BillsFanForever19

Whoa! Cap space and a Draft Pick! Niiiiicccceeeee. Chicago only has one pick in Round 5 - 143, Pick 9 in the Round. A valuable one at 14 pts. on the Draft Trade Chart, compared to the two others we have that are worth 10 pts. https://www.drafttek.com/NFL-Trade-Value-Chart-Rich-Hill.asp

He also hasn't officially been released as of yet, so he could still be released with an injury settlement when it officially goes through. We'll have to wait and see on that. Find it slightly interesting that we interviewed Braelon Allen and Audric Estime at the Combine. Guys who are considered 3rd or 4th Round Picks. With just Cook on the roster, I wonder if they're considering a RB a little higher than expected? Especially after the release of Hines and both guys being bigger and stronger runners that would compliment him well.

I wonder who Josh likes and prefers? I remember watching an interview with Beane at the Combine where he said Josh tells him about Mock Draft Simulators he does, who he got, where he got them, etc. Pretty entertaining to hear that he does Mocks like the rest of us. Gotta imagine he has his favorites as well. And who he prefers may play a small part in who we pick if Beane's choosing between a couple different guys.

There's enough WR's to go around for both of us. There's no saying that the guy they pick will be better than the guy we pick. If they trade Sneed and hop us? Then they get WR4 or WR5 and we'll get WR5 or WR6. But they also won't have L'Jarius Sneed.

Probably Keon Coleman? But it really depends on what you mean. There really isn't a metric for "guy who comes open late in an improvisational manner". But Coleman's whole game is a RIDICULOUS win percentage on contested balls. However, the feeling with that was that he was able to attain that contested catch rate because he can't create separation, thus necessitating a need to win contested. Then he went to the Combine and ran a 4.65 40. Pretty much confirming it. Although, he looked EXTREMELY good on drills - that drops him for me.

Legette is a higher likelihood to me as a.) We did meet with him at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine and more importantly b.) He is a true "big X" that fits what we're looking for much more than a guy who is looked at more as either a Slot or an Inside/Outside Tweener type. I'm very high on Legette and his fit here. Especially after a strong Combine. But we could just as easily go with a guy we met at the Combine who wasn't at the Senior Bowl and is a top prospect. That's a long list of guys too: Brian Thomas Jr. - LSU Adonai Mitchell - Texas Xavier Worthy - Texas Keon Coleman - Florida State Troy Franklin - Oregon

I mean, no one's completely off the table for us until we don't Draft them. But as I said previously, I don't believe we've ever skipped the Combine interview and selected someone in Round 1. It's maybe the most important part of the evaluation for this regime. And as for meeting him at the Senior Bowl, there's two things at play there: 1.) Every single player at the Senior Bowl meets with every team. It's a requirement. Teams can choose to request a longer meeting, but there's no knowing whether we did or were just meeting with him bc we had to. 2.) When we've drafted players we met at the Senior Bowl in Round 1, we met with them again at the Combine. Not an either or situation. We don't bring our entire staff to the Senior Bowl. And to that end, here is a list of Senior Bowl players we met with at the Senior Bowl this year like McConkey and then did the more important Combine interview as well: Xavier Legette - WR South Carolina Devontez Walker - WR North Carolina Roman Wilson - WR Michigan Kameron Kinchens - S Miami Payton Wilson - LB NC State Byron Murphy II - DT Texas Javon Solomon - DE Troy Jalyx Hunt - DE Houston Christian Patrick Paul - OT Houston That's a pretty long list of guys that we chose to meet with at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine. McConkey was not one of them. When you put all these things together, it doesn't *completely* eliminate him. He could be the first player that bucks the trend. But with how important the Combine interview is and how methodical this regime is, the idea that it means nothing that we didn't do the, to this date, pre-requisite job interview is pretty unlikely to me. I don't see him being in play at the moment. If we don't interview him at the Combine and we don't bring him in for a Pre-Draft visit, you can pretty much cross him off the Draft Board completely.

This isn't a good thing for us, all things considered. True, Evans going to the Chiefs would have sucked. But he could have easily went to one of the other 7 teams listed. And now that makes Higgins Franchised, Pittman Franchised, and Evans re-signed. The top 3 WR's in the FA market stayed put. And with that, now 3 teams that could have signed them and in turn would look elsewhere in Round 1 could now be looking at WR in Round 1. Evans staying put (in conjunction with the others) can make it harder for us to land the WR we want in Round 1.

Hesitant to bump this, but sometimes you just have to take the L. I was wrong here and it's a bit of a learning lesson. The wording of the release stating he'll "most likely be back for Training Camp from his ACL injury" says one of two things to me: 1.) He failed a physical and the injury was so bad that any hope that he'd be in good enough shape to start the season disappeared. In which case, all bets are off. or 2.) It's specifically referring to being back for us. In which case, the release was more of a case of being better for us to rip up his contract than it would be to restructure. We'll have to wait and see what Beane says about it. ATM, I lean towards probably the former. It's a tad confusing to me as to why we didn't just cut him last season when the NFI happened and you had the right to do so and not pay a single dime further. We didn't pay him much last season, but why pay anything then just to cut him now?

I thought I had Legette ranked high as WR5 or WR6. WR4 above Brian Thomas? Wow! Wait a second, I thought Xavier Legette was a "2nd Round guy"?

Sure, why not? I personally don't see it unless there's 9 or 10 WR's going in Round 1.

Let's try a little exercise shall we? Here's the first 6 recommended when I Google "Mock Draft": https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/draft/2024/03/04/nfl-mock-draft-2024-quarterbacks-first-round-jj-mccarthy/72835611007/ https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/2024-nfl-mock-draft-combine-1st-round-xavier-worthy-jj-mccarthy-rome-odunze https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2024-nfl-two-round-mock-draft-j-j-mccarthy-lands-in-top-15-michael-penix-jr-bo-nix-taken-in-round-2/ https://www.thedraftnetwork.com/2024/03/03/nfl-mock-draft-2024-post-nfl-combine https://www.profootballnetwork.com/tony-catalina-2024-nfl-mock-draft-march-3/ https://walterfootball.com/draft2024.php Notice a pattern? Not a single one has Troy Franklin in Round 1. As for Pre-Combine - it was less than "almost every single one". As I said, Mel Kiper didn't. Off the top of my head, Bucky Brooks didn't. There were a number of others that didn't as we'd celebrate Brian Thomas Jr. being mocked to us as the 4th WR off the board at 28 on multiple occasions.

Maybe he or his agent aren't interested in doing an extension and want to test their market in a year. Maybe he's creating a situation where we have no choice but to pay him the full 9m he's owed or let him walk. He was playing at a high level as a starting CB in Green Bay, then switched to a different team Midseason, and performed maybe even better. This showcased his ability wasn't just a Green Bay thing. I can easily see a scenario where he or his agent believe he could cash in next season. And/or maybe he and his agent are asking for a substantial number if he is to re-sign and not test his market. And given what we already have and hoping White will come back, maybe they aren't interested in doing that. Maybe Beane truly believes in White and thinks he will be ready to roll Week 1. It never made sense to me that in the situation we're in that we'd have 3 starting CB's in Douglas, White, and Benford - with our cap being what it is and the amount of holes we have at other positions. I always thought Tre would be the odd man out. But it appears to me that Beane sees it as Douglas. I do hope if that is the plan though that we can trade him for something.

First off, he was not a consensus 1st Round Pick anywhere but on this board. Many prognosticators listed him as a 2nd Round guy. Mel Kiper for example didn't even have him in his Top 10 WR's in his last ranking. Those that did have him rated high had him there because he had "elite" speed around 4.30 or less and was 6'3". And although he had a small frame, he was still 193 lbs. In all actuality, he is not 6'3". He's 6'1". He's not 193, he's 175. And the 4.3 or less guy was actually a 4.41 guy, ranking 10th amongst WRs and slower than guys he was expected to be faster than. Including a 1.61 10 yard split, ranking DEAD LAST amongst all WR's. Worrisome when one of his concerns already was creating separation at the line. You might not think that's a big deal, but it IS a big deal. That's something that drops you. Or in this case, confirms he's much closer to the 2nd Round Pick that many had him as then the 1st Rounder everyone around here did. Especially when you combine those numbers not matching expectations with a poor on field performance. One that had Daniel Jeremiah calling him out on Television. The "Underwear Olympics", as you put it, raises and drops players every single year. If it didn't matter at all, they wouldn't do it. Measurements matter greatly on stock. Especially when they don't match what you're listed and expected to be. Doubly so when you underperform in drills.

My apologies, I misread part of that tweet and missed others. But that being said: - It says literally every player at the Senior Bowl gets a meeting with every team. So his meeting with us was a given. No way of knowing whether that was a required 10 minute meeting or one of the 64 requested extended 25 minute meetings. - I don't believe we send all of our coaches, scouts, and staff to the Senior Bowl - unlike the Combine, as McConkey himself alluded to in his presser. The Senior Bowl interviews are not the same as Combine interviews. - In the past, whether we've met with a player we've Drafted in Round 1 at the Senior Bowl or not - we've still met with them again at the Combine for the interview. Tre'Davious White, Josh Allen, and Dalton Kincaid are the 3 Senior Bowl players Drafted in Round 1 and we interviewed them all at the Combine. And to that end.... - The following is list of players we met with at the Senior Bowl. And unlike McConkey - we met with them again at the Combine: Xavier Legette - WR South Carolina Devontez Walker - WR North Carolina Roman Wilson - WR Michigan Kameron Kinchens - S Miami Payton Wilson - LB NC State Byron Murphy II - DT Texas Javon Solomon - DE Troy Jalyx Hunt - DE Houston Christian Patrick Paul - OT Houston Long story short, between the Senior Bowl process requiring us to meet with everyone there, our history of meeting with Round 1 Drafted players at both the Senior Bowl and the Combine, and the large list of players we met with at the Combine that we already met at the Senior Bowl - I don't share the opinion that it means nothing that we didn't meet with McConkey at the Combine. But I suppose we'll see. If he gets a Pre-Draft visit, maybe he bucks the trend. But right now, I just don't see it. This is a methodical regime and the Combine interview seems to be maybe the most important part of the process to them in Round 1 picks.

Correct, he confirmed we didn't meet with him at the Combine. Though we did talk to him at the Senior Bowl. Though as is documented, there's really not much that can be done with a meeting at the Senior Bowl except informalities: https://www.si.com/nfl/draft/news/senior-bowl-interview-process-changes-nfl-draft-teams-players As for who we've met with, it's mostly WR's and DB's: https://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/2024/03/nfl-combine-2024-buffalo-bills-prospect-meeting-tracker.html

And I'd still like to know what about him makes him "exude" the "culture" moreso than others....

Worthy won't be there in the early 2nd. Running the fastest time ever recorded at any position will skyrocket him. Whether or not you think it should. John Ross went from about the same position as Worthy was in Pre-Combine to 7th Overall. Even if that's a cautionary tale, it's not enough that teams will completely disregard it and he'll go below 32. He was looked at as a bottom of the 1st type guy before he broke the record. As I've said, Ian Rappaport said he talked to a "respected, high up league executive" who told him Worthy may have made himself the 4th WR off the board yesterday.

You're placing too little. In Round 1, good measurements and showing out as an athletic specimen are integral to what Beane considers in Round 1. He always goes for traits and tools that fit the role he's looking for in Round 1. Even if they're looked at as needing a little development.

You don't get that kind of frame with that kind of speed with his playmaking tape as a True Outside WR every day (which is what we're looking for). He ascended and earned some money with how he looked yesterday. Where we're picking is pretty much the sweet spot for him. Trade down and there's a good chance you miss him. Then you're looking at guys like Keon Coleman and Troy Franklin that measured out disappointingly yesterday.

No way. If 7 guys go, sure. But if even one of Thomas, Worthy, Mitchell, or Legette are there - you take them. There's a drop off after that in my eyes between what we're looking for and who we interviewed for the job.

I am opposed to a trade down. In my eyes, with their performances at the Combine, combined (no pun intended) with the descension of Franklin - I see a dropoff after WR7. And with the ascension of guys like Worthy, Mitchell, and Legette and the solidification of Thomas as probably out of reach - we'd be playing a dangerous game trying to get one later than 28. Especially with a team like Kansas City at least standing pat to take a WR, if not trading up.

Though I'd have no problem with it, I think if Hines isn't here - it's less likely. The difference between not having him on a release (3.2m saved) and keeping him on a restructure (2.2m saved) is just 1 million dollars. I feel like Beane would rather keep him as the Returner and as a guy who has a year of experience in the system and with Josh for just a million. Even if he's just the last WR on the 53. Though again, it doesn't matter to me either way.

It's sad that it's not a possibility. Flip side, i'd rather have a team in contention rather than picking at the top of the Draft all the time again.

If (and that's a big If) RB were to be considered in Round 3 - it shouldn't be for another speedy, elusive RB. It should be for Braelon Allen. A bruising, monster of a RB that gets the tough yardage and runs over people.