Logic

Early in the draft process, Gettleman had a quote where he said "you want to get a player you believe can be a Hall of Famer at pick 2. You don't want to get too cute". From that moment on, I didn't believe he was going to trade the pick. Why? Because Barkley profiles as a player who could be a Hall of Famer one day. I really believe that only an obscene overpay, like both 1sts, both 2nds, both 3rds, and next year's 1st, were going to get the job done. The Bills and Beane must not have felt like Darnold was worth that kind of capital. If it was a "sure thing" like an Andrew Luck coming out, maybe. But then, if it was an Andrew Luck, the Browns would've taken him. And yes, it DOES make me feel better to know that Mayfield and Darnold (my top two favorite choices for the Bills) weren't even really a realistic option. That means the choice in reality was Allen vs Rosen. And whether I agree or not, I can absolutely see why the Bills preferred Allen. Superior upside, character, personality, work ethic, team fit, you name it.

Appreciate the post, but did you just say that Allen is SLIGHTLY more athletic than Bledsoe? You might want to go watch a few more Wyoming games. Bledsoe was a statue back there. I may not be thrilled that Allen was the pick, but I can readily admit that he's miles and miles ahead of Bledsoe athletically.

Oh, that's just Greggggggg Rosenthal being Greggggggg Rosenthal. Don't worry about him.

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2018/01/senior_bowl_why_harrison_phillips_is_an_ideal_fit_for_sean_mcdermott_buffalo_bil.html "I kind of say the saying that my position is like the fire hydrant at the dog show," Phillips said. "You're the guy in the middle right there and everyone's kind of coming up and pissing on you. I was able to be a really shiny fire hydrant at the dog show I guess."

Me three. Ever since the very first time I read about him, he stood out as the most obvious Sean McDermott player that will ever exist. Wrestling champion, member of the 40-40 club, off-the-charts intangibles, high motor, team captain...he may be more McDermott-y than McDermott! If they could just draft 7 Harrison Phillipses every year, I'm pretty sure they would. If you want to know what "Bills DNA" looks like, just check out this dude. And now to hear that the first time he ever met McDermott, coach immediately tried a wrestling move on him! Pure gold. Makes me like coach even more. Outstanding pick and just like Mayock said: "Kyle Williams Jr". Love, love, love it.

First, I was only commenting on the notion that Rudolph was somehow a 1st round talent. He clearly wasn't. Second, I love how people always trot out Brady, Wilson, or Prescott, as if that's the norm. The vast, VAST majority of later round quarterbacks fail or, at best, amount to career backups. Always pointing out the .1% of exceptions doesn't make it any more likely that late round guys are going to succeed.

It's funny that a decent amount of people thought the Bills could pick him at 12. Well, it turns out he DID get taken with the 12th pick....of the 3rd round!

I hear you. I fully plan to support the guy and hope he becomes a Hall of Famer. I do reserve the right, however, to be nervous and have doubts while doing so. And besides, the post is about David Culley and my concerns that perhaps Allen would have a better shot at success if he had a better QB coach. Thoughts on that notion?

I just posted this in Shaw's thread, and it got me to thinking: The thing that makes me most nervous about Josh Allen being a Buffalo Bill? Well, we all know that Allen was the biggest boom or bust, project quarterback in the draft. He has A LOT to work on in order to become a franchise QB in the NFL. And who are the Bills entrusting to be the quarterback coach and to mold Josh Allen? David Culley. Who is David Culley? Well, as far as I can tell, he's been a receivers coach and offensive assistant for a number of years now. But the last time he was a QUARTERBACKS coach? If my reading comprehension is as good as I think, he last coached quarterbacks in 1988. 1988!!! And that was for the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Allen as the potential "Franchise Guy" is nerve-wracking enough...but entrusting his development to a guy who hasn't coached QBs in 30 years and who has NEVER been an NFL QB coach? Well...that's just downright terrifying!

I don't disagree with the notion that McDermott's D would benefit greatly from this type of player. HOWEVER...the Bills did add veterans and quality special teamers and sub-package guys Kelcie McCray and Rafael Bush at safety. It will not surprise me at all if they don't take the type of player you mentioned and prefer the veteran depth/ST contributors instead. Great post overall, but I wanted to highlight the above section. I think it's very accurate and very telling as to what Beane and McDermott will be doing in terms of rookie player acquisition going forward. The Carolina Panthers famously drafted the best athletic specimens they could find for years and told the coaches "here you go, now coach 'em up". By and large, it worked. The question in Buffalo is whether or not they will be able to "coach 'em up" as well as the Carolina staff was able to. Defensively, I feel great about the prospects of this happening. McDermott, Frazier, and Babich are an EXCELLENT trio of coaches. We saw it last year with how much the Bills defenders improved their fundamentals, smarts, and execution from where they were under Rex. We also saw it with how they turned Poyer and Hyde into elite safeties and helped Tre'Davious White play like a seasoned veteran. Offensively? That one makes me a little bit more nervous. Bills quarterbacks coach David Culley hasn't coached quarterbacks since 1988, and that was for the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns! I'm not making that up, even though it sounds like I am. We're entrusting the biggest boom-or-bust, project QB in the draft (and with him, the ultimate fate of the franchise)...to a man who hasn't coached QBs in 30 years. That is tremendously worrisome, in my opinion. The "get great athletes, let the coaches coach" strategy can be a good one. So long as the coaches can coach. I have faith in the defensive coaches to do just that. I am nervous about the offensive coaches holding up their end of the bargain.

Hahahaha. This guy, though. These comments AND "Fire Beane and McDermott" in his profile. Too funny. Wants to fire a coach and GM who brought the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in 20 years because they picked a QB other than the one that he personally liked. Glad Johnny Flynn is back to being Johnny Flynn. Joker.

"If Edmunds DOES reach that lofty ceiling, and he DOES realize his full potential, it's gonna set a new bar for the linebacker position that we have never, EVER seen before." The above quote is from this video. This guy is, um, quite bullish on Edmunds to say the least.

I didn't want Allen either, but...In fairness, I bet lots of Bills fans rejoiced at some of the AWFUL picks we have made over the years. I know I did. And as others have said, I GUARANTEE that 90% of those people have never seen Josh Allen throw a football. Time will tell, and I wanted any QB but Allen, but....he's a Bill now. Let's give him a chance.

He just has the generic archetype of a face. He has the face that your WWE video game create-a-wrestler has by default before you make any changes.

Wentz also completed 64.1% of his passes and had a 45-14 TD-INT ratio at North Dakota State, so....not exactly apples to apples!

"The only thing better than playoff hockey is throwing touchdowns and winning football games". ...There's one way to ingratiate yourself to Buffalo sports fans! Now if only we could get some playoff hockey...

I just wish they weren't so tone deaf. Bills fans don't want to hear "he has a big arm! He's athletic! Snow and rain!". We want to hear that the front office believes he can be the best quarterback in the league. That he can lead the team to championships. I really hope someone in the media is a little tough on them at some point in the near future, and asks them something like "other than being a nice kid from a farm and having a big arm, what do you actually see in him that makes you think he'll be successful?". But, ya know...journalism is horrific these days, so I won't hold my breath.

No. Schefter reported that the Cardinals wanted him, and that had been reported by other draft analysts recently. I think they still would have traded up, but would have taken Allen at 10 instead of Rosen. Now...would ROSEN have been available at 12? Very possibly.

We only know that they had Allen rated higher than Rosen, Rudolph, Jackson, and whoever else gets drafted at QB this year. We do NOT know if they had Allen rated higher than Mayfield or Darnold. It's a moot point now.

Josh Allen: C- I did not want Allen to be a Buffalo Bill. I really, really didn't. Of the top 4 QBs, he was the one I LEAST wanted to see get drafted by Buffalo. That being said, Mayfield was taken 1st overall, the Giants were not gonna give up pick #2 for anything less than a king's ransom, and the Jets obviously weren't going to trade their pick to the Bills. That left Josh Allen or Josh Rosen for the Bills. To me, this decision came down to work ethic, character, personality, and upside. The Bills decided that Allen's was greater than Rosen's. I don't personally agree, but time will tell. It's important to remember, though, that Mayfield and Darnold weren't really options. So it's Allen vs Rosen. That's what it comes down to. The picks are also a big part of the grade. To still keep their second 1st round pick AND keep next year's 1st round pick was pretty awesome. For that reason, and for Allen's obvious physical gifts and upside, I'm tempted to move the pick up to a C or even C+. But at the end of the day, the ghosts of JP Losman and EJ Manuel are still haunting me, and I'm terrified that Allen will be a big bust. Also, I really, REALLY wish the Bills still had a 2nd round pick to use tomorrow. For those reasons, I can go no higher than a C-. Tremaine Edmunds: A I did not in my wildest dreams think the Bills could land Edmunds even at 12, let alone with their second 1st round pick after ALSO landing a quarterback. They got arguably a top 5 talent at pick 16. He will be the day one starter ("right off the bus" , as Doug Whaley would say) at either MIKE or SAM linebacker. He has sideline-to-sideline speed, elite coverage ability for a linebacker, and untapped puss rushing ability to boot. He's also apparently a hard worker and locker room leader. He will elevate McDermott's defense TREMENDOUSLY. He will quarterback the defense for McDermott an will add playmaking ability to a linebacker corps that direly needs it. And oh, did I mention they got this guy at PICK 16?! The ONLY two reasons this isn't an "A+" for me is that they had to give up the 1st pick in the 3rd round in order to get Edmunds. That was a premium pick. Also, Edmunds is only 19, and drafting a player that young makes me nervous. He has amazing BOOM potential, but like our other 1st round pick, he also has BUST potential. Round 1 Overall Grade: B- If you strip away your own personal preferences and look at this draft in terms of team needs and how those needs were addressed, this is the conclusion: The two biggest needs on the Bills roster BY FAR were quarterback and inside linebacker. They needed someone to lead the offense AND someone to lead the defense. In order to address these needs, the Bills chose the highest upside, highest PURE PHYSICAL TALENT prospects in the entire draft at both positions. If these picks hit, they will transform both the offense and defense for a decade+. But it's not a sure thing. Both Allen and Edmunds have enormous BOOM or BUST potential. I have to say this about Beane and McDermott, and I've said it since they got to Buffalo: They have brass balls. They are not the LEAST BIT afraid of failure. If they have a conviction on something, they're going to see it through, REGARDLESS of what anyone thinks. These two picks just continue that theme. If Allen reaches his potential, he'll be the best quarterback of this class. If he doesn't, he'll wash out of the NFL entirely. That's a big risk to take in your VERY FIRST DRAFT as GM. Likewise with Edmunds. Boom or bust. At the end of the day, Beane and McDermott are incredibly meticulous men. They do not seem to do ANYTHING without first doing an almost absurd amount of research and preparation. That being the case, if they are willing to stake their Bills careers on Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds, then all I can do is sit back, shake my head, and hope they're right. I admire their courage. I hope their ability to scout players matches their courage. This is a make-or-break draft, as early in their tenure as it may be. Time will tell.

It's gonna be a looooooong offseason.

This appears to be an EXCELLENT pick, and it does take the sting out of the Allen pick a bit. I did not in my wildest dreams think that Edmunds would be available at 12, let alone to be taken with the Bills' SECOND 1st round pick. Crazy. Everyone kept saying "Kuechlys don't come along often, McDermott may have to adapt his defense"...well...McDermott got his athletic freak defensive QB. This kid's gonna be a star.

Just popping in to brag about the wife. She had to work this evening (score!), so I've got the place to myself. I got home from work at 4pm (I live on the west coast) to discover that the house had been cleaned from top to bottom, there are burritos and beer in the fridge, and my draft guide is sitting on my living room table, next to the remote and a note that says "Happy draft day! I hope the draft goes exactly the way you want. Go Bills!". Yep, I married a good one!

I don't know, Jay. He said "Book it"! That's as sure a bet as exists in the world!

I've come here to sign on the dotted line of the "I'm resigned to the Bills drafting Allen at 5" contract. I think I'm gonna be sick.