sven233

A lot of people out there saying we aren't help Josh Allen. And, while I can agree with that, I think the Bills are looking at it a bit differently. It looks to me they are jut telling Josh, go out and do what you have done the last few years and we will do everything in our power to make sure the defense doesn't let you down in big spots again. And finding a way to make that 1 last stop is how they think they are helping Allen. Now, to me, I think Allen is the best QB in the league and instead of playing to your strength, you are holding him back. Sure, we score 30 a game. Great. You know what's better? Scoring 35-40. Surround the dude with fast, explosive talent and just run teams out of the building. But that's just now how they want to go about it. The good news is, that we can score 30 with this offense and that we are only a couple of trades away for legit WRs from getting to that next level. I am just not sure Beane is going to try and make those deals at this point.

All this talk about Bond...... Look, I am sure the Bills and every other team have looked into this as much as possible and it's become pretty obvious there is something there to be worried about or someone would have taken a swing already. He was, in my opinion anyways, a 3rd/4th round talent. We're getting late in the 5th and nobody has touched him. Not ever a rumble about him. So, without us knowing what the teams know, it is tough to watch a talented guy that seems to fit everything we need continue to fall, but I trust the organization's thoughts on the situation. All that said, Beane needs to get us a legit WR and I am not sure it is happening in this draft. It's easy to say the offense will be fine because we didn't have a star last season, but let's not pretend that once our offense was put on tape the first 3-4 weeks that we struggled once teams figured out what we were doing and it was like pulling teeth to score for a while and we were forced to go add Cooper to the mix to try and jumpstart the offense. It worked, but not quite to the full extent we were hoping. We need to find a legit field stretcher that teams have to prepare for. I am pretty sure that answer is not in this draft, though. It will be up to Beane to explore trade options and to pay attention to the FA market going forward.

Out of all the picks we have made so far, this one offers the most value and probably the highest floor and ceiling. Going into the draft, I did a lot of work on him, especially when I heard how many times the Bills met with him and called him. It was almost like they had already drafted him and they were in constant contact with him making sure he was doing the right things to get ready for the season! HA! Obviously, that isn't the case, but you could feel the interest was genuine and could tell after watching just a little of his tape that the guy screamed "Buffalo Bills" as there is just a lot to love. You start with the guy himself. You couldn't ask for a nicer young man with his priorities in order. Mature far beyond his age. He lives and breathes ball and his passion for the game seems second to none. His motor is non stop. He's a great teammate and his guys love him and follow him. He's a leader. He's an alpha. He beats guys super fast with great hand usage, but even when he doesn't win right away, he stays with the play and never quits fighting where you see a lot of guys just phone it in after their initial move doesn't work. He is relentless. Smart player that recognizes what he sees pretty quickly and rarely is fooled on a play. Uses his length very well which makes him good against the run as well as the pass. Quite honestly, while most had him rated as a 2nd rounder (as I did before the draft), when you watch him, you see so many flashes and great athletic traits, sometimes you go back and wonder why you don't have him rated even higher. The fact we got him in the 3rd is just wild to me. Many on here that have never watched him are looking at him like another Epenesa. I've got news for you.....this dude is an Epenesa replacement. Epenesa is not in the same class athletically as this guy. Whereas AJ would have 1 great game and then disappear for 3 weeks, you won't get that from this guy. He works so hard on every snap that he will find a way to make an impact in some way. So yeah.....I am raving about him. Why did he last until the 3rd round then? That's a good question and I am not exactly sure why he fell as far as he did. He's not a finished product by any means. Right now, he wins with his hands and relies on his speed to get around the edge along with his relentless work ethic. He can win inside as well, but his pass rush arsenal is a little limited. You won't see him bust out a spin move or use a bull rush as much as you like. He's a technique guy. So, what he will have to do is develop a couple more moves so when tackles take away the outside, he can counter and win in other ways. He's only here one season most likely, but this dude should be attached to Bosa's hip and soak up as much knowledge as possible. I kind of wish Von was still here as well because I think he could have learned a lot from him in terms of developing his secondary rush plans. But with his work ethic, I am confident with the right coaching and direction, he will figure this out. But make no mistake about it. This guy will be as good as he wants to be. He has every physical tool you could ask for. There are some that have thrown out the Maxx Crosby comparison. You almost hate to do that with anyone because Crosby is on such a high level, but when you watch him, you can see why the comparison is made. He plays with the same relentless motor. He is all out every play. He said it a lot in his press conference, but it's true.....he's a dog. So, when I say he has a high floor, I mean that he will be a solid contributor for this team for many years to come. When I say he has a high ceiling, I mean that he absolutely has the potential to become a game wrecker.

Love the traits and he would be perfect with one of our 3 fifth rounders. He just doesn't have a route tree at all. He runs a go, a post, and a slant. That's about it. The rest of it needs work. But, you don't see guys 6'5" running 4.3 very often. I would be happy to take him and see if he can expand that route tree. In the short term, though, just put him on the field once in a while and just let him run and hope to hit a few.

Way too early. You will have a chance at him probably for a couple rounds to come.

He's not the big space eater that many wanted, but I think this pick make it crystal clear what their true mission was heading into next season: WE HAVE TO GET OFF THE FIELD ON 3RD DOWN No....this isn't about stuffing the run on first and second down. This is about affecting the QB and forcing the QB to get rid of the ball. While not a true 1 tech, he can play there and you will absolutely see him lining up next to Oliver on 3rd down. They are looking at lining up Groot, Sanders, Oliver, and Bosa with the potential of Solomon coming off the edge (if he takes the next step in his development) on 3rd down. They are sending pressure up the middle and from the outside to make the QB throw in under 2.5 seconds against our secondary that has one of the best in the league in Benford and a very talented rookie in Hairston or a rejuvenated Tre White if he returns to form. They are going to try and force mistakes and speed up the process. That said, don't discount his ability against the run. He's not bad at it by any means. He plays with violent hands and a lot of power while having some twitch to his game as well. He is going to compliment Oliver nicely because Ed like to get up field using quickness and technique whereas Sanders relies on throwing guys around and using his physicality to affect the passer. The beautiful thing here is that if we want a true space eater to chew up first and second down, there are plenty of those types that will be available throughout the rest of the draft. We still need at least 1 more DT just to fill out the roster, so there is still a chance to double dip and get a guy to anchor on obvious run downs if we want one. Make no mistake about it, Sanders is an absolute scheme fit and will definitely help us be better on 3rd downs which have been a problem for us for a very long time. At this point, I am not against grabbing a guy like Watts or doubling up on CB to round out this defense in round 3.

I think they came all the way from 52

Yeah......I don't get some of the people trying to compare him to Elam. They couldn't be any more different as players. Elam was a man coverage guy that had very little zone experience. He was a handsy guy in college and was never able to shed that in the NFL. And he never grasped zone concepts at all. So, when you are a man coverage guy that can't play man very well and could never understand zone concepts, you are probably not going to work on a primarily zone scheme. In contrast, Max is primarily a zone guy (over 75% of his coverage snaps were in zone) with good man coverage skills that can get better with proper coaching. They are completely different prospects. Comparing the 2 is just lazy.

I can understand where the confusion comes in with this. I have been reading write ups that tell 2 different stories. Some call him a zone corner. Some call him a man corner. What I will say is, based on my tape breakdowns anyway, is that he is a very good zone-match CB with solid man coverage skills. He did play off a lot matching switch releases reading the QB and then driving on the ball with his great speed. But, there were plenty of times where they lined him up on an island and he played press man or played off a bit but used great trail technique to stay in the WRs hip pocket. If you are interested to see a little bit of everything he does, including the good and the bad, go watch his game against Texas and watch him go against Golden and Bond. He wins a bunch, but loses as well in man coverage. There are also good examples of him in zone coverage where he recognizes the play and drives on the ball to limit RAC or force an incompletion. You will also see him miss a tackle or 2 that led to bigger plays, but I do think at least one of those was a busted coverage or just a bad call. Regardless, you will see him play in all types of coverages. There is one play that really stand out int this game that showcases who he is as a corner. He's lined up on Bond who looks like he is running a go but Bond sticks his foot in the ground and turns it into a post. But, after initially getting beat, Max catches up to Bond very quickly (Bond runs in the 4.3s by the way) and high points the ball in the endzone and knocks it away. It is just a beautiful play. Maybe the throw could have been a bit better, but that's the way it goes and Max made the play. So, what is he? I'd call him an excellent zone-match defender with solid man coverage skills that can improve with proper coaching and adding a bit more weight to hold up better against certain types of WRs. Hope this helps!

Solid pick. Great speed and recovery ability. Doesn't back down even against bigger WRs. May not win every battle, but he will absolutely compete until the end of the play. Not a great tackler, but is a willing tackler. If he can put on a little weight and sturdy his body up, I think he could be really good. Right now, he will be a better zone corner than a man corner, but it's not like he's bad at it. I mean, he's pretty good in man now, but he does get boddied from time to time. Great attitude and teammate. Quite honestly, I love that Tre is here for him to learn from. They are kind of similar in a lot of ways except he has a lot more speed than Tre. But I think he can learn a lot from a guy like Tre and it may accelerate his development. They will compete for the same spot. May the best man win!

UGH.....This is turning the wrong way very quickly.

That one hurts.....

This is the start of a potentially bad stretch for our board. Lots of teams with the same needs we have. Gonna have to dodge a lot of bullets over the next several picks. And, if there is a guy that Beane really wants, he may have to make a move in the next 5-7 picks.

I like Grant. Don't love him. I think there are better DTs still there and this a reach if you ask me. Others like him more than I do, though.

I think Miami was trying desperately to trade down. Problem is, you need someone wanting to come up and this just isn't the point in the draft where that is desirable. That said, without tipping it, will probably upset some people.

Man.....if the Bills ever take a RB in the top 10 of any draft going forward, that might be the end of me. Just put me in the ground. It's absurd.

Man.....it's strange watching the Browns do good things with draft picks.

It may be the wrong thing to do, but man....I take 1 look at Campbell and wonder why I am supposed to fear him at all. Short arms. Small hands. Not the biggest guy. It's the kind of pick a division rival takes and I say "thank you".

I'm sure that's the plan, but who knows what happens this season. What if a QB needy team out-tanks the Browns? I don't think a team needing a QB is giving up Manning no matter how much is offered. It's a craps shoot. It gives them ammo next year for sure, but they could win just enough games to miss out on that top pick. Will be interesting to watch it play out.

On the surface, I like this for Cleveland, especially getting a first next year. But the fact that they even have to do it because of the hole they dug for themselves is wild. They are still so far away from winning anything.

So what......can we have a real time thread then and just not spoil the picks in the general draft thread? That would be "discussing it somewhere else", right?

The biggest problem with all of this is that the TV broadcast doesn't take much time at all to get 3-5 picks behind. So, you say don't tip picks......that's fine if it were the difference of a minute or so but sometimes they are so far behind that tipping picks could mean 10 minutes after a pick is made. I'm sorry, but if the Bills make a pick, there are going to be those of us that want to just talk about it right away and not have to wait 5-10 minutes for the TV broadcast to catch up. Tipping picks is subjective. When a pick is made, there is no reason it can't be made public. Like I said, I get it if it was constantly 30 seconds early, but it make no sense to wait several minutes after a pick is known to say what it is on here. So, how can we satisfy everyone? Can we have a thread that talks about the picks in real time and another that talks about the picks in broadcast time? That would make the most sense.

Happy Draft Day everyone! Man, I absolutely love this time of year. It's Christmas for NFL teams and fans and for those of us that put the work in to try to analyze these prospects to the best of our ability without having the same access to interviews, health records, etc., it's time to see how in tune we are with not only the Bills, but other teams in the league. That said.....time's up. Today and tomorrow are key days for this franchise. So, I want to know now that all the dust has settled and all of the information that we are going to get as fans is out there, what is your final call/dream scenario? For me, this is about doing everything possible to add elite talent at multiple positions. Now, of course this can happen in multiple ways. You can sit back and hope the board works out perfectly and the guys you take with the first 3 picks all hit. It could happen. It's also possible that if you sit still, you may miss out on a special talent because so many of the teams around you have similar needs. I have been going back and forth about the best way to go about using these 3 picks to get the most out of them. I've thought about trading them all to get up as high as possible. I have thought about trading back to try and pick up a 3rd rounder to have 4 picks in the first 2 days. And, of course, I've thought about sitting and picking. In the end, though, here is where I have settled in my dream scenario. I believe like many that our biggest needs are DT, CB, WR, Edge, and yes.....even Safety. But, of course, you can't solve all of these issues with 3 picks. So, I have decided that I want to do my best to solve 2 of them in the first 2 days, whatever those positions may be. So, I am picking 2 positions and putting them in a bucket and trying to take the best bucket depending on how the board falls. Scenario 1: DT and CB This is my preferred option. My entire goal is to get 2 potential star players out of the first 2 rounds with the picks we have. In my dream scenario, those players are Harmon and Amos. I think Harmon is one of the few potential game wreckers in this draft on the inside. Unlike some, I do think he can play 1 tech and is a true 3 down player that can dominate against the run and the pass. Some can even make an argument that he may be the best inside pass rusher in the class. As for Amos, I just think he fits our scheme the best out of any CB that will be out there in round 2. Physical, sticky, good speed and willing to hit. I think he can play man and zone. Obviously sitting still isn't going to get this done in terms of getting both of them. So, what I am hoping to see is Harmon getting somewhere into the 20s and using one of our second round picks to move up and grab him. Then, it's about moving up high enough to get into the early part of the 2nd round to get Amos as well. It may not be possible, but in a dream scenario, I am willing to part with our 2 plus a 4, 5 and next year's 3rd to pull this off. Will that get us high enough to grab him? Maybe, maybe not. But in a dream scenario, it does. Scenario 2: CB and S This may not be as popular with some, but when it comes to my draft philosophy, when you are picking late, it's about getting the best player in the draft at a non-premium position. You are probably not going to get the best guy in the draft late in round 1 or round 2 if you are looking at QB, WR, Edge, OT or CB. But, you can absolutely have a chance at getting the best S, G, C, or LB in certain drafts and I do think this is one of those drafts. So, in this dream scenario, I am getting the best S in the draft and still getting the CB I want as well. In this scenario, I am drafting Starks at 30 and then using my other 2s to get back up and getting Amos and solidifying this secondary. I am not going to pretend that S is the biggest need on this team, but I do think it is more of a need than some think. Right now, we are banking on Rapp to stay healthy (on a short term contract) and Bishop, a young guy with all the physical tools but is still a work in progress. I mean, we are really a snap away from Hamiln having to play meaningful snaps for this team again and I have no interest in that happening. So, give me the best S in this draft that can play all over the field and is a ball hawk. Yes, his natural position will be the same as Bishop's, but I believe both of these young guys are smart and athletic enough to be interchangeable and we all know how important that is for this defense after watching Hyde and Poyer for all those years. In this scenario, we try to do that again with 2 young, extremely athletic guys with a ton of years ahead of them. Then, of course, it's time to move back up and grab the CB you love.....in my opinion, that's Amos. But if you go with this option, you can probably do it without having to get into next year's picks and you potentially solidify the back end of this defense for many years to come with Benford and Amos on the outside and Bishop and Starks holding it down on the back end with Johnson in the slot. I wish I could have done this with a WR in one of these buckets, but this just isn't the draft to do that with. If I'm Beane, though, I have already called every team in the league and will continue to do so tonight to see if there is any star WR available for trade and trying to fill that spot that way. Obviously, depending on who might be available could change my entire approach to the draft, but there is no way for us to know who might be available unless someone is traded. Anyway, this is my take on the next 2 days.....let's hear yours!

Man, I see a lot of complaining going on for a signing that doesn't mean a whole lot. Look, Tre's injuries got the best of him last year (as would be expected) and he wasn't near the same player he was with us prior to the injuries. I do think he was much better with the Ravens than he was with the Rams, but he was replacement level. That said, Beane does this every year. He signs aging, previously talented vets hoping they still have a little left in the tank to fill obvious holes so they don't have a glaring position of need that forces their hand in the draft. I'm not sure why people are upset with this. I am sure they worked him out and gave him a physical and have a good understanding of where he is physically. We don't have the exact contract details yet, but I am sure the numbers and guarantees don't promise him roster spot let alone a starting job or anything. He will probably have a chance to compete for a job and he can be an asset in the locker room all while mentoring the young guys in the room. And, like I said....that's if he even makes the team. There is no need to be upset here. This changes absolutely nothing in terms of the draft. If CB is the BPA, they will still take a CB at 30. All this does is make it so they don't have another Elam situation where everyone and their mothers knew we needed to take a CB with our first pick. this just gives us some flexibility that if there is another player at a different position we have ranked higher on the board, that we can take him instead of taking a CB we have ranked lower. Quite honestly, another year removed from his injuries, and already knowing the system is an added bonus if he has to be a stop gap until a young guy is ready to take the job. This is so much better than adding Dane Jackson, or Bradberry, or something like that. This was a move that was going to be made regardless of the player. The fact that we know this player so well is just a bonus if you ask me. So yeah......welcome back, Tre! Here's hoping you still have something left and can compete at a high level. If if doesn't work out, so be it, but I'm rooting for you. Can't wait until the draft!

Very instinctual player. Always well prepared. Willing tackler. Always seems to be in position. He's a solid CB prospect for sure. Him not wanting to run the 40 and a LB-like 3-cone time are concerning, though. There are reports that during training he was running in the high 4.5s and that's not great for a CB. If he didn't run because he was still a little worried about the injuries, that's one thing. If he didn't run because he was afraid to put up a 4.6, that's quite another, especially for a guy looking to be drafted in the top 10-15.