Richard Noggin

Any buzzkills in this thread need to reevaluate everything about themselves

They behaved like a team that was desperate to draft either: a) a CB in rd 1 (pigeon holing the draft) or b) Elam (poor evaluation of player's fit in scheme) And that's a bad look which led to a bad outcome.

I think it's possible the Bills see a competition or platoon of Jackson and Ingram as at least workable for CB2. They haven't always invested heavily there. They probably WANT better, though, and will draft 1 or even 2 CBs this year. But it definitely doesn't have to be their 1st pick, in their minds.

The Pats going from one of the most obviously talent deficient rosters to "a team on the rise" in the span of just a few offseason months is...interesting. ***So I was going to drum up some reflexive Patriots hater-ation and criticize you @Mister Defense and your somewhat positive characterization of the wankers, but then I quickly looked at their roster moves to date, combined with coaching changes, and...you're probably right. I hate that.

Haven't seen or read much about Bond's ability to stretch defenses vertically, despite his speed. Am I just underinformed, or is that part of Bond's game/route tree more a projection than a proven commodity?

I keep drafting a QB in round 5 or 6 to hopefully unseat Trubisky with a cheaper, longer term backup. Someone you could maybe trade after year 3 if he shows signs in preseason and mop up duty.

ONLY way Wilson can move the ball at this point is with moonballs down the field. He still throws the eff out of a fade. But that ain't the foundation of a healthy offense. More importantly, though, is that I NEED some Hard Knocks devoted to watching just Jameis and Russ together, and with Dabes. Just unreal contrasts.

Diggs fully leans into his heel turn. Brilliant work by the NFL writers.

I don't see many other people suggesting Shavers could/should have a role on this team moving forward. He outlasted his drafted competition in Shorter, and has at least flashed in camp, preseason, and finally in his VERY limited but rewarding snaps in the regular season. Would love to see Shavers continue to take advantage of increasing opportunities in 2025 and beyond.

How is this the very first time I've even seen this prospect's name? I'm no guru, but I do have a couple mock draft simulators on speed dial. Very intriguing profile overall, minus lack of elite speed? Looks like he has Coleman-esque traits but on a Day Three scale? Is that a fair characterization? (We probably don't all agree Coleman was just starting to really flash/produce in the two games before the Poyer targeting injury. So that comp is problematic.)

teetotaler

Most recent, no movement mock. Love the defensive haul, plus I think every pick is rosterable in 2025.

I definitely don't have a 42 page running google doc of mock draft screenshots and brief blurbs. No way would I do that.

Bottom line is that if the 2025 draft is deep in DL talent, and a team like the Bills has obvious needs at DT/NT, then that team can be judged by how well it fills NT in the first two days of the draft, especially. Rounds 4-7 are still super valid, of course...

Thoughts on this effort to concentrate picks into the top-100 range (by trading down from the top and up from the bottom)? Really fills out the defensive depth chart in 2025 and beyond. Backup QB candidate who would be a lot cheaper and probably less gun shy than Mitch. Boundary WR with production and traits. The RB Johnson falling to the mid-3rd was unexpected, and might facilitate moving on from Cook sooner rather than later.

Started this draft just now, and like always I "try" to pause it around picks 7-10 just to peek (I set it to "Fast" speed which can really zoom). Carter AND Hunter available at 8?! McCord went #3?! (Almost makes sense as a last-ditch effort to salvage their jobs in NYG, being a higher floor, lower ceiling QB prospect.)) Does one attempt to trade up for Hunter, because he's potentially transcendent as a high-end CB AND WR prospect? (Of course one trades up for Hunter, especially when it only costs #62 this year and 1st rounder next year?! That's bonkers.) Don't LOVE Nolan as only DT drafted, but hey...

Smoking, snorting, or shooting? (Rich Hill chart suggests pick 32 or 33 is equivalent value.)

This video is amazing, completely independent of Bills fandom. Hoecht gets deep into the weeds of...basically, EVERYTHING that goes into NFL game-planning, preparation, communication, checks, games, tendencies, technique, etc. He even speaks directly to the vast interrelated complexities and variables that I'm so enamored with in the sport generally. Not sure I've ever seen Erik an Ant so ecstatic, like they're listening to a new football nerd soulmate. Such a good show. (There's also the Bills-specific angles explored throughout, comparing Hoecht to Zo and hoping for a return to that early McDermott defensive creativity in which Zo thrived. Look at his production in that playoff loss at JAX (a lot of it playing essentially aggressive, A-gap MLB): 1 sack, 10 tackles, 2 for loss, QB hit; they also compare him potentially to what Smoot did last year. Really awesome stuff.) *Hoecht mentions Van Ginkel in Minnesota as a player/role he sees as similar or something to study/aspire to.

I don't necessarily HATE the unorthodox tripling up of DTs, but a) there is no way Collins is there at 109 and b) Grant, Collins, and West create triplicated role (NT/1T) redundancy that will be difficult to roster, much less get on the field. It's bad asset allocation. The two LBs are similarly redundant, given the Bills have their MLB locked up, and have young WLB depth already in the pipeline behind Milano's final run. Doubling up at CB, for example, would be much more valuable, imho. Not in love with Noel as a fit for a team who has a long term slot already, plus a flexible backup (Samuel) under contract for 2 more seasons, and Kincaid and Coleman who can motion into slot. The 4th DT is just a PS throwaway at best. Plus, what if Cook actually plays out his rookie deal? How does Sanders make the 53 or sneak onto the PS? I see regrettably wasted picks due to poor roster/scheme fits and redundancy. Grant, Collins, and West are all great targets for the Bills, individually. But together, would deserve serious criticism.

What team would move back THAT FAR from that high? You're talking about moving back like 50-ish picks. That's the issue with these mock draft sites where we can hold onto our best picks and still trade up aggressively. There arguably isn't enough value in the Bills trade offer you've proposed to get them into the top-25 picks! (According to Rich Hill updated chart.) And the Bills don't have a 3rd this year, so those are devalued heavily. Even adding in next year's 1st, if you're committed to trying to hold onto 30, only gets the Bills maybe into top-15. Plus you're still needing a team to sacrifice so much in the short term. ☝️(I see this was just broken down in more concrete detail 10 minutes before my own more summarized reply.)

Exactly -- no other sport even comes close to the volume and complexities of variables that factor into every player's journey, every roster's development, and every team's performance. Jordan Poyer was a good Zach Baun comp back in his early tenure with the Bills (and he continued to grow and sustain his newfound production for a handful of seasons). Those two players probably, statistically, would NOT have experienced similar breakouts if they'd signed with different teams. But the fit and the luck and the work aligned for them and their new teams. SO MANY talented, hard-working players never see their stars align with such clean fits, such good fortune, and such results. So many never really get the opportunity through no direct faults of their own. Big part of why many of us LOVE the offseason: such a complicated, convoluted puzzle.

Some sure seem to get it. And others are more likely to reject that kind of critical awareness / capitulation. So many variables we're not privy to in most cases.

I wish we could claim that no Bills fans were excited at the (ridiculous) prospect that Diggs could come back. BUT, the last 5-10 pages of this thread exist, so...

I just did lol. Little trade back from 56 to add another top 100 pick (got Burke and Sawyer for my trouble) while still nabbing the 2nd monster inside. Sorry for tossing a mock draft in here like a stink bomb.