BigAl2526

I think that since we're now talking about electricians, EMTs and firefighters instead of Free agents, this thread has about run its course.

The question is whether or not the league's salary cap will outpace what fans/advertisers are willing to play for the product. When might that day come?

You didn't like the fact that Buffalo passed on a Porsche and drove off in a Ford?

Harmon, Nolen and Alexander are all more generally regarded as 3 tech guys. Williams is too, at least somewhat, but he has 20 -30 lbs more weight that might make a move to 1 tech more desirable. He tests well too. Grant in the first and Collins in the second are not impossible, but I don't think the Bills would do it. I think Williams is something of a reach at #30. I don't think the Bills would pick him there. They could trade down to the top of the second and still do it if they wanted IMO.

Say it's your turn at the draft. You have one player on your board that is graded quite a bit higher than anyone else available, but his is not at a position of need. Then you have a 4 or 5 players graded similarly behind him. Everyone in that group is at a position of either minor or major need. Ideally, you find a trade partner that allows you to move down a few spots. You then get a player you need and you are keeping to your BPA philosophy.

If you're picking a guy in the first round, you generally want as close to you can get to a complete skill set and some traits that are at least close to elite. Ideally, it is at a position of need, or at least at a position where the draftee would be an immediate and significant upgrade. That's why I'm not especially interested in a 3 tech in round 1. That includes Walter Nolen and Derrick Harmon, both of whom I like, just not so much for the Bills. As the draft proceeds, you're less and less likely to get a complete prospect. He is going to lack several physical traits (from among size, speed, agility, arm length, strength, endurance), a complete skill set (tackling, pass rush ability run defense etc.), college production and/or experience. You may pick a guy who has the physical traits you like and gamble that you can coach his skill set up and make him a productive player. Or, you may pick a guy that has the physical traits and was productive at a small school, hoping he can make the leap to the NFL. Or you might pick a guy that is undersized and short armed but tore it up as a player in a big time college football program. Late in round one, Kenneth Grant is the only defensive tackle I'm seriously interested in. He was not as productive as his teammate, Mason Graham, but he oozes traits and it might be that some of the discrepancy in production is due to the roles each player was asked to play. For the Bills, I think the hope is that Ed Oliver's production will soar if they can line him up to a beast like Grant at 1 tech. In round 2 I like Alfred Collins. Deone Walker is loaded with physical traits like Grant but has a bunch of technique issues that need to be cleaned up. I'm not averse to drafting him if the Bills think they can coach him up, but at the very least, it might take some time. Tyliek Williams is the same way, except it's more of a case (as Gunner points out) he just doesn't produce much in pass defense. The question is, would Ed Oliver produce more next to Tyliek Williams than he does next to Daquan Jones.

With Hoecht and Ogunjobi suspended for 6 games, the Bills are going to need a couple more defensive linemen for their spots when the season starts.

I understand the league only just notified Ogunjobi after he had already signed. I only caught part of what was said on WGR, but I guess if a player has a positive test, the league does another test because of the risk of a false positive. Ogunjobi knew he'd tested positive in the first round but hadn't heard the results of the re-test. I agree, that's still a pretty lame excuse.

With the pressure to produce, I can imagine every player is looking for some way to get an edge. There are probably things players can take which are legal, but perceived at least as performance enhancing. I can also imagine that the official list of banned substances is long and probably gets updated somewhat frequently as the league tries to play catchup with what players are using.

I view him as a depth signing. The Bills really need to hope they can find a starter in the draft.

Heard on the radio: Ogunjobi said something to the effect that the league rules about what players can and can't take are complicated and it is easy to make a mistake. Whether or not that is true, I don't know.

Presumably, the Bills can put both players on some sort of reserve list so they don't need to be carried on the 53 man roster. Ogunjobi is the more concerning suspension. He's out for 6 games, so he'll be available for only 11 regular season games on a one year deal. That's hardly worth it. Hoecht signed a 3 year deal, so a 6 game suspension is only a little more than 10% of the length of his deal. Do the suspensions mean the Bills don't need to pay them for games missed due to suspension? If so the probably don't have to eat the cap hit either. I don't feel sorry for the players. They know the rules and broke them deliberately. I figured the Bills would be drafting players at both positions anyway, but with both guys out, the Bills could be forced to play some players who might not otherwise even make the team.

Ogunjobi is listed at 305 lbs. I agree that a big bodied DT could be picked later. Alfred Collins and Deone Walker might be available in round two and there are a few more who could be drafted later.

I wouldn't mind at all if the Bills re-signed Cooper. That said, I can think of a couple reasons why that might be difficult. Cooper had a disappointing year, production wise, which makes it likely Buffalo is unwilling to offer him as much money as he would like. Moreover, Cooper wasn't utilized as much as he could have been, and Cooper would probably prefer to go where he has an assurance that he would be targeted more frequently. His agent is probably looking hard for offers. If he doesn't find what he wants elsewhere, there's a chance Cooper could end up back in Buffalo, but I think it will take a while for that to play out.

When it comes to the draft, I never think in terms of "absolutely." That said, I agree that other positions need more help than defensive end. Moreover, the odds are decent that players at positions other than DE, who are still available at #30 will have higher value than defensive end. The speed guys at DE, (Carter, Pearce, Green, and Ezeiruaku) may all be gone. Carter, of course, is top 5. I would pick Kenneth Grant in a heart beat, though the odds of him being on the board aren't very good. I'm not as excited about Harmon or Nolen as I think they are kind of like what Buffalo already has, more suited to 3 tech. I like Matthew Golden at WR and there are several CBs who could be available depending on which ones are the best values in Brandon Beane's eyes.

I think the Bills will at least attempt to draft a DE that has speed and the ability to bend on the edge. They only have one such guy on the roster now, Javon Solomon. Everybody else (Bosa, Hoecht, Rousseau, Epenesa) depends more on strength to rush the passer. I think a quicker edge rusher would balance out the position for the Bills even if the guy is only 250 lbs or a bit less. That said, if Shemar Stewart inexplicably drops to the Bills, they should race to the stage with the pick at the draft. He doesn't have Abdul Carter or James Pearce speed, but you can't say "no" to a Myles Garrett like combination of traits even if he didn't produce quite what people hoped in college.

Interesting. A lot of fans wanted the Bills to draft him. He was thought to be a lot faster than he timed at the combine. Obviously, he's been a disappointment. From the Bills' perspective I think Shenault will be viewed as depth competition until or unless he proves to be something more. He does have the body mass to be a physical receiver and downfield blocker if he also has the requisite skill set.

That was Hamlin's combine run. He may well have slowed since then.

Bishop doesn't have bad speed either. He ran like a 4.45 at the combine. The bills could field 2 safeties in 2025 with sub 4.5 speed compared with 4.63 and 4.7 last season. I know speed is far from the only trait that makes a good safety, but there are times when the lack of it became painful to watch last season.

Sorry, I'm retired and on a fixed income. It meets our needs, but not a lot extra. I've always liked Josh, but I can't justify contributing toward a gift to a couple who can fund my retirement a thousand times over with plenty to spare.

Hamlin runs a 4.63 40. Forrest owns a 4.42 40.

Didn't I see where Buffalo is not extending Quinton Morris. I was trying to remember if they signed anyone to take his place. I could recall that they did. Gilliam is pretty short to fill the role. Zach Davidson is a receiving TE with intriguing traits, but he's not a good blocker. I think the Bills want their third TE to be able to block. It's not a high priority, but I think the Bills might try to find Morris' replacement in the draft.

He is now the fastest safety for the Bills, just a bit faster than Cole Bishop. Rapp and Hamlin are sloth-like. He came out of college needing to get stronger and more physical, but he's had time to develop, so he should be able to compete to start.

Beane has followed the general philosophy of plugging as many holes as he can in free agency, freeing him to take the BPA in the draft. Plugging holes doesn't necessarily mean elite players. "Serviceable" comes to mind. The Bills have re-signed Hamlin, so they may not sign any other safeties, but they will be looking for a CB. I don't know that they would bother signing a TE to replace Morris. To this point, they have added a DE, DT and WR. After they add a CB, I think that will pretty much do it for free agents, except for back end of the roster scrubs. Draft priorities at this point are IMO: CB (depending on who they sign), Safety, 1 tech DT, WR edge bending DE, TE and RB.

I'm guessing that the Bills are counting that a rotation will reduce wear and tear for Bosa. He might even be mostly limited to obvious passing downs.