Richard Noggin

Each pick is more detached from reality than the one before it. Yet I HATE that the first pick is actually scary like a Beane do-over of Elam's year without getting undercut by KC. And I'll bet they think Winston would have deservedly gone MUCH higher if he hadn't gotten hurt. Makes me shudder, thinking of no DL for Bills in first two days of 2025 draft. Depending on your threshold for what constitutes an acceptable bridge, I'd be getting muddy and probably scraped up by dropping into shallow and Spring debris-filled Bull Creek or maybe Tonawanda Creek (the Canal). The fertilizer levels could be spicy. As a ND fan, I can't abide any mock draft including Riley Leonard. It's possible that coaching/gameplanning is at least partially to blame (when they finally opened things up Leonard flashed in unexpected ways) for the offense's passing issues, but Leonard was too often just a slow running back. Slow/reluctant processing. What I despise in the Bills current backup QB, Trubisky. Not to mention Leonard's like brainless public persona.

Great thread. Got some of our top board scouts engaged in reasonable and informed debate, another amateur scout methodically introducing me to WR prospects I'd STILL never heard of, like Lambert Smith in the post above. Keep it coming...

Is Ceedee Lamb's little upfield pointy thing in jeopardy now? (Appears to be derivative of the banned gesture, but perhaps enough of a creative riff to escape persecution?) Can a player still pantomime picking his nose with a twisty wrist? Can a player still pretend to plug his nose with one hand and swipe away odor with the other in classic "pee-yew" fashion?

1st round draft picks have a way of being given opportunities, wouldn't you say? Assessing any WR in a Greg Roman system is inherently unfair. Palmer's film/production prior to 2024 is more promising, according to the Chargers perspectives I've heard.

Just read through a few pages of the WHITEST commentary lol Super important stuff here. Remember when the fake "mooning" TD celebration was loudly denounced? Oh, our precious gladiators mustn't be so crass, I do declare...

60% seat coverage is what we were told during our Stadium Experience sales pitch. That might include some upper row seats throughout stadium that are actually covered by the section stacked above them. The first seats we were offered were tucked just under the section above. We ultimately moved out into the uncovered Bills sideline (closer to the field) and to the 20 yard line (from the goal-line). Same price as what was originally offered.

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.