[2019 NFL Draft - Day 2 Debrief]

11 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Day 2 is in the books and the Bills picked three times so let's get to it....

 

The Bills Picks...

I had a 1st / 2nd round borderline grade on Cody Ford (he was my 21st overall player) and I think he represented good value at #38. I had graded him as my top interior offensive lineman but I think he can play right tackle as well and, critically, even left tackle in a pinch. I don't think he is ever going to be a top flight NFL left tackle, he is a bit too foot slow, but throughout last season my worry was who the hell played left tackle if, at any point, Dawkins went down? I know they brought Nsekhe in as well as a FA but he is 33. Dawkins and Ford could, potentially, be the Bills tackle combo for a few years to come and it is good to have a right tackle who would at a pinch flip to the left side if your starter goes out for the year. I know there have been concerns about his height and his weight but I'm relaxed on both. An NFL conditioning programme will sort one and he still plays with good leverage for a 6'3 guy.

 

I'll come back to Singletary and flip to Dawson Knox. I said that I thought this was the best Tight End class for many a year and I had 7 guys in my top 100 all of whom I thought could contribute as rookies. Knox was the 85th ranked player on my board and the Bills got him at #96 so it represented value for me. I know people worry about his college production but he hasn't been a tight end long, he is a supreme athlete and his tape flashes some incredible athletic ability. I think the surface of his potential has barely even been scratched. He will start the season as a backup to Tyler Kroft (who is a better player than many think) but I think by this time next year Knox will be knocking on the door of the starting job.

 

Which brings me to Singletary. Meh. I don't hate the pick. The Bills did need to get younger at running back and I was keen that they had a guy in the building who could be primed to take over the starter role in 2020 if, as expected, this is Shady's last year as a Bill. That said I just don't feel that way about Singletary. The good? He has good vision, a very good change of direction and his initial burst is better than a 40 speed would indicate. The bad? I think he lacks long speed for the NFL level - I don't think he is a guy who will run away from a secondary, he dances behind the line..... a LOT and talent wise he is no Shady McCoy and I don't know how effective he will be as an early down runner in the NFL. Running out of a lot of spread against vanilla college defenses is one thing... but go stick on the tape of him against legit competition in Oklahoma this last season and Wisconsin the year before. Those defenses were ready for him and they bottled him up. My projection for him at the NFL level is a third down / change of pace back. I think he is a better pass protector than he will get credit for an a better receiver than he had the opportunity to display at FAU. I can see him converting some third downs for us but I do not see an every down starting running back there. Which to me would suggest a 3rd is too rich for my tastes. Picked a round too early by my board and there were other backs - the Texas A&M kid in particular - that I'd have preferred. Don't hate it.... but don't love it either. 

 

What about the other 31....

Let's start with the Baltimore Ravens who I thought got the steal of the night when Jaylon Ferguson was snagged in the middle of the 3rd round. I have not been shy about my love for this kid. I had a 1st round grade on him and I think he slipped because he played for a small school, didn't test off the charts and the NFL banned him from the Combine for an event long in his past. I think he will be an awesome NFL player. Nabbing Myles Boykin later as well meant that the Ravens have now added two new pieces to Lamar Jackson's armoury. Staying in the AFC North and suddenly everything the Cleveland Browns touch turns to gold. No first round pick and yet they end up with a 1st round talent in Greedy Williams. Good job John Dorsey and crew. The Jags are having a draft for the ages as well. A top 5 talent falls in their lap at #7, then they are able to trade up after the guy they had originally zeroed in on for that pick falls to #35 and then they add one of my favourite players in the whole draft in San Jose State Tight End Josh Oliver in the 3rd round. I think that kid has a higher ceiling than Hock or Fant and will prove a great selection. Houston got another high ceiling tackle for their failing offensive line and in Kahale Warring nabbed one of my 7  top TEs and Lonnie Johnson at corner. Also some love for the Green Bay Packers. I was a bit, let's say confused, by their approach to day 1 but Elgton Jenkins and Jace Sternberger are old school sensible Packers picks who will be long term contributors on that roster. The evil empire had another good night too. JoJuan, Winovich and Harris.... they all scream "do your job" Patriots guys. The worst draft so far? Well let me just say DK Metcalf better work out for Seattle. Because they took a guy who I had a 3rd on in the first, then they took a safety who wasn't on my board and a linebacker I have never heard of both from the college football powerhouse that is Utah. Maybe that was the only tape they had in the building? I do not like the Seahawks approach to rebuilding this roster. Oh and honourable mention to poor old Steve Keim and the Cardinals. I loved the Byron Murphy pick to open night two but then having drafted a Quarterback early last year and then a Quarterback early this year they repeated the trick by following slot receiver Christian Kirk with slot receiver Andy Isabella. And then he reached for an edge rusher who doesn't have much rush from Boston College. If the Cardinals stink again this year I suspect Kingsbury is safe..... Keim will not be.  

 

The Mock...

So through round 1 I had 5 exact matches... well three more of my mocked matches in round one came true in round two..... those being Taylor, Lock and JoeJuan Williams. 

 

What's left?

I have 39 players left on my board that I have watched enough to have a grade on. The top 15 is below:

 

1. Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama

2. Chauncy Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida

3. Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama

4. David Edwards, OT, Wisconsin

5. Preston Williams*, WR, Colorado State - possible character concerns

6. Joe Jackson, DE, Miami

7. Cortez Broughton, DT, Cincinnati 

8. Vosean Joseph, OLB, Florida

9. Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State

10. Austin Bryant, DE, Clemson

11. Ross Pierschbacher, C, Alabama

12. Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame

13. Amani Hooker, S, Iowa

14. Christian Miller, OLB, Alabama

15. Malik Grant, S, Marshall

 

One day to go and still some talent to be had. The Bills, as it stands, have picked 4 players, have 4 picks remaining but the first of those is 44 picks away. A lot of 4s on day 3. LET'S GO BUFFALO!

 

Gunner as always thank for your work ... I appreciate the opportunity to read your stuff and get your insights.  Much appreciated!!

[John Warrow’s High Praise For Beane & McDermott Regime]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBill said:

The truth will come from the W-L record but man does Wawrow seem to be right.  I can’t remember an offseason where there has been so much momentum going into the season.  The Bills had a tough year last year but emerged from it with Josh Allen taking steps forward.  With the exception of a true #1 WR on the roster they have addressed gaps and in many cases with more than one potential starter.

 

WR aside, as I think they will get production out of the group they have, the only real question remaining after last season is will special teams improve?  The Bills were flat out awful at ST’s last season.  The flip side of this is that the D returns nearly intact and should only be better with Oliver at the 3T.  This D has the potential to be scary good.

 

Day 3 .. time to draft a punter to help with ST's

[RD 3, Pick 96: TE Dawson Knox, Ole Miss]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

 

The more I read this AM including above .. the more I am warming up to this pick ... also pulled Kittle's college stats .. granted 10 TDs .. but limited catches like Kittle ... and same size ... so one can hope

 

						Receiving				Rushing				Scrimmage
Year ▲	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds	Avg	TD
Career	Iowa					48	737	15.4	10	0	0		0	48	737	15.4	10
*2013	Iowa	Big Ten	FR	UT	3	5	108	21.6	0	0	0		0	5	108	21.6	0
*2014	Iowa	Big Ten	SO	TE	3	1	25	25.0	0	0	0		0	1	25	25.0	0
*2015	Iowa	Big Ten	JR	TE	10	20	290	14.5	6	0	0		0	20	290	14.5	6
*2016	Iowa	Big Ten	SR	TE	9	22	314	14.3	4	0	0		0	22	314	14.3	4

[WR situation is like going in with Peterman as starter last year]

11 minutes ago, Troll Toll said:

It will be come playoff time. I have so much confidence in Allen. I already firmly believe they will make the playoffs this season, but this receiver corps will be exposed in the playoffs. I honestly feel that AJ Brown is potentially the difference between playoff divisional loss and Super Bowl.

 

When we get to the playoffs .. Defense and Running wins championships ... (see Rams, Chiefs last year) ... not sure the Patriots WR crew would be deemed elite ... but they (Edelman) get the job done when it counts (Damn I hate saying that) ... Beasley can be an Edelman lite clone.

[Miami: Acquires QB Josh Rosen]

Steve Smith summed it up on this guy ... can't wait for Ed O, Lorax, Edmunds, and Hughes to pound him 2 times a year

[RD 3, Pick 96: TE Dawson Knox, Ole Miss]

Wonder why no Hakeem Butler love ... we must really like the WR room with the FA signings. .. Below production by Butler kind of outshines Knox's stats

 

Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds	Avg	TD
Career	Iowa State					110	2149	19.5	18	0	0		0	110	2149	19.5	18
2015	Iowa State	Big 12	FR	WR										0	0		0
2016	Iowa State	Big 12	FR	WR	8	9	134	14.9	2	0	0		0	9	134	14.9	2
*2017	Iowa State	Big 12	SO	WR	13	41	697	17.0	7	0	0		0	41	697	17.0	7
*2018	Iowa State	Big 12	JR	WR	13	60	1318	22.0	9	0	0		0	60	1318	22.0	9

[RD 3, Pick 74: RB Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic]

Don't get me wrong ... I was on the Winovich bandwagon (and hate he's on the Pats now) ... too much lineage to Nicovich (3rd cousins ?) ... but trust Beane and his choices .. OL crappiness aside .. Shady has lost a step .. this kid has 2 steps

[RD 3, Pick 74: RB Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic]

1 minute ago, daz28 said:

It's called holes.  He isn't going to power his way in.  Last years line would have killed this kid.  Maybe it says something about McBeanes faith in this line/scheme

 

Please watch the video highlights  .. it ain't all holes

[RD 3, Pick 74: RB Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic]

6 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

He ran a 4.66 on one specific day. You do not know the circumstances around that time. Maybe he is human and didn’t have a great day. 

 

I'll take 30+ TD's in a season for .17 seconds ... something made him get in the end zone and it wasn't .17 seconds

[RD 1, Pick 9: DT Ed Oliver, University of Houston]

2 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

 

192 tackles (53 for a loss - 25% of his tackles were for a loss!), 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 11 pass deflections over three seasons - most of that AS A NOSE TACKLE!

 

Preach Coach ... love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Who to draft on Day 2]

The best part of this thread is all the talent left on the board after some dumb picks in round 1 (thank you Raiders, GB, NYG, others) ... never thought we'd have a shot at many of these guys listed above at 40 ... if more dumb picks before us ... might get to trade back and still get many listed and get another pick.

 

But if stay .. Butler, DK, Taylor, Winovich, Risner, Greedy, Ford, Irv, Ya Sin, Samuel (that's 10 and one of those is ours) if we stay put ... VERY HAPPY!!!!

[RD 1, Pick 9: DT Ed Oliver, University of Houston]

I had a pit in my stomach as all the chatter was we were trading to 3 ... Thank you Lord this didn't occur .. we sat tight and got our guy and he looks awesome in Zubaz

 

[My vow to you as a representative of TBD at the draft]

1 hour ago, billsfan1959 said:

What a great experience for you and your son! My son and I have shared a passion for the Bills since he was old enough to root for a sports team (which, unfortunately for him, coincided with the end of their Super Bowl run). He lives and works in another state now. However, we still talk a couple of times a week (and always after a Bills game) and our conversations always include something about the Bills and Sabres. We will be on the phone tonight during the draft.

 

The Bills have not been very good since my son became a fan; however, we certainly share a lot of wonderful memories because of them.

 

Have a wonderful time with your son and I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

Passing along Bills love from one generation to another is one of the greatest memories for me and my son .. it's "guy time" ... and though he was not born in Buffalo ... he represents at every opportunity .. cheers to the op ..have fun in the ville.

[Joe Marino (Locked on Bills): Two names he is hearing in 1st for Bills: Jonah Williams, DK Metcalf]

Wow ... Chemical .. Eat a snickers ... let me get this straight ... you are indicating you can't read (or watch) mock drafts on TV this week and none have DK drafted by the Bills at 9 (Mel/Todd, NFL Network, etc.) in order to form an opinion ... do you sit in a cave without the internet and look skyward to form your opinions??

 

I say my preference to go elsewhere vs drafting your apparently favorite player of all time at #9, and reference his combine performance.  Unlike others I'm didn't think I had to type longwinded detail beyond that. 

 

Lighten up Francis

 

[Joe Marino (Locked on Bills): Two names he is hearing in 1st for Bills: Jonah Williams, DK Metcalf]

1 minute ago, the skycap said:

For every one of these negative reviews you find I can give you five positive ones.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/draft-why-dk-metcalf-is-pffs-top-wide-receiver-in-the-2019-nfl-draft

 

It's a beauty pageant in the 1st round .. many different opinions .. mine .. I just prefer other options than DK (and really drafting a WR at 9 vs. DL or OL) and have flashbacks to other WR's who set combine records. 

 

Wide receivers

• John Ross, Washington, 2017: Ross is football’s fastest runner since laser timing, with a 4.22. He somehow did it while hurting himself.
• Chris Conley, Georgia, 2015: A bigger WR at 6’2, 213, Conley dropped a 4.35-second 40 and then tied the all-positions vert record (1.5 inches ahead of the next WR) and would’ve done the same in the broad, if not for UConn DB Byron Jones entering orbit. He’d been considered a late-rounder until this, then went to the Chiefs in the third.
• Darrius Heyward-Bey, Maryland, 2009: At 6’2, 210 pounds, he’s the biggest player to ever officially crack 4.3.

[Joe Marino (Locked on Bills): Two names he is hearing in 1st for Bills: Jonah Williams, DK Metcalf]

19 hours ago, Chemical said:

 

Dk was considered the top WR by many before the combine AND before the season. Combine warrior label is lazy analysis. 

 

Hey Chemical .. reading your threads .. you like DK ... more power to you .. but my "Lazy Analysis" .. appears to be supported by a few others.

 

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2832576-all-sizzle-no-steak-dk-metcalf-is-a-1st-round-flop-waiting-to-happen

 

[Joe Marino (Locked on Bills): Two names he is hearing in 1st for Bills: Jonah Williams, DK Metcalf]

Thursday Wish List

 

1) Ed Oliver drops to 9

2) Bills trade back if he's gone

3) Praying we don't take DK ... combine warrior . .runs one route ... pass

4) If don't trade back .. live with Jonah Williams

 

[Bills sign Yeldon]

I like the signing of Yeldon, but still would like to see a RB drafted in 4th round and let that be the RB room (two vets, a bridge/3rd down RB, and a young stud).

[Bills History of Past Drafts from early 2000]

Wow .. way to dig into the archives and allow me to relive draft misery (sans 2007 draft) and the Kyle Williams pick.   That said, I'm all in on "the process kool-aid" .. I trust this regime much more than prior regimes in evaluating talent and making smart choices ... Zay Jones jokes aside ... at the time given record breaking college production and NFL parent pedigree .. you can understand the pick .. UDFA talent additions (Foster & Wallace)  .. round 5 picks (Milano and Teller).  Can't wait for what they do this coming week/weekend.

Go McBeane!!!

[Do you want a WR at 9?]

[Sports Bars in Buffalo/Amherst]

15 hours ago, Buffalo_Gal said:

Driving into Buffalo from a northern 'burb I always wonder how people get downtown in 20 minutes? Rocket? 

 

Buffalo's version of the "rocket" ..  the subway at UB Main Campus .. if going to a Sabres game .. the only way to head downtown

[Sports Bars in Buffalo/Amherst]

11 hours ago, jkx2 said:

Brennan's Bowery Bar in the Transit town plaza. Solid Buffalo food with good beer and atmosphere. 

 

I love Brennan's and spent way too many evenings or early AM at this establishment as a "yout" ... I'd go on Friday for the fish fry alone ... but its not the best for watching games ... I was there for the last home game and swear one of the TVs looked like it was on an antenna feed (black and white)  .. head to Santoras for a more sports bar feel

[Best ever NFL running back]

This guy .... sad to see him nowadays and what has happened to his body post NFL .. but he hammered everyone .. including Bills unfortunately

 

[Allen seems to want to lead this team]

11 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

He showed enthusiasm and energy on the sideline which is leadership for white QBs and out of control behavior for black WRs.

 

Wow ...we're really going here?  Not sure which WR's your referring to ... but in the event you may be referring to  OBJ and/or AB behavior vs. Josh Allen's ... wonder why those two are playing on other teams in 2019 .. maybe .. just maybe something about their leadership?

[Does Jake Fisher Signing mean the end of Patrick DiMarco]

Well as we stand today ... we have the oldest RB's in the league ... so the lead FB doesn't have to be as fast ... so there's a chance