elijah

I wish the Bills weren't in this poll so we could see realistic, unskewed results.

I agree with this. There'll be three options that might hit the market that could give the same (maybe higher) level of play as Tyrod, thsoe three being Kirk, Alex Smith and Eli Manning. All three of which will demand more money than Tyrod.

Because that below to average QB will be our best chance to win next year unless we get Josh Rosen or Kirk Cousins, the first being unlikely and the latter seeming unfavorable within the community. These coaches want to rebuild, but they want to win at the sometime. Tyrod gives us a better chance at that than any rookie, cheap vet or nathan peterman

yeah, you just proved my point. he counts $8M against the cap regardless, so by cutting him we'd be saving $10M. Essentially we're looking at if he's worth that $10M figure because he's already due the $8M regardless.

Did Tyrod throw for 53 yards against the Saints? Yes. Does Tyrod have a 7-5 record as a starter right now and have us in the thick of the playoff race? Yes. Does Tyrod have two victories over playoff caliber teams this year (Chiefs, Falcons)? Yes. And, if you look at the money situation with Tyrod, I believe we only save $9 million by cutting him. So the financial guys in the front office arent looking at that $18 million figure, it's all about the 9, and $9M is hella cheap for a starting QB.

The Patriots took Garoppolo round 2 behind Brady. Packers took Aaron Rodgers first round behind Brett Favre. The point of this thread is kind of that the correct thing to do with your rookie quarterback is to let them be on the bench for a little while. It's not that I'm pushing for Tyrod or Kirk to be the long term answer.

next to no confidence in tyrod, but regardless of which direction we go, there'll be even less confidence in the next qb unless it's kirk.

What are the thoughts on Mike Schopp?

Of course, I have fun watching the Bills but that's because I love the Bills. I was looking at this topic from a perspective as a general NFL fan. If I was not a Bills fan, they're simply not the style of football I want to see on national TV. I want to see a game that's going to be fun and have teams scoring between 27-34 points. The Bills don't score 27-34 points.

If we make the playoffs, I strongly believe our week one quarterback next year will be either Tyrod Taylor or Kirk Cousins. I'm not exactly sure the likelihood of us getting Cousins, but if we aren't with Kirk, I think we're with Tyrod. Regardless of our standing with Tyrod/Kirk, I believe we will draft the quarterback that falls to us at our first round pick, if not our second round pick, and let them develop on the bench behind Tyrod/Kirk for a year. McDermott has been huge on "Trust the Process," and if the first year of the process brings us to the playoffs that allows us to take our time with the process rather than rushing it. We've repeatedly seen quarterbacks have more success when they can afford their rookie year on the bench to develop. Not only this, but while Tyrod doesn't match the skill set that McDermott/Beane want at quarterback, he definitely matches the character that they're looking for. If you look at these college quarterbacks right now, the only one that appears to ready to start immediately is Josh Rosen, and he's likely the first overall pick. We're said to like Darnold, Darnold has decision-making issues and forces too many passes. He'd throw 20+ interceptions if he started rookie year. We're said to like Rudolph, Rudolph has trouble making multiple reads and is in a quick trigger system where he almost always throws to his first target. He'd also throw 20+ interceptions if he started rookie year. McDermott/Beane are open as liking big quarterbacks with strong arms. So that makes Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen also options, both have serious accuracy issues that need to be cleaned up on the bench for a year. And I'm sorry to the people that love college style quarterback's, but we're simply not taking Mayfield. He has serious characters issues that McDermott simply won't have on his team, much less as his starting quarterback. I don't believe Tyrod is our future, nor do I want him to be the future, but I truly believe that with a playoff berth, he'll be around for one more year. If we can't bring in Kirk through free agency, Tyrod simply the best option at quarterback for next year. Thoughts on this?

Stidham will stay and be one of the top available quarterbacks next year

An offense that can't score at all, moves the ball on the ground rather than through the air, and depends on the defense for turnovers and field position.. I'd call that the opposite of fun to watch.

I actually read an article that covered this topic a little bit, it was about recent "heart-warming" victories. I'm not sure what you mean by "biggest," if you mean by most important than probably since the victory against San Fran that ProcessTheTrust mentioned.. As for impactful and most enjoyable, I'd say probably since we beat Green Bay at home in '14. As for that article, it brought up our wins against Indianapolis in the first game under Rex, the Green Bay game, and when we came back from 21 down at home against New England to start 3-0. You could read it here.

I would like to see OL in the first. We continue to take OL in the 2nd and 3rd and they just don't develop into the cornerstone lineman that we need

I'm not sure if Scales is worth a top 50 pick. He shows good athleticism and awareness, but lacks basic linebacker skills. He needs more strength and more aggression. It's more often than not that you see him taking a back road to the ball. He's pretty reckless in his tackling as well, doesn't exactly breakdown ever whichanging leads to a lot of missed diving and arm tackles. Good project player, but if we get him it probaby won't be until early third, maybe late second. I doubt his draft stock builds to a first rounder.

Mayfield will not be a buffalo bill, thankfully. Look how he carries himself, he's a punk and an idiot, not someone with "competitive swagger." McDermott will not draft someone like Mayfield.

I used the two biggest names in the draft in that post for a reason. Everyone's known who those two are since last year.

my bad, I was unsure. I thought Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold may have been floating under the radar

At this point in the draft process, I think we've effectively narrowed our draft options down to seven quarterbacks. Between these seven quarterback's, there is very inconsistent opinions, but they have one thing in common, that they're the only seven quarterbacks with the potential to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. Names like Ryan Finley, Clayton Thorson and Will Grier will continue to pop up, but they'll have no real validation or serious consideration to be a first or second round pick. As of right now, I'd actually put my money on all three of them returning to college. Mason Rudolph - Oklahoma State Other than Baker Mayfield, the opinions on Mason Rudolph may be the most widely varied. I've seen grades as high as the top overall prospect, to as low as a third day prospect. It's unquestionable what makes Rudolph such an attractive prospect. He shows prototypical quarterback size, standing at 6'5" and weighing in around 230 pounds. While his arm strength presents a question mark, the velocity is there. Within 20 yards, Rudolph throws a tight spiral with the speed of a traveling freight train. Some scouts are concerned about his wavering consistency with accuracy, but for the most part he shows the ability to put the ball where it needs to be. Rudolph stands tall and shows comfort in the pocket and has composure through out the game. The question marks about his arm strength results in a poor deep ball that lacks accuracy. In a league where quarterback's are growing to be increasingly mobile, Rudolph lacks any sort of mobility. There's been an inconsistent stretch for Rudolph since the Baylor game, where he's appeared to be nursing a minor shoulder injury and is giving his critics more reason to critique. While extremely unlikely, if not impossible, I believe a playoff run for Rudolph and his Cowboys would bring much more national awareness and significant rise in his draft stock. Josh Rosen - UCLA As of right now, it seems that Josh Rosen is the consensus number one quarterback for almost every scout. It's undeniable that Rosen's ceiling is the highest among all of the quarterbacks. He repetitively shows flashes of greatness that makes him seem like a potentially elite quarterback. Some of the throws that Rosen makes are throws that will drop your jaw, throws that only a franchise quarterback could make. His throwing mechanics are exceptional. His release is a very quick and fluent motion and he gets the ball out at the top of it. He has great pocket awareness and the footwork and presence that we haven't seen with Tyrod Taylor. Setbacks come with Rosen's inconsistent decision making. At points in the season he's seemed to have the awareness of Tom Brady, just to be taken back by the types of poor, air-headed decisions that you would see in a Browns quarterback. I remember watching the Memphis game and seeing Rosen lead his team down the field on what would have been the game winning drive, just to throw an errant interception directly into the defenders hands. There's was no offensive target within atleast five yards of the defender. Lastly, Rosen has questionable arm strength. He lacks the zip on the ball that you see from a quarterback like Matt Stafford or Ben Roethlisberger. Lamar Jackson - Louisville The question of being a quarterback with athleticism or simply an athlete playing quarterback is going to haunt Lamar Jackson throughout the draft process. He's shown points of brilliance, but has also shown abysmal performances like the first half against Clemson which was shaping up to be one of the most important games to that point in the season. Jackson has the height that most athletic quarterback's lack, he stands at 6'3" giving him the ability to see over the line. He comes equipped with a very strong arm but pairs that with rather inconsistent accuracy. While he's shown the ability to pin point the ball, he's also thrown his fair share of wildly inaccurate balls. After his throwing mechanics, there's of course his unworldly running ability. He's not your typical mobile quarterback, but rather your Mike Vick type of quarterback who takes off like a running back and has the ability to run for 1,000 yards any year. He has repeatedly taken off very early in the play before allowing it to develop, but you have to wonder if that will continue to be the case if he's placed on a team with more talent around him. Josh Allen - Wyoming Josh Allen started the year as a possible first overall pick that under the radar due to his small school. Since then, he's done nothing but hurt his draft stock. He shows some of the essentials to be a franchise quarterback. Allen measures out to be 6'5" and has gifted arm strength with a quick and smooth throwing motion. He's shown the ability to climb the pocket and go through his reads while waiting for a play to open up, and he has the mobility that is starting to become a necessity for franchise quarterback's. However, Allen has shown his EJ Manuel-esque accuracy time and time again. He completely misses simple out routes and wide open passes that have to be made. He lacks the awareness that an NFL quarterback needs, as he continuously forces passes and attempts air-headed throws. Allen's footwork is jittery and he never seems to be set and comfortable in the pocket, he simply doesn't have the composure that he needs to be a starting NFL quarterback. Luke Falk - Washington State Luke Falk is the type of quarterback that goes unnoticed to the average NFL fan, gets drafted behind Tom Brady or Drew Brees, and five years from now starts to make a name for himself after developing behind a star. A nightmarish five interception game against an unranked California team helped to temper what was slowly becoming a growing bandwagon for Luke Falk and likely booted him out of any first round consideration. However, outside of this game, Falk has developed a pretty good set of tape throughout the season. The most intriguing part of Falk's game is his comfortable patience in the pocket, he's willing to go through his reads, climb the pocket and wait to find his open receiver. Falk has a tight spiral and great short to mid range accuracy, making him more than qualified to fill the game manager quarterback role. The similarities to Alex Smith are uncanny. However, with the game manager role comes a couple of setbacks. Falk is okay with settling for checkdowns rather than forcing the ball into tight windows. While he's willing to throw plenty of deep balls, poor arm strength hurts his accuracy down field. Sam Darnold - USC I haven't watched an exceptional amount of game tape on Darnold but came away wildly unimpressed and am confident that Darnold will be staying in school another year. After early season hype to be the number one quarterback taken, that hype is all but dead. Darnold plays as a gun slinging playmaker, and this results in a lot of negatives in his game. Time and time again you see Darnold holding the ball for too long due to indecisiveness and ultimately forcing a pass that was too risky and unnecessary. The mechanics of his throwing release are questionable and rather prolonged, however this seems like it can be corrected. When he feels pressure in the pocket he shows the ability to speed up his release and make it quicker. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for Darnold to enter this draft, and if he does, I wouldn't exactly be hoping to see him in a Buffalo jersey. Baker Mayfield - Oklahoma I can't possibly see the current hype for Baker Mayfield holding up deep into the draft process, or any time after the Heisman award is announced for that matter. For a group of fans that has watched Tyrod Taylor for three years and has a 54 page thread dedicated to who his possible predecessor may be, I'm awestruck at the amount of support that I see Mayfield getting on this message board. There's no question that Mayfield has shown flashes of excellence. You have to show flashes of excellence en route to 3,600 yards, 31 touchdowns and a Heisman trophy. He's made extremely accurate throws with a tight spiral and shown the ability to extend plays with his feet. However, this comes with the same downfalls that we see in Tyrod Taylor. While opinions differ, I strongly believe the three most important aspects of a franchise quarterback are their size, arm strength and pocket awareness. Mayfield lacks all three. Perhaps the two biggest concerns are his inability to see over the line and his quick reaction to panic at ghost pressure. He has a terrible pocket awareness and tries to take off running to the outside of the pocket before he needs too. While Mayfield does have the ability to make big plays, they come in the same style as Taylor's big plays. They're either a very low risk play that turns into a big one, or they come due to his feet extending the play. At the point that we replace Taylor with Baker Mayfield, we may as well not replace Taylor at all. follow me on twitter, @the_big_board

Scales is tricky prospect. He has so much potential, but his game is so raw. He shows high level athleticism but lacks any sort of aggression and simple linebacker traits like a consistent tackling ability. He's a project player that I personally wouldn't want Buffalo to take in the first two days. I have yet to see Phillips and I do like Hurst. My issue with defensive tackle is that we need more of a traditional, run stuffing defensive tackle but everyone in this draft seems to be a quick pass rusher. As for Mark Andrews, I love the talent that he presents. However, I don't think our coaching staff will like it. He's a very reluctant blocker and mainly used as a passing threat which isn't what we're looking for. We want a tight end that can play in a 7 down lineman set and open up the running game for Shady, or whoever our running back may be going forward.

I just watched Jewell, counting on Jewell in the third rather than Kiser in the 2nd would be a good option. They largely appear to be the same player other than Kiser may just be a step faster raising his stock a little more. Jewell hits a little bit harder than Kiser, but other than that they play almost identical. Take Jewell later due to his lower draft stock, I like it.

Mason Rudolph, Quarterback - Oklahoma State While it’s no longer obvious that the Bills will be looking for a quarterback in the draft, there’s still a good hint that Tyrod Taylor isn’t our long term guy. A six game stretch from Denver to even the blowout loss against New York saw Taylor get better in every single game. We’ve seen him begin to stay in the pocket, throw over the middle, and even lead a comeback drive. However, the recent dismantling against New Orleans and an ugly early season game against Carolina stand out in memory showing that Taylor simply isn’t the franchise guy. When asked what he looks for in a franchise quarterback, Brandon Beane responded with “you want a guy, the stature, the height, you know, they're standing over, they're not worried about linemen in their face. It gives them the vision and all that. Arm strength.” Rudolph exemplifies all of this. He has prototypical quarterback size standing tall at 6’5” and this helps him show comfort and composure in the pocket. While lacking the arm strength to chuck the ball 60+ yards, Rudolph does have the velocity to throw bullets within 20 yards. He has great accuracy on his short and mid level passes and shows the vision needed to throw the ball anywhere on the field. He’s quick and decisive with the ball and gets it out to the open receiver with out hesitation. His attributes are almost the exact opposite of Tyrod who lacks the height, bullet passes and field vision and decisiveness. This does come with a little set back too, as Rudolph has very limited mobility, if any at all. Rudolph started the year off on a fiery streak showing every a quarterback needed to show. However, these past couples games are starting to raise some question marks and may be hurting his draft stock a little bit. This is good news for the Bills front office, as they may be able to wait for Rudolph to drop rather than having to trade up to select him. While Rudolph would come with question marks, Taylor has shown enough to start next year if needed and allow Rudolph to progress from the bench for a year. Quenton Nelson, Offensive Guard - Notre Dame There’s really no explanation needed here as to why the Bills will be examining the offensive lineman options in the draft. The oft-injured Cordy Glenn was subject to plenty of trade rumors at the trade deadline, rookie Dion Dawkins just had a horrid outing against the Saints, Eric Wood and Vladimir Ducasse are both aging and shouldn’t be seen as long term answers regardless. The only viable option on the offensive line, Richie Incognito, is going to be 35 and on an expiring contract at the start of next season. It is essential that the Bills address their offensive line issues this off-season, especially if they are hoping to find a franchise quarterback or if they happen to believe that guy is already on the roster. Nelson is the safest pick in this draft, having an exceptional season for the Fighting Irish. He shows everything that you hope to find in an offensive guard. He has the athleticism to deal with speed rushers and make it to the second level, while still having the balance and strength to fight off powerful run stuffers. He’s shown awareness of the game and is leading the way for backseat Heisman candidate, Josh Adams. A first round pick would be needed to select Nelson, and maybe even a top ten pick at that. While it would be nice to see the Bills acquire Nelson, it’s unlikely unless they completely botch the rest of the season. It’s been a while since a surefire offensive lineman was in the draft, so maybe Nelson falls out of the top ten and into Buffalo’s lap. Joshua Jackson, Cornerback - Iowa EJ Gaines’ contract expires after this year and has out performed expectations thus far, making him a pricey resigning. That, tagged along with the fact that Jordan Matthews is also expiring leads me to believe that the two of these guys were brought in as one-year rentals to begin with and are expected to walk after this season. The true reward being found in the draft picks that came packaged with them. Joshua Jackson is quickly rising up draft boards thanks to his lengthy arms and press ability. He’s been able to be a lockdown cornerback as well as not only making plays, but being more than willing to make plays against the rushing game. That sounds rather familiar to me, a lot like the guy that McDermott just traded down to pick up in the first round. Watching Jackson reminds me a lot of Tre’Davious White. McDermott has a clear style of cornerback that he likes, and Jackson fits that mold. It’d likely require a first round pick to acquire to Joshua Jackson, but a late first rounder at that. Recent performances highlighted by a three interception game against Ohio State has Jackson’s draft stock on the rise and maybe into discussion as the top cornerback in the draft. The general consensus in the draft is that the cornerback’s lack elite level talent, and there’s a big pack of average level players. This gives scouting staff’s options and many front offices will have personal favorites amongst the corner’s. While Jackson looks to be extremely talented to some, he could get hidden in the plethora of average level corner’s and fall to the Bills late in the first, or even early in the second. Mike Gesicki, Tight End - Penn State It’s become evident that tight end is a crucial part of this offense. While most offenses now use one tight end systems, Buffalo has employed plenty of two tight end looks. Nick O’Leary and Logan Thomas have shown some flashes of promise, but it’s not unlikely for neither of the two to find themselves a roster spot with the Bills next year. That along with a consistently injured Charles Clay puts Buffalo in the market for a tight end. Mike Gesicki has shown the ability to do everything asked for from tight ends. He is big bodied, yet still athletic and with sharp route running skills. At attacks the ball at its high point and has great release and separation from his defender. His skill set almost makes him look like a receiver if only he had a little bit more speed. A vertical threat isn’t all that Gesicki brings to the game though, as he’s a more than willing and successful run blocker. He’s currently leading the way for the very productive Saquon Barkley. Position will cause Gesicki to fall into the second round, if not the third. It wouldn’t be a shock for a team to value Gesicki’s complete and complex skill set enough to overcompensate with a first rounder. However, a deep tight end class with many options should lead to all of the tight ends dropping to the beginning of day two at the earliest. Micah Kiser, Linebacker - Virginia An injury to Ramon Humber left the Bills starting and relying on a fifth round rookie for a stretch of the season. Lorenzo Alexander is aging, as well as taking a little step back, and Preston Brown continues to follow his upstart seasons with questionable and concerning seasons. Buffalo by no means needs to add a star linebacker, but rather they need to add a consistent starter and to develop depth. Kiser is a well-rounded linebacker out of Virginia. He lacks elite athleticism and isn’t exactly what you would call a playmaker, but he provides consistency and a quality starter. He can lock down the middle of the field for you with both the ability to play in pass coverage and sniff out and shut down run plays. While he lacks eye popping power in his hits, he’s a fairly steady tackler that isn’t going to allow home run plays. He continuously shows good pursuit angles and stops the ball at the line of scrimmage. A deep linebacker class will see Micah Kiser fall to the second round and maybe even further. Athletes like Kendall Joseph and hard hitters like Malik Jefferson will come out on top of big boards rather than a non-flashy, consistency player like Kiser. He would immediately help Buffalo’s suddenly horrid rush defense with his ability to stop the ball at the line of scrimmage. Simmie Cobbs Jr., Wide Receiver - Indiana While the Bills desperately need a down field threat at receiver, they seem reluctant to add one if they don’t meet the height necessary. The receivers seeing the field on offense are currently 6’5”, 6’4”, 6’3”, 6’2” and 6’0”. The six footer seeing the field the least, with the 6’5” and 6’3” guys being our starters. Jordan Matthews, our 6’3” target, has been mentioned above with the suggestion that he was a one year rental. After Robert Woods walked out of Buffalo to play for about $8 million a year, it’s likely that Matthews will do the same. Although he’s seeing a down year in Buffalo, his past consistency is Philadelphia is more than enough to earn him a big contract elsewhere. Insert Simmie Cobbs as his replacement. Cobbs may not exactly fit the McDermott character mold, having past arrests on his record and an ankle injury that sidelined him for a season, but he seems to be doing and saying the right things so far this year. In interviews, he’s striking me as a player that seems to be growing and maturing as he gets closer to a bigger spotlight. If Cobbs shows maturity in pre-draft interviews, his 6’4” frame is something that Brandon Beane and McDermott will surely fall in love with. Not only is Cobbs 6’4”, but unlike Kelvin Benjamin, he shows an ability to create separation and be a downfield threat. He high points the ball and has strong and reliable hands. Similar to the cornerback class, this wide receiver class lacks a sure star player and instead offers depth for scouts to interpret differently. Cobbs will not be a first round player, and will find himself getting selected somewhere on day two. Whether it be early in the night at the top of round two or later in the night at the bottom of round three is yet to be predictable. Scouts will love his performance against top corner prospect Denzel Ward in week one, and although Indiana will likely not have a bowl game, Cobbs still has two more weeks to try and fight his way up draft boards. follow me on twitter, @the_big_board