Sierra Foothills

I agree that Josh is not a great deep ball thrower. I agree that the Bills should have a deep threat to force their opponents to honor that throw. I agree that the Bills don't currrently have a legitimate deep threat on the roster. It may be the most glaring roster weakness they have.

Beane said they plan to try Hancock at Nickel and at Safety. Statistically the likelihood of a second concussion is very high when a player is not given enough recovery time. I believe that if had been the regular season, Benford would have been given the week off. The Bills finished last season with 4 boundary CBs. This year I'm betting it's likely to be Benford, Hairston, White, and Strong. Agreed. I'll worry about keeping them straight if it ever really matters. Lost in all the drama is that Dorian Strong allowed a 39% completion rate when targeted last year. Agreed, and the Andrews fumble was kind of a lucky play too. I was far from convinced that the Bills deserved to win that game. In my mind we're minimally chasing the Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Eagles. I'm super glad we're beefing up the mediocre defense.

I wonder if the Ravens are getting cold feet.

What if we have him add 2 pounds of lean muscle by camp and another 3 pounds of lean muscle by October 15th? I feel like this would be the best path. Should I start a poll?

Both of you guys bring up the biggest question about Walker and also TJ Sanders for that matter. The critics keep banging on "we don't have a true 1-technique," the argument being that we need to replace DaQuan Jones. However there's some assumptions being made that should be questioned: Are the Bills going to play the same defense that they've played in the past? They just hired a senior defensive assistant, Ryan Nielsen. They also have a new Assistant Defensive Line Coach in Jason Rebrovich. Are we sure we're going to be running the same schemes? Bobby Babich is entering his second year as DC. Cornerbacks Coach Jahmile Addae is entering only his second year with the Bills. The drafting of Maxwell Hairston has raised speculation that the Bills might have a different defensive approach this year. The drafting of TJ Sanders and Deone Walker should give rise to that same speculation. There are lots of variants to the 4-3 defense... over and under just to name the most basic. Without knowing for sure that the Bills are going to be wheeling out the same defense, it's a bit premature to judge whether these players are filling positions of need. "His opinion?" Would you do me the favor of telling me his name, credentials, and why I should give any credence to his opinions? Thank you.

You nailed it as far as the "big swing" theory. Regarding his back, as I said upthread I cannot think of a single player that McBeane have drafted (we're talking 9 drafts now) that was a medical risk that became a medical problem. As I said earlier, I'm willing and waiting to be corrected on this... He apparently had a great Senior Bowl week. I think he's an ascending talent who hasn't reached anywhere near his potential yet. On the other hand, the Bills have re-signed Jordan Phillips 3 different seasons... 2018, 2022, and last year. To me, that means they like him. Besides getting better, the Bills need to get younger and cheaper on the D-line. That's what this draft was about.

Then why don't you marry him? Seriously impressive... then after he got his degree in Economics he enrolled at Georgia Tech so he could play high level football. It reminds me of when Eric Wood was drafted and was asked why he loved football so much. He said something to the effect "You can do things on the football field that are seriously illegal." You aren't your average Bag of Milk, are you? The last time they asked for Josh's input on a receiver it resulted in Keon Coleman. This year when asked if he had been watching video, Josh said "In Beane we trust." I think Jason Peters is a different caliber of athlete but Paul Costa and Paul Seymour are both excellent comparables, having been drafted as tackles and then moved to tight end during their careers. Hawes is a good athlete though. His explosive measurables (vertical, broad, and 10 yard split) are all excellent. Right on. Davidson is a move tight end. Hawes is an inline tight end with some athleticism. It would be really cool having someone like Patrick Ricard or James Develin (or Sam Gash for those who remember) just blowing people up as a fullback. I could see Hawes having an impact on the roster but it's hard to know exactly where... any of Alec Anderson, Reggie Gilliam, and/or Dawson Knox could eventually be impacted as Hawes' role clarifies.

Nice highlights here and there. There are condensed games on Youtube of him playing against Georgia and Ole Miss from 2024. You can clearly see what he needs work on but also, how he possesses abilities that are simply not coachable. Walker's upside is very high. One trait which jumps off the screen is his backfield vision. He always seems to know where the play is... good instincts and vision. Yes, after 2023 the belief was that he was a 1st or 2nd rounder. The back injury he played through this year limited his effectiveness but it's a non-concern for me. I don't remember McBeane being bitten by a pre-existing medical condition. Have they ever drafted a medical risk? Anyone? Separately, one thing not being mentioned is that Walker excelled during Senior Bowl week. To your legitimate first point, I can't remember ANY DL or OL prospects coming in at 6'7" where there WEREN'T concerns about knee bend/pad level/playing too high, etc. NFL football is the next level up (or in this case, down) and it's a natural progression for draftees to improve their techniques. This is a 21 year old kid who was in love with the idea of playing basketball. He is a diamond-in-the-rough with god-given abilities that cannot be coached. Absolutely. NFL strength and conditioning... NFL coaching... NFL dietary plan... I'm expecting Walker to improve significantly. Agreed. It's interesting how confirmation bias works... going all-in on one person's opinion... and/or choosing one player ranking over another... People should either withhold judgement and admit they have no idea, or base their judgement on having done due diligence. The posting of uninformed opinions doesn't benefit anyone... it's like pollution on a message board.

It would be better to copy and paste a link than write a sentence. I don't believe that Hairston performed any of the agility drills so I think this would make his true RAS incomplete. That said if you watch his combine workout, it's obvious that you're watching an elite athlete with agility in at least the 90th percentile.

If you watch the Youtube workout I posted above you'll see his measurables are almost identical to Denzel Ward's, who the Browns selected 4h overall in 2018 and has made 4 Pro Bowls.

Select the "Watch on Youtube" option. Understanding it’s not football per se but just a workout… but still awesome. Flips hips effortlessly, backpedal is blazing, change of direction is instantaneous, high points the ball, great hands…

The CB room quietly got faster. Quietly. You know what they say about guys with long arms... oh wait... that's large hands... never mind. More like AS... or even ASS.

He's black so there's that...

His name is Mark Andrews.

"The 9/11 terrorists showed great teamwork..."

Didn't they draft JJ McCarthy in the 1st round last year?

Happy Birthday Joe!!! A fine QB and a fine person. One of the earliest celebrity TV bass fishermen was Bill Dance who had a popular syndicated TV show, Bill Dance Outdoors. I remember one episode that Fergy was his guest and he flew the Bills colors. You could just see what a humble, down to earth, good person Fergy is. One of my all-time favorite Bills and pound for pound, the most powerful arm of any Bills QB.

Our wide receiver room quietly got better. Great Dane. The color pattern of the coat is called Harlequin.

My best friends and I are all big NFL fans... most of the group has been in the same fantasy football league since 1990. We're getting together via WhatsApp for a video draft party for the 2nd Round on Friday. The round starts at 7 pm EST and the picks are 7 minutes each so it'll "only" be < 3 hours until the Bills 2 picks. It was pretty easy ruling out the 1st Round as that's on Thursday and starts at 8 pm with the picks 10 minutes each... meaning it'll be close to 5 hours if the Bills stand pat at pick #30. Being in Cali, it'll be around 10 pm local time when the Bills pick. So you're getting poked in your brown eye? 🙃

Not only did he drop it but he didn't miss a beat... the quip was pretty immediate.

... and is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Or draft Kool-Aid McKinstry. As for my serious thoughts on James Cook: Missing voluntary OTAs is a non-story for someone who is unhappy with his contract. There are people on this forum who are taking this story more seriously (and personally) than either Cook or McBeane or any member of the Bills. All of the Bills understand that this is the business side of the NFL. Cook will not be traded during this draft. As some have pointed out, there's the obstacle of a physical examination and in addition, others have pointed out the unlikelihood that a team is going to give up draft capital for a RB who wants a top of the market contract... particularly in a year where there are numerous excellent prospects at RB. Cook will have another great year for the Bills because he is playing for his next contract. The Bills will want him to have a great season so that they get the highest compensatory pick for when he signs with his new team next offseason. If the Bills draft a RB this week as Cook's eventual replacement, that player will have special teams value to justify a roster spot... because that player will be the RB4 for the Bills.

This draft has been a bit maligned due to the prevailing belief that there are fewer true 1st Round prospects than usual. The numbers seem to be 12 to 16 players in this tier. That said, there is also a belief that this draft is heavy with Top 60 players... in other words there are more than 60 players worth a 2nd round grade. Thus, the desire for a 3rd Rounder stems from wanting the Bills to be able to draft 4 players who could conceivably be immediate contributors and eventual starters.

If that happened I'd be royally pissed.