particularly well. If there were no concerns about his speed and ability to drop into coverage, it would be worth considering him and moving Posluszny outside, but again, 11th is too high for a player who very well may have a major hole in his game at the NFL level. Finally, there's Michael Johnson. He's a third or fourth round pick in my eyes, though someone will certainly draft him much higher based on his athletic ability. I wouldn't, however. Back to my group of five, I think that Raji and Pettigrew would be the most likely to help the Bills immediately. 1st round TE prospects, in particular, seem to make very quick transitions to the NFL and its not unusual at all to see them catch at least 40 passes in their rookie season. At the opposite end of the spectrum, DEs and WRs tend to take a few seasons to make any impact at all, so if the Bills were to select Everette Brown, Brian Orakpo, or Jeremy Maclin, the fans need to accept that those guys are probably going to struggle badly for a couple of seasons and that those are two positions that are long-term investments with very little short term payoff, in most cases.

That was going to be my first question about him. Why do the Eagles have 'no intention' of re-signing a quality player, especially one that shouldn't be particularly costly to bring back? I'm not against bringing him in, but I wouldn't consider the need at the position to be any less after doing so. He'd merely be insurance in case the drafted rookie wasn't quite ready to go from day one.

He IS a very good return man, no question about it, and those are the clips that we see in the video, but being a good return man and a good WR are not mutually exclusive. Lets not forget that this is a guy who caught 182 passes for 2315 yards and 22 TD passes the last two seasons. Make no mistake, this guy is an outstanding WR prospect. Granted, at 6'1 200lbs, he's not a Plaxico Burress clone, but by the same token, he's not Roscoe Parrish, either.

Maclin would probably be 4th on the list right now if I were making the pick, but choices 2-4 are very close. No, I would have no problems with it whatsoever. The Bills do have a few options already on the roster, but one has a serious injury that will probably slow or even sideline him for a significant amount of next season. The other, Johnson, appears to have potential, but we've been fooled on potential before and he probably went in R7 for a reason. I would have needed to have seen more from Steve Johnson last year to feel comfortable going into the season with him as the only option. The point is, the Bills went into the last offseason with a major problem at WR and to this point, they don't appear to have solved it. All things considered, I would consider it a secondary need, but still a position that likely requires at least a mid round pick or a reasonably good FA as an insurance policy. Given this fact, if the Bills believe Maclin would provide a major upgrade over what they already have at the position, they should strongly consider selecting him as long as there's not a higher rated player available at a greater need position.

I don't know enough about Cushing to make a definitive statement about him as a player. That said, especially in this defensive system, I don't know that an OLB is really going to help all that much. I would prefer that they re-sign Crowell or find another FA to fill this position. I'm not going to complain if they pick an OLB, but with the way the Tampa 2 uses its linebackers as pass defenders first, I don't think it'll help the two bigger issues of run defense and pass rush all that much. Michael Johnson? Maybe if he's there in R3. He's going to go a lot higher than he should due to his athleticism, but on the field, I'm not impressed at all. I'd rather take someone like Larry English in R2, who may not have Johnson's athletic ability, but knows how to play. There are a number of 2nd tier DEs I like better, truth be told. I don't immediately have a problem with the idea of taking Travis Beckum in R3, but he is coming off major injury. If he's healthy, he's a very good receiving TE, if a little on the small side. That said, you can't have everything at this point in the draft. Finally, there's John Parker Wilson. I don't really dislike him, but I don't think he'll ever be anything more than an average backup in the NFL. I probably wouldn't pick him unless he were available in the last round.

In past years, I might have agreed, but lately it seems that if a top QB slides out of the top 5, he's going to keep dropping for quite a while. It happened to both Brady Quinn and Aaron Rodgers. Maybe someone would consider trading for the right to select him, but I think its just as likely that they'd sit back and see if that trend continued this year. IMO, the darkhorse for the Bills is Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin. Another WR isn't going to be #1 on their wish list in April, but that said, I do expect them to draft one in the R3-5 range. If things break right (wrong?), with Raji, Brown and Orakpo all off the board, I think they'd almost certainly look toward their offense with that pick and it would likely come down to either Pettigrew or Maclin. Given the circumstances at both positions, I would expect them to select Pettigrew, but I would not be surprised one bit if they selected Maclin instead. They're probably planning on drafting one in the midrounds anyway, and if he grades out significantly better than Pettigrew, they may as well pick Maclin and consider the #2 WR position *finally* solved. It wouldn't be a popular pick in terms of fan opinion, but if the chips fall the right way, I can definitely see it happening.

My top three choices would be BJ Raji, Everette Brown or Brandon Pettigrew. Raji is clearly the best of the three in my opinion, while it would be a difficult choice if it came down to Pettigrew and Brown. On the other hand, I wouldn't draft Michael Johnson until sometime in the early afternoon on Sunday over the draft weekend. He's a great athlete and has potential on that count alone, but otherwise, I was totally and completely unimpressed when I saw him play.

I think Steve Johnson has a chance to be a good player for the Bills and Hardy may as well. The question in my mind is whether you take that chance if you know you can sign an instant upgrade such as Bryant. I don't think I could pass that up in favor of potential, especially given their problems over the last decade. They need help *right now* pretty badly and if they can get it, they should at least consider it. It doesn't mean that the Bills would be giving up on Hardy or Johnson, either. With as many three and four WR sets as everyone runs anymore, they'd both have plenty of opportunities.