BigAl2526

I wouldn't mind Campbell in the second round. I think Darnell Wright has some position flexibility and he would seem to be a good value at #27. I could live with either Zay Flowers or Jalen Hyatt, though I think Flowers is more of a slot guy. Buffalo has several guys who can play the slot and not enough outside, if they really want competition for Gabe Davis.

Well, I'm 71 and my emphysema symptoms are less pronounced than my father's at the same age. I am hoping to make it to 80 without being in too bad shape. We'll see about after that.

Wow. That's even slow for a linebacker.

Coming out of college, he was regarded as very smart and instinctive. The thing that limits him is his speed. He runs the 40 between 4.6 and 4.7 seconds. That means he's got to keep the play in front of him. Once a receiver gets by, he doesn't have the ability to catch him. He's also got to be right about picking angles because he's got less margin for error than a faster DB. I think his ceiling is probably a backup. I think that JaQuan Johnson needs to be looking over his shoulder as he is likely the odd man out. He's smaller than Rapp, and similarly slow.

He weighed in at 6'7" and 255 lbs at the combine. He has lots of potential, but needs work. Round 6 is probably the right spot.

I think developing the game plan will be done by committee with McDermott at its head. I would guess Holcomb will be in the booth, but McDermott will call the defense. It will be the McDermott defense, though I expect McDermott will consider tweaks suggested by Holcomb and others on staff.

The poll itself is something of an indication of the difficulty of the choice. There's really no slam dunk pick that is likely to be available. I picked Darnell Wright because he had a strong combine. He's a fairly athletic OT and the Bils may want to hedge their bet on the right tackles they already have (Spencer Brown and Tommy Doyle). I didn't pick Jack Campbell because I think he's a reach at #27. I wouldn't expect him to get drafted much before the middle of round 2, but that's just me. I don't want to draft another smallish WR to come in and compete at what I think is already a decent group at slot receiver. So I'm not going to pick Flowers or Downs. Hyatt is a bit bigger and I wouldn't mind him I think he'd be comfortable inside or outside. I also wouldn't mind Simpson or Sanders, though Simpson has slipped in recent weeks. He may be more of a second rounder at this point.

This year more than some. I see very few mocks where I actually like the Bills' pick.

Speed was never his game. That's what I'd be most concerned with in an aging player. I still have to wonder how much he could have left in the tank at 37.

Obviously, any evaluation like that is going to be somewhat subjective, no matter how astute the expert might be. It is a bit disturbing, however that every position on offense is below average in Clay's eyes except QB while every spot on defense is above average. That would seem to support the claim that some have made that Buffalo has neglected the offense in the draft, particularly in the early rounds.

I wouldn't be terribly shocked if Bates ends up as backup for all three interior O-line spots while Edwards and McGovern start at the guard spots.

It's true that the comp pick rules are not publicized by the league, but by observing the patterns over the years, there are observers who are pretty good at projecting who is likely to get comp picks.

Designing a game plan will be a collaborative effort IMO. I expect McDermott will be the primary defensive play caller, but will have help in the booth.

I'm not rooting for the Bills to pick a TE at #27, but I see it as a possibility depending on the value and fit that is left at that point in the first round.

I suppose I could find things to like about Flowers. Addison is going to be limited to the slot in the pros, and I don't think that's where Buffalo's need lies. Same thing with Josh Downs. Both Downs and Addison ran much slower than expected at the combine. There is no "Harrison" among the top 10 receivers in the draft. It's possible that Johnston or Jaxon Smith-Njigba will drop, but it would be a huge surprise. If the Bills think Nolan Smith can play MLBand he happens to drop, I suppose he could be the pick. Drew Sanders should be available if the Bills like him that high and think he's sturdy enough to play in the middle. I think Jack Campbell is a reach there. I think the Bills could possible take a tackle at #27, but I think the only ones that are defensible values at that point are Anton Harrison (maybe the OP was thinking of him) and possibly Darnell Wright. I don't think Dawand Jones is a good fit. Otherwise, I could see Buffalo taking a tight end at #27. It's not strictly a need, but they sure could use some competition for Quiton Morris, who is the #2 at this point. Darnell Washington is a compelling possibility. He has great size and athleticism and can block as well. That would give Buffalo a very dangerous tandem at TE. when the line up with two tight ends.

I know that Beane has not traded down in the past, but every year is unique. Buffalo has fewer picks than they've had in recent history, which makes trading up that much more costly. I think it depends on what value is on the board and at what positions when Buffalo's pick comes. If there is no compelling value and the value that is left is not at a position of need, I can absolutely see Beane entertaining the possibility of a trade down. I wouldn't expect more than a trade or two at most in the draft, however. Gonzo, given the list you shared, I might hat picked Musgrave in place of Dawand Jones, and then picked Blake Freeland in place of Kraft

I don't know what was available when you did your simulation, so I don't know if I would have made the Dawand Jones pick. As you say, I wonder about the scheme fit. Otherwise, you did a nice job picking players with desirable traits. It was a nice effort.

If Buffalo drafts an offensive lineman in April at this point it should be someone who is position versatile, someone who can play on the inside or outside. That rules out O'Cyrus Torrence, who is a guard only.

Thanks. I happen to be an oddball. I never smoked but ended up with both lung cancer and emphysema. My cancer is gone and my emphysema appears to be progressing only slowly, so I should have years before it becomes severely debilitating. My dad, a 50 year smoker, escaped lung cancer but developed emphysema that left him with 5% lung capacity by the time he died at 78. Not easy to think about what he went through the last few years of his life.

Moreover, if it was caught during a routine physical, it most likely was not symptomatic, which means it was caught early. Even advance Hodgkins lymphoma is considered to be relatively curable. Hodgkins that is caught early, that much more so. I had lung cancer that was caught accidently before it was symptomatic, though in retrospect, I think I did have one barely noticeable symptom. It was stage 2 when I had a lobectomy followed by chemo. That was 6 years ago. I am now cancer free. I'm not going to be playing football though. BTW, I believe Foster Moreau was the other unusually athletic sleeper TE prospect the year Buffalo drafted Dawson Knox.

Agreed. He's an indefensible reach at #27. I know Nolan Smith did not play middle linebacker in college, but he has most of the physical traits Buffalo might look for. He's shorter than Edmunds, but his athleticism is off the charts. If the Bills do their due diligence and decide that he's capable of making the switch and willing to try, and he happens to be available, I might take a chance on him.

Well, I'd take Quessenberry over Bobby Hart. I'm OK with this if they aren't locked into guaranteed money. Sign him, then look for someone who is better. Let him compete and if he can't win a competition, cut him and you've lost nothing. If you can't get anyone better because of the cap, at least you have a bit of insurance.

I don't like the taste of Buffalo sauce. Never have. I like my wings in BBQ sauce.

If the price is right, I'm OK with it.

Teams draft on the basis of "the best player for our team." That's really what I mean when I say "BPA." That takes into account position of need. I also assume that no two teams, nor any two individuals for that matter, have identical big boards. That said, I don't think that Beane will zero in on one or two positions and only consider players from those positions. I also don't think he is inclined to reach very far to pick a player of need. Considering specific players, I have a hard time with the notion of Buffalo picking O'Cyrus Torrence. Buffalo has a preference for players with position versatility and it is generally believed that Torrence is a guard only, and his size dictates more or less that he's got to be in a power blocking system. Buffalo uses a fair amount of power blocking, but they also seem to like using zone blocking at least some of the time. I saw Josh Downs mocked to the Bills today. I thought that was just plain stupid. Downs is small, limited to the slot in the opinion of most and ran a 4.48 in the 40 at the combine. That's really about average for a WR, but you want a smaller WR to be faster, like Deonte Harty, whom the Bills just signed. Tight end is not strictly a need, but Buffalo lacks a true #2 TE. Depending on who else is available at other positions, I'd think long and hard if Darnell Washington was still on the board at #27. Nolan Smith is another player I'd consider though his college position is not a need for Buffalo. He's normally listed as an edge rusher, but as small as he is, I think he could get beat up playing defensive end full time in the NFL. Some might think him an outside linebacker. He would probably be a really good one, but Buffalo doesn't need that with Milano on the team and playing a nickel alignment most of the time. The Bills would need to decide if he had the mental makeup to switch indie to middle linebacker where they have an obvious need. Another player I'd consider is Anton Harrison. He played left tackle in college, but he's not so tall that he would be awkward at guard like Spencer Brown would be. He's got work to do on his run blocking, but I think Peter Skoronski is probably the only offensive lineman in the draft who is close to a finished product. I don't think there is a single safety I'd like at #27 and a first round safety doesn't make a lot of sense with Poyer back in the fold. There would need to be great value in the pick, and there isn't. There is a very slim chance that a quality defensive end or tackle drops to Buffalo. I would consider either position if it was a really compelling value, but Buffalo would have to try and unload somebody on the roster and it might be tough to get good value in a trade at that point. I'd also give Bijan Robinson consideration if he drops, but I'm not expecting that to happen. There are not many WRs I'd take, especially after Buffalo signed a couple decent free agents. Jordan Addison is not going to drop, nor is Quentin Johnson or Jaxon Smith-Njigba. I I already said I wouldn't take Josh Downs, an undersized and not that fast slot receiver. The only other two that I've seen projected as possible first round picks are Zay Flowers (who is a little on the small side but may be able to handle reps on the outside) and Jalen Hyatt who might have the best speed of any receiver projected as a possible first round pick and at least average size. I might be talked into Hyatt, but the pickings would need to be pretty slim otherwise.