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Even with a very strong draft, it seems that we are far away from fielding a team that is playoff caliber. I think we need at least two or three strong drafts to become competitive, particularly if we will not be active in free agency, and that assumes that we can find a quality starting QB at some point. The current draft reminds me that you cannot fill all holes (at least for the current state of the Bills) in one draft. Our first three picks confirm this since only one (the NT) really fills a critical need. Maybe these were the best players available, bu the huge holes remain.

What are you talking about? Where do you see that I mentioned Kiper? This draft cannot be judged for at least two years from now. Please stop giving Nix credit for a great draft so far.

1. I assume that Edwards, Stroud, Johnson and Carrington are our defensive ends. Does this mean that Schobel (if he returns), Kelsay, Maybin, Ellis and maybe Mitchell are our outside linebackers? Can any of these guys play outside linebacker? So far, no outside linebackers have been drafted by the Bills. 2. At DT, is McCargo going to be back? I assume we will have some 4-3 looks at times, but does he fit into our plans? Why not cut him now? 3. What is the plan at offensive tackle? You cannot expect a fourth rounder or lower round pick to come in and start. Does this mean that Cornell Green is likely to start? That will be unfortunate. Worse will be if the Bills start Bell at LT this season. I hope a trade is in the works, otherwise this will be a disaster (as we learned last year). 4. At guard, who are going to be the back-ups? With no guarantee that Wood will be back before the beginning of the season (at full strength), how can we not have someone who can start if needed and otherwise be a back-up guard? 5. Still surprised that Lynch was not traded before the Spiller pick. Must be that on one is interested in him. I think keeping Lynch will create an unhealthy dynamic among the running backs. 6. Does anyone think that Hardy can be a number two or that Johnson is ready to play slot? Very worried about WR. How does Parrish fit in? 7. Looks like we need to wait another year for a QB. Bad news, since QBs take time to develop.

There is a reason that high first round picks are used on QBs and left tackles. Sure it is possible that we will find a QB and some offensive tackles in the fourth round or later this year, but it is very unlikely that they will contribute this year (or next year). It is also unlikely that the Bills would fill these needs in free agency since we will not pay for top free agents, which leaves the draft as our only source to fill needs. What this means is that the Bills will be looking again for a QB and OT help in next year's draft. Unfortunately, even if we finish with a terrible record, we may not be able to fill all of our needs next year either.

Who says that the Bills drafted the best guy in the draft to hold ground and maintin his gap? This guy was rated at best a third round prospect. You are giving Nix way too much credit at this point. We will see in a couple of years if he made the right decisions.

I really do not understand this. Who is going to play at LT? Our o-line is the worst in the NFL, and we have done nothing to improve it in free agency or in the draft (please, Cornell Green is not an upgrade and we lost Butler to retirement, overall, a net loss). How can this be?

Conceptually, I agree with taking the best player available. I am not sure it makes sense in this context when you have two quality running backs and such significant needs at so many positions. Granted, Lynch could have another incident at any time and face a one year suspension, but the incremental value beween Lynch/Jackson and Spiller is likely much lower when compared to other opportunities to significantly improve a position (i.e., Bell versus a player like Davis or Buluga).

Seems like things have not changed. The Bills have the worst group of o-linemen, tight ends and wide receivers in the league. They also do not have a NT. So they draft a running back who may only be a third down back with the ninth overall pick. So now they have three starting caliber rbs and everyone knows that they will need to trade or release Lynch. If they were going to take Spiller, why didn't they trade Lynch before the pick? The Bills have no leverage now, particularly since Detroit and San Diego traded up to take running backs. This is poor planning. The insane part of this is that they were reportedly trying to put together a package to pick Tebow. With so many needs, they were going to trade picks to move up to take a guy who may never develop into a qb (and if he does, it could take years). I really don't get it. By the way, Spiller seems like a really good guy from all reports, but boy did he look sad when the Bills selected him.

Well, I guess this means that the NFL and the networks expect the Bills to be a very bad team this year.

I hope they don't do anything foolish, which has happened too frequently in the last number of drafts. Please do not trade up. If anything, we should be trading down for more picks. Please do not pick players that need to be converted to a position they have never played before. Please pick players that can play immediately at positions where we have a need. Some free advice: no cornerbacks or safeties early in the draft; draft a LT that can start now; draft a NT that can start now; draft another offensive tackle and guard for depth; draft an outside linebacker that can play in the 3-4 and a wide receiver with potential.

I expected the Bills to rank even lower, and they will if Schobel retires. I also would bet that they will release at least one or two higher priced veterans before the start of the season (as they always do). I hope that "building through the draft" is not code for being cheap and not spending money on players. After all, even when we acquired free agents in the past, the mantra was always to build primarily through the draft.

I agree with the original post, and I am very concerned about the defense (maybe more than the tragedy that is our offense) going into this season. Why does anyone assume that Kelsay, Maybin or Schobel (if he returns) can play outside linebacker in the 3-4? Maybin worries me the most. He showed nothing in his rookie year, and now is being asked to become an outside linebacker, a role (and a scheme) he has never played in before. Also, can Stroud, Williams and Johnson be effective as defensive ends? I have my doubts. I will not bring up the nose tackle situation, because we do not have a starter on the roster. One last point. I am not a fan of the view that we need to hit rock bottom and have a terrible season before we can again rise from the ashes. Miami had terrible personnel a few years ago, hired a new coach and implemented a new 3-4 scheme. They had some success immediately. Even if the Bills have a terrible season and get some high picks, there is no guarantee that they will draft with better success. Look at the difficulty Detroit and St. Louis are having turning things around after a number of years of high picks. Finally, Buffalo cannot afford a deterioration of fan support resulting from an uncompetitive team which would provide the NFL and the owners an excuse to move the franchise to another city.

I think that throwing money at free agents can work, if you make the right decisions (i.e., the talent evaluators do their job). The problem with the Bills has been that their free agent acquisitions have been atrocious, not that they have acquired free agents. I also don't believe that the cap will be a problem for the teams that are spending now. If the cap is reinstated (and this is a big if), I would expect that there is some kind of allowance for free agent activity from 2010. I would also think that the really smart teams (assuming they can afford to do so) are strucuturing their free agent contracts to allocate more compensation to this year (an uncapped year) than future years.

It seems pretty clear to me that the Bills are not going to be competitive next year, partly because they are, for the most part, sitting out free agency. Right now, the Bills have the worst group of QBs, offensive tackles, nose tackles and outside linebackers (for the 3-4) in the NFL. In addition, other than Evans, our group of WRs is terrible. The Bills have more holes than they can possibly fill in one draft, both in terms of starters and depth. I love the Bills, and I will watch every game no matter what, but the potential for a really bad season is significant.

The problem with our free agent signings over the last number of years is not that we signed free agents, but that we signed the wrong free agents and overpaid for them. We need better talent evaluation, whether it is for the draft or available free agents. We will need to sign some free agents to compete next year, whether they are depth or starters. We do not have enough draft picks to fill all of our needs.

Yikes. Seems like another crummy move and does seem very odd given his age, propensity for penalties and run-ins with the law. Moreover, since when do the Bills pay that kind of money for a back up tackle? This guy will be a starter. Has anything really changed at OBD? It seems that every move we make gets questionned, usually for good reason.

I don't care how we rebuild, as long as the team has success (and soon). It has been 10 years since we made the playoffs, and I don't want to wait another three or four years. If signing free agents will help us become competitive and strong sooner rather than later, go ahead. If the front office can build through the draft quickly, great. Teams have been successful building through the draft, and teams have been successful building through the draft and free agency. Just start winning, please.

It is way too early to be making any assessment about the efforts of Nix and Whaley. The roster is very thin now as a result of not re-signing players and waiving others. The Bills lacked depth in 2009, so there is a significant need to replace these players, as well as Butler and possibly Schobel. It can't all be done through the draft in one year, so the Bills will need to sign some free agents. The real test for Nix/Whaley will be their ability to find quality free agents, particularly at lower compensation levels. The Bills have been miserable in this regard for years. Of course the other tests for Nix will be drafting and picking Gailey as head coach. There is a perception that the top free agents in particular are overpriced. That may be, but it does not mean that some of these players would not be significant improvements over what we currently have. There is no salary cap this year, so I am not sure whether overpaying for a free agent has the same significance (at least in some ways) as in years past.

Interesting. We will see if he visits.

With the switch to the 3-4, who is going to play defensive end? I don't think that Stroud will be effective at DE (and it is late in his career to be switching outside). Maybe Spencer Johnson, but has he ever played DE? Williams is not a NT nor a DE in the 3-4. McCargo is a bust, and I am shocked he is still on the roster. At LB, are we really going to move Kelsay to outside LB? Does this make any sense? Can he play that position? Has he ever played in a 3-4? Same with Schobel (also an issue with his age and whether he retires). I thought the outside LB in a 3-4 has coverage responsibilities, and I would surprised if Kelsay/Schobel would be able to handle that. As for Maybin, I have no idea if he will be able to transition to outside LB, but I don't recall that he has any experience in that role. Same with Ellis. I would think that Poz and Mitchell would be able to play the inside in the 3-4. Seems to me that we need a NT, at least one DE and at least one outside LB for the new scheme (all as starters). Otherwise, we will have a bunch of guys playing new positions without much prior experience in those roles.

If you don't add free agents to the mix, then the best that we can hope for is a turnaround in year three of the new administration (if even then). This assumes that the Bills have spectacular drafts in each of the next couple of drafts, which will be difficult to accomplish. Unfortunately, the Jets are an example of how a team can be reconstituted into a winning team. They added Jenkins and Edwards in trades and also added some strong free agents, including Faneca, Woody and Scott. They have had a mixed record in the draft (Gholston and Robertson are terrible and Revis, Mangold and Harris are exceptional), but by signing key free agents and making trades, they have been able to overcome their draft misses.

I would not be shocked if all of these guys are not on the opening day roster (and there will be no free agent acquisitions to take their place).

If the Bills sign few or no free agents, then the team is not serious about winning next year (or probably the year after). The Bills have lost a number of veterans (Butler, Denney, Reed, Owens, Fine, Jenkins, etc. and possibly Schobel) and they will not be able to fill all of the holes on the roster (starters and depth) through the draft alone.

So how does Hangartner fit in? Seems like posts and views about him are all over the place. Was he effective as the center last year or not? Does he need to be replaced?

I would think that looking at salary structure/payroll in March is critical to making decisions regarding restricted free agents as well as addressing needs in free agency, at least for most teams. I would not be surprised if Whitner and Lynch were not on the opening day roster. Whitner, McKelvin and Maybin are all grossly overpaid based on their production. I am not advocating releasing them, but high draft picks can kill a team if they are not productive.