jrober38

I want this guy. 6'4, 252 with room to get bigger and stronger. His test scores were ridiculous at the combine (just like his brother). At that size, a 6.79 three cone and 4.13 short shuttle are insane. On the old Message Board there was a formula that predicted pass rusher success in the NFL, he winds up the in category of "low risk". He checks the sub 7 second three cone, he checks the twitch rating, and he's on the cusp of cracking the explosive power rating. To put things in perspective, his scores are pretty close to being on par with guys like Demarcus Ware and Von Miller. Watt's movement skills are truly in elite company relative to other edge rushers. This guy is going to be a 10+ sack a year player in the NFL. I know Defensive End isn't technically a "need", but if this guy is a perennial Pro Bowler for the next decade (which his test scores suggest is likely), then we should be considering him. I don't care where he's currently being projected, this guy looks like he's going to be a special player who you can build a defensive line around.

Norris doesn't do a good job projecting draft picks, but his analysis of individual players is usually very good. He looks at a lot of analytics to formulate opinions on players which is more than most of the talking heads on TV.

I think we use our 2nd rounder on a CB. Fingers crossed Teez Tabor falls due to his forty time. In our Cover 2 scheme, where he'll often have safety help, long speed isn't super important.

I remember 2013 when Barkley, Smith and Nassib were mocked as first round picks. Then the draft happened........

If we're willing to try Logan Thomas, we should be willing to try EJ. Neither guy is a QB, but maybe one of them can make a decent tight end.

In all seriousness I'd look into bringing EJ back as a tight end. 6'4, 4.64 speed and long arms. Unless he wants to accept life as a "camp arm" for the rest of his career, he should be open to exploring a position change.

1. We already have Charles Clay. 2. We don't utilize Charles Clay. 3. This draft is unbelievably deep at the Tight End position.

This is such an exaggeration it's hilarious.

Cam Newton sat behind Tim Tebow for a year at Florida. Tebow was one of the greatest college QBs ever and a future 1st round pick. Tom Brady started two years at Michigan. He sat behind Brian Griese who was a future 3rd round pick. Russell Wilson transferred because he'd already graduated. NC State recruited Mike Glennon (former 5 star recruit) and Wilson opted to go to Wisconsin who were fresh off a Rose Bowl birth. None of these situations are really comparable to Mitch Trubisky sitting behind a future UDFA.

I think Taylor's supporting cast in the pass game was laughably bad last year. Watkins missed 8 games and was at way less than 100% for 4-5 others. Woods missed time. Goodwin missed time. Beyond those guys we had guys who couldn't crack other NFL rosters. If Watkins is healthy, and the Bills add a quality receiver in the first 3 rounds of the draft, I would expect Taylor to produce on the same level as 2015 when he had a more healthy supporting cast around him in the pass game. I don't think Taylor is a long term option, and we should continue looking, I just don't see anything I like from this draft. I think this is a really bad QB draft class and in 3-4 years I won't be surprised one bit if we look at this group and don't see a single established NFL starting QB from this group.

I don't buy it. If you're a 1st round, franchise caliber NFL QB you're not sitting on the bench behind a guy who goes on to be an UDFA.

LOL Watkins missed 11 games over that span and was at far less than 100% for several others. It's hard for Taylor to throw him the ball if he's not on the field...

That's right. 60 catches in 13 games for 1,047 yards and 9 TDs. Extrapolate those numbers over a 16 game season and you're looking at 74 catches, 1,288 yards and 11 TDs.

In 2015 when Watkins was actually healthy Taylor had no problem getting him the ball.

I agree. I think he turns into a Tannehill/Dalton type NFL QB. A guy who relies on having elite talent around him to survive at the NFL level. If he was special, he'd have been on the field a lot sooner than he was at UNC.

The Steelers have no reason to trade this guy. If properly focused, he's got the potential to be a top 10 receiver in the NFL. Giving him away for a late round pick isn't adequate compensation for what is still enormous upside.

Fair enough. I can't argue with that. Trubisky has traits you look for in a starting QB. His experience, and lack of game film worry me. The fact that he couldn't beat out a guy who couldn't sniff the NFL worries me considerably. Overall he's got the look of an NFL QB, but I'm not sure how high his upside is. Maybe he's Matt Ryan, maybe he's Ryan Tannehill, maybe he's Alex Smith, maybe he's Blaine Gabbert. I agree that it's currently a good situation for him to fall into provided we actually commit to red shirting him for a year. With that said, if he is available 10th overall and so many QB needy teams ahead of him pass him up, I won't have much faith in him being very good because the Bills never prove to be the "smartest guys in the room" on draft day. I think it's far fetched to believe that some great QB prospect is just going to fall into our laps with the 10th overall pick.

Not wanting to draft a QB has nothing to do with those guys not being good enough. Can you provide any examples of one year starters in college going on to be successful franchise QBs at the NFL level?

If you think college stats mean anything when projecting NFL success you're a lost cause. How are Timmy Change and Colt Brennan doing?

One guy played in a pro style offense under Mike Sherman. The other played in the spread and was in shotgun all the time. I'm not saying Trubisky isn't accurate, but EJ Manuel completed 68% of his passes his last year at FSU. Is he accurate?

I'm throwing this out there, but I think DT is arguably one of the biggest holes we have on the whole team. Dareus is a mistake away from a 16 game suspension, Kyle is a year from retirement and behind those guys we have next to nothing. I can see the Bills surprising people and addressing the DL in the 2nd round. We need to get younger and more talented up front.

How many QBs actually hit their potential? Maybe 5-10%? Most significantly under perform relative to their expectations. That's where I'm getting that from.

Sure. And his downside is Blaine Gabbert. Odds are he'll wind up somewhere in the middle, ie Ryan Tannehill/Andy Dalton.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that all of those guys are gone by the 10th pick. Howard has talent, but we already have one tight end who we under utilize so I don't see the logic in adding another one with the 10th overall pick. This draft is super deep at TE, so we can find a complimentary piece in the mid to late rounds. What we need is a wide receiver. We have Sammy Watkins and then a bunch of camp fodder behind him. If Watkins gets hurt, our passing game is completely screwed.

I see a lot of Ryan Tannehill in Mitch Trubisky. Both guys essentially had the same pros and cons as prospects coming out of college. Personally, I'd want something better than that. Tannehill has only been slightly above average even though the Dolphins have done everything possible to surround him with an elite supporting cast over the last couple years.