Logic

It seems to me like they took the guy most well suited to be a starting running back in the NFL. The most well rounded skillset. Whereas Jaylen Wright or Isaac Guerendo may have offered more explosiveness, Will Shipley or Dylan Laube may have offered more in the passing game, Braelon Allen or Audric Estime may have offered more power, etc....Davis seemed to have the best blend of vision, speed, quicks, power, receiving ability, etc. I realize the Bills don't actually need a starting running back, but Davis seems to have the ability to be one. On top of all that, I think his leadership, maturity, and the edge he plays with were all big selling points for Beane. He mentions specifically in the Embedded video that they were looking to add "leadership and dogs with edge", something like that. That's Ray Davis. I think he'll be a good 1B to Cook's 1A. And if he winds up being a better pass blocker than Cook (a low bar to clear)....look out.

What Buffalo_Stampede said. Especially the injury part. Elam had one bad wheel all of last season. Torn ligament in his foot. Hard to play corner effectively with that type of injury. I think the fact that the Bills didn't spend a draft pick on a corner (other than the returner they took in round 6) or bring in a viable free agent tells us that they're gonna give Elam one more season to make a go of it. He came on well at the end of his rookie season, then was having a good camp until he tore his ligament. From a distance, I can see why someone would already have written Elam off, but I don't believe the Bills have done so.

I would not trade Elam for Burks, but I WOULD trade a late round pick for Burks. I'm not ready to give up on Elam. I would be more than happy to take a flyer on the talent that made Burks a 1st round pick. I think the Titans set him up to fail, to some degree, plus he's struggled with health. If he's fully healthy, I think he could benefit from a fresh start, and I could see him thriving here if used situationally as a big slot and with some schemed up looks like he had in college. No to the Elam trade, Yes to Burks.

Seeing Pearl Jam on Friday night. It'll be about my 10th time seeing them. I have General Admission Pit tickets, and I will be getting in line for the show early enough in the day to hopefully be in the front row. I was in the front row for a Pearl Jam show only once before, and on that occasion, Eddie Vedder poured some of his wine into my cup during a solo break on the song Porch, and I got one of Mike McCready's guitar picks. It's gonna be hard to top that experience, but...I can't wait for this show. Absolutely can't wait. PJ always, always, always puts on an excellent show.

I can only speak for myself here, and say that I think the dropoff in talent level from 4th round running backs to 5th through 7th running back talent seems minimal. So if you're not taking a running back until day three anyway, I'd rather wait until that cluster of later picks we had, and instead use the 4th on a position that doesn't have the same kind of last-few-rounds success that RB seems to potentially offer. So as it relates to the 2024 draft, there were guys left in the 4th that I felt would've presented better positional value. CB TJ Tampa S Jaden Hicks (potentially a starting level player) WR Malik Washington WR Jacob Cowing ...to name a few. RBs like Kimani Vidal and Dylan Laube were still available into the 6th round. Basically, I feel the chance at finding a good safety or WR in the 4th and then still being able to find a capable RB2 in the 6th seems better than the chances of being able to find a good safety or WR in the 6th because we spent our 4th on a running back. Obviously, the Bills disagreed. Beane has used a 2nd, two 3rds, and a 4th on running backs in the past few seasons. Clearly he values the position more than me.

I think you're kind of overlooking the vast amount of experience and leadership and production they lost. Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, and Stefon Diggs were each All-Pros. You don't typically lose three All-Pros and not miss a beat, even if two of them were a bit past their prime. Mitch Morse was a very good center and a leader on this team, and he's gone, too. The Bills' leading sack producer from last season, Leonard Floyd, is gone. Between Diggs and Davis leaving, over 250 targets in the passing game were vacated. I'm really not sure how anyone can say with a straight face that the Bills are in a better position -- or, as you say "much better" position -- than they were last year. If you go position group for position group and ask whether they're better, worse, or the same, you won't come up with many (any?) "betters", but you'll find a few "worses". I'm just not sure how anyone can say they look to have improved as things stand now. COULD they be better? Sure. But on paper, it sure doesn't look that way.

I always dug this tune. I don't even have kids. It just makes me laugh...It's so very "of the era" in which it was written and recorded.

Yeah I remember that being quite evident in Beane's post draft presser that night. It was just obvious in the way they spoke about him that they were really fired up about getting him. I believe Beane mentioned they tried but failed to move up for him, and were getting worried he wouldn't be there. As I recall, they also turned in the draft card in record time. Someone in those scouting meetings was clearly pounding the table for Cole Bishop.

My thinking is similar to this, but for the Ray Davis pick. I feel that historically, the dropoff in career production from 4th round running backs to, say, 6th round through UDFA level running backs is likely minimal. I wish they had spent the 4th on a wide receiver instead -- it's a more valuable position and we had a greater need for it, and this draft class was better at that position. I would've been fine with using one or two of the later round picks to move up higher in the 4th for said receiver, too. Then, they could've used one of the later picks on a running back or signed a few UDFAs. Alternately, I wish they had taken the combined money they've spent on the Cephuses, Claypools, and Hollinses of the world and used it on a lower tier veteran running back instead, freeing up their draft resources from the need for a running back completely. Receiver was simply more of a need and at a more premium position.

Yep. He's a Kansas City Chief, alright. Fitting right in.

Man... If it was financially feasible for the Bills to trade for Hopkins after June 1st (I don't know that it is, unless the Titans agreed to take on some of his salary), I'd be over the moon. Hopkins playing X would allow Coleman to be the move/big slot player that his skillset indicates would be his best chance at immediate success, would lessen the pressure on him to produce right away, and would give him an amazing on-field presence to learn from. Unfortunately, the Bills' actions seem to indicate that they, too, view this as a re-tool/transition year, and thus I suspect they're unlikely to want to take on a big salary for a veteran WR. Hopkins or any other vet that could be acquired via trade just doesn't feel like a move that has a realistic chance of happening. It feels like a move that a team trying to push their chips in for a title run this season would make, and the Bills -- contrary to whatever they may say -- don't seem to feel that way about their 2024 season. Whatever they say publicly, this has all the markings of a "get cheaper/younger"/soft reset year. Alas...a boy can wish.

This is great. I'm loving people adding their own thoughts on our draft class, especially having had a week to digest it and dig into the players more. Lots of value added by you and Rocky Landing. Thanks to you both. I'll add that I'm kind of "over" drafting raw, toolsy offensive tackles in the late rounds that have next to no chance of being rosterable. Luke Tenuta, Grable and Clayton...heck, even Tommy Doyle in round five. I understand the IDEA of gambling on upside that late in the draft, but...these just feel like wasted picks to me. You're telling me that with Dawkins, Brown, La'el Collins, and Ryan VanDemark on the roster, that these two guys have any shot of making the 53? No way. If they were dead set on taking swings on physical upside this late in the draft, I'd rather they at least do it at a position where the prospect has a better shot at making the roster, like corner or WR.

Yep. Fully agree with that. I think there's a good chance Hamlin fails to make the roster this year. I was more so just pointing out the callousness and flippancy of the posts I quoted. You'd think the guy was the worst player to ever suit up in a Bills jersey the way people talk about him. I agree that he's a replacement level guy and may well be cut, but reading some of the comments about him...yikes.

Thanks for the kind words, and for contributing your own thoughts on the class. I particularly think what you say about Bishop and Carter being pushed down the board (to the Bills' benefit) is true. I also think the drafting of Ulofoshio and signing of Deion Jones portends that maybe Matt Milano's road to being the player he once was isn't as clear cut as fans might like to hope. You bring up an interesting point about Hardy: I viewed him only as a kick returner, which is still where I think his primary value lies. Particularly with the new kickoff rules, I think having a good returner will be valuable once again. HOWEVER...if this guy can make the roster for his return role, but then learn to be a viable pro level nickel corner in the background...that would be huge. "Depth at nickel" isn't something I think about much, but it's true that Taron Johnson is one awkward landing or collision away from unavailability, just like any other player, so having a decent backup in place (particularly for a defense that plays as much nickel as the Bills) would be a great thing. And lastly, the Travis Clayton as Happy Gilmore line made me laugh. Thanks for that.