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I like Smith but he's probably best suited for a 3-4.

Yes sir. People eat it up, though, the rankings, mock drafts, etc. And some of those analysts can be pretty spot on, we just love to point out when they miss... especially if they have a huge miss like this one. The thing that'll irk me about a lot of the draft guys is how some of 'em seem to write off a player because, "He didn't do A, B, or C in college" and I've always been like, "Yeah, maybe he wasn't asked to? And it's not like he couldn't learn." Most analysts understand that you have to evaluate their skills and then project what they could be in the NFL. Some dudes just see a guy as he is now and think, "That's it, he's peaked." Usually not the case for most players.

You could at least get my name right. And yes, it was humor. I don't take anything on this board seriously, just trying to have fun.

I'd assume he's firmly on their radar. Kid embodies many of the characteristics they look for in prospects.

This guy is why I can't trust any of Gil Brandt's player assessments. He rated Manziel his #1 overall prospect in 2014. Said he was the best player he'd seen in years and was "easily" the overall best player of that draft. After I saw that I was like, yeesh, can't trust what that dude says anymore, 60 years in the league or not.

According to my sources, you are dog... and your ability to use a computer and discuss football and football-related topics is, quite frankly, astounding.

I heard you drop a lot of passes, fella.

Yep, I'm with you on this. As high as round two is fine with me. I like McCoy and Ivory fine but McCoy really struggled last season and Ivory is best in a rotational role. Keith Ford and Marcus Murphy give nice effort but they're JAGs at the end of the day. RB is pretty deep this year, they should be able to find a guy who can compete for playing time.

I almost wanna give the kid a mulligan on his rookie season considering he was in an offense that wanted to run, run and then run some more coupled with a QB who was always quite hesitant to really push the ball downfield. That has to be taken into account. It's not all just, "Oh, Zay is horrible and it's 100% his fault and his fault alone." He's had two different OC's, this season he will be with his third different WR's coach, and he's had Taylor, Peterman, Allen, Anderson, and Barkley, five different QBs he's had to try and get on the same page with. That stuff counts. I mean, sure, at the end of the day it's on him to reach his potential but he has no control over who's gonna be coaching him and who's gonna be throwing him the ball. If this kid had been taken in the third round we wouldn't be having these conversations. But apparently, if you're drafted within the top 40 picks YOU BETTER BE AN ALL-PRO BY THE SECOND YOU SET FOOT IN THIS BUILDING, DAPGUMMIT! Or you'll feel the wrath of TWO....BILLS.... DRIVE!!!!!! /s

Yeah, I feel the same way. That's why I don't think he'd be in play at 9. Maybe more in the middle of the round? I think he's gonna be a great addition to any team, I just think there are gonna be some better players on the board when the Bills are on the clock.

There's a misconception that Zay's best spot is in the slot just because he caught so many short throws from that position during his college career. I've seen quite a few film analysts say his best position is as an outside receiver. And when they lined him up there last year, that's where he started to show what he can be if he can reach his potential. He's firmly in this teams plans for 2019.

Huh, how 'bout that. I haven't dived in too deep with the draft stuff just yet. But Irv is about the same size as Clay. I think they're really looking for a bigger guy, given their supposed interest in Jesse James (who's close to 6'7") and their attempts at bringing in big red zone targets like Benjamin and Pryor. They're looking for a big dude who can box out and go up and get it. Hockenson may be that guy, I just don't know if they think he's the guy at #9. Vernon Davis? Eric Ebron really turned his career around in Indy this past season. Evan Engram seems to be doing alright. Zach Ertz is probably king of the TE hill at the moment but he was a second round guy.

I can see them taking an honest look at this situation. They've been trying to add one of those small, burner-type receivers since Beane got here. They traded for that Kaelin Clay kid, he didn't work out. They drafted McCloud, picked up McKenzie off waivers, signed Victor Bolden off San Fran's practice squad. It's pretty clear that they really want a player that fits Ross' mold. I guess I wouldn't be surprised to hear Buffalo being kicked around as one of the teams with interest.

Generally, teams are looking for prospects that can have an instant impact or at least won't take much developing before they're making an impact on their team. When it comes to need vs. BPA, teams will lean towards need if the ratings are close. Say they rate players on a 10 point scale. Let's say there's a DE with a 7.5 grade and a WR with a 7.3 grade. If the team really has a need at WR, they'll likely take that WR. If the grades are more like 7.5 for the DE and a 6.8 for the WR, it's not close enough and the DE is seen as the best player on their board so that's who they go with. Things become a bit more even in terms of ratings as they get into the middle rounds where a lot of guys may have the same grade. Those are the rounds where you'll see teams go for need a little bit more.

I really thought Mariota would be a lot better than what he's done. He shows flashes here and there but overall he's just inconsistent. And, as it happens every year, the Combine and pro days are gonna elevate players like Haskins and Murray into the top five. If the Titans work something out with the Bills to move to 9 it would just be a stepping stone on their way up the board.

Hmm. That's gotta be intriguing for McBeane at the very least. Pairing a speed guy who can take the top off a defense with a rocket-armed QB has to be interesting. I'm sure a lot would depend on his medical stuff and I'm not sure if he has any off-field concerns that would make him a "non-process" guy or whatever. Kid might just need a fresh start. Plus, McBeane already has trade history with the Bengals having dealt Glenn there last year.

I gotta agree with Bangarang. There are too many stud defensive players in this draft that'll be valued higher than a tight end. That's not a knock on Hockenson, he's good, but teams are gonna value guys like Bosa, Williams, Allen, Burns, Polite, Oliver, Simmons, Gary, White, etc. over Hockenson. And then you'll have Haskins who will go early, maybe both the OTs (Williams, Taylor) go early. Again, Hockenson is a fine player, but the top 10 is jammed up with a lot of guys that'll be valued a bit higher than he will.

I guess I wouldn't mind if they brought him in. If you went by his pre-draft hype you would've thought this guy was gonna be a perennial sack leader but that hasn't quite been the case. Still a good player. Obviously it'll depend on what kind of money he's looking for, I don't think anyone is going to overpay for him considering the DE talent that can be found in the draft this year.

I don't think many people would disagree that he'd be a nice addition for them. However, the consensus I've picked up on is that mostly everyone on the board here would see it as a reach to take him 9th overall. At that stage of the draft there are still going to be some of these blue chip DL/DE players still on the board that would likely rate higher than Hockenson if they're measuring solely by BPA. I wouldn't mind Hockenson in a trade down scenario, maybe the middle of the round? It's really been far too long (if ever) that they've had a real weapon at tight end. Don't forget about his teammate Noah Fant and also Irv Smith, Jr. from Bama who has a working history with Daboll. Those guys could also be in play in the second round. If they're following the Carolina model for success, I'm sure they're searching for a guy for Allen who can be what Greg Olsen is to Cam Newton.

Well, to be fair, we have no idea whether or not he knew he was patronizing a sex trafficking ring. And obviously I'm not advocating for that type of thing. All I'm saying is if he had that kinda itch he has the ability to go to a place where prostitution is legal and not put himself at risk of getting busted.

Haha. Well, he's at least not the brightest. Has the ability to do these things legally somewhere or find himself a sugarbaby but instead he goes and does this stuff at some podunk "spa" where he put himself at risk of getting in trouble. And ta-da! Trouble found him.

What a moron. I mean, he owns a football team and a private plane. Fly to Amsterdam or Nevada where this stuff is legal. Be a sugar daddy to some supermodel-lookin' girl who doesn't mind trading a little ugly-bump for some nice things. Something. Instead, he's going to some hole in the wall like any dinkus making $19k a year would do.

I think he struggled because of how fluid Daboll wants the offense to be. It can be a different blocking scheme from week to week and he seems like a guy that's more suited for an offense that doesn't switch it up too often.

Haven't listened/watched that show in a while. I tuned in almost daily a couple years back right when Donald Jones was just starting out. He genuinely improved over time and by the time he decided to wrap things up here he was sounding pretty good. Always cool to get insight from a former player. And he had some fun locker room stories. I remember him telling a story where he told Stevie Johnson not to sign with New England after his contract with the Niners was up. Jones told him he definitely wouldn't be able to be himself up there.

Haha, that was my one addition to the summaries provided in the article. Was hoping someone might get a kick out of it.