Estro

OL Clint Boling (A value pick. If Wood moves to center, Boling pushes Urbich for the starting G spot. Worst case scenario he provides solid depth, and could even play RT). Chris Hairston (I think the Bills like him. He was in for a visit and projects to RT, a position of need. They've seen plenty of tape on him after scouting Spiller last year). QB, Ricky Stanzi (I've said it all along, he may not be a Chan Gailey prototyppe QB, but it's value at a position of need. At this point we have nothing behind Fitzpatrick). LB Colin McCarthy (Buddy said they'd add 2 ILB's, and McCarthy would make 2. A similar grade as Sheppard, soild tackler) Casey Matthews (a bit undersized, good instincts, the last name certainly creates excitement. Would provide special teams value immediately. SS Ahmad Black (might be too small for Bills consideration, but I know Mike Mayock likes him a lot. Good instincts, and would provide nice depth at the S position Jerron Johnson (similar player to Black, but slightly bigger. Physical SS. I happen to like Boling and Stanzi best. Both have the highest value, IMO, at positions of need. I think it'll be Chris Hairston, just a hunch.

Anyone know what time the pats will be on the clock tonight

I forgot about Rudolph, he'd be nice too, I'm just not sure how much Gailey values TE's in his offense. It could be our TE's are so bad he just doesn't use them, but I think he likes going with 3 and 4 WR sets more than most OC's. I'm also not sold on Rudolph's athleticim and fluidity in the passing game. Seems a little stiff and awkward in the passing game. Definitely a consideration, i just happen to believe the Bills will go in another direction. I'm of the thinking that our corner situation isn't as good as most fans believe it is. McGee is aging and is hurt often, McKelvin is still trying to live up to his expectations, and is an okay corner as of now, at best. Corner doesn't excite me much, and I believe Florence will be an unrestricted FA, and he gets beat a lot too. Brandon Harris may be the best value at a real position of need for the Bills.

Front 7 -DaQuan Bowers (probably won't happen, wold be overkill on DL, but if they cleared his knee could be a value pick, don't see it happening though) -Justin Houston (big, fast, strong, stout against the run, failed drug test may have the Bills weary) -Akeem Ayers (overrated IMO, and very poor against the run, don't think he's a Buddy guy) QB -Andy Dalton (I think Ponder was the Bills guy, and don't see them going QB this early anymore) -Colin Kaepernick (see above) -Ryan Mallett (NGU stated the Bills probably wouldn't consider him unless he really dropped in the draft, this isn't far enough of a drop.) -Ricky Stanzi (Not sure if he fit's Gailey's prototype, but I'm high on him because Nawrocki's high on him, I won't lie) OL -Clint Boling (usually se him listed as a G, but I think he has a chance to be an effective RT. If Wood moves to C, he takes Wood's RG spot) CB -Brandon Harris (undersized, but very fluid and good ball skills. Would contribute a s a nickel corner immediately, and could be grromed as McGee's eventual replacement) Don't forget the Bills will probably field a good amount of offers tonight from teams looking to jump up to grab the guy they have a strong 1st round grade on. I believe a trade down is certainly a possibility, and I'm almost rooting for a tade down to a team with a pick somewhere in the middle of round 2. In the meantime we'd pick up an additional 3rd, with would give us 2 #3's and 2 #4's. My favorites on the list above are: Clint Boling, Brandon Harris, Ricky Stanzi, and Justin Houston in no particular order. Stanzi could probably be had in the 3rd.

Astro, question for you: Nawrocki, of PFW.com has Mason Foster as a 5th round talent. What do you see differently. I believe he'll end up as a 3rd-4th round prospect, but just wanted to get your thoughts on him. 2nd round seems like a reach for him. Where do you guys project Akeem Dent?

Justin Houston is a Buddy Nix guy in my opinion. Senior, produced for a longtime in the SEC, and comes at a position of need. He is also stout vs. the run.

Ricky Stanzi 4th round

If they want to go Alualu style, which means 15-30 picks higher than expected.............Christian Ponder. I think Andre Reed is announcing the #3 pick overall, not the the #34, so I'm not sure why everyone jumped to the conclusion that Ponder would be the 34th pick, maybe the Bills like him 31 spots higher than that.

woops sorry, didn't see all those. I'd delete it but I don't know how to.

Less than a week to go until Round 1 of the 2011 NFL Draft. Any insights or comments from NGU would be greatly appreciated. How are things shaping up at One BIlls Drive as we come into the last week of draft preparation? Thanks.

Modrak and Nix did seem a little giddy about Blaine when asked about him today. The fact that Buddy then went onto say the 1st pick should be a starter or at the very least give you 40 snaps a game this year, made me think otherwise. I think Gabbert could be a smokecreen to get a team picking #4-#7 to give up a bounty to come up and get him. Who the hell knows though, it's all speculation at this point. I like Gabbert's skill set, arm, and athleticism. It just confuses me why he wasn't more productive. His "deer in headlights" look when pressure is in his face, is a giant concern of mine. If Dareus is off the board, I think Gabbert's in the mix. You almost have to believe if the Bills would consider Gabbert at #3, that's an indication they're taking him no matter who's on the board.

FWIW, my Bills mock draft using the value chart as a guide to where players will fall: 1- Marcell Dareus (DE/DT, Alabama) 2- Justin Houston (OLB, Georgia) 3- Ricky Stanzi (QB, Iowa) 4- Chris Hairston (T, Clemson) - they like him after watching all of Spiller's game tape last year (also had him in for a visit, I believe). 4- Jeron Johnson (SS, Boise) - or Ahmad Black (SS, Florida) - I like both of them. 5- Casey Matthews (ILB, Oregon) 6- Mike Mohamed (ILB, California) 7- Ryan Jones (CB, Northwest Missouri State - Division 2) 7- Mario Fanin (RB/FB, Auburn) - bruiser, makes the tema as a special teamer

nm http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/04/19/pfws-exclusive-draft-value-chart-6

How about Josh Thomas, the CB out of University of Buffalo pegged as a high 3rd round pick. That's be the highest pick out of that school, if I'm not mistaken.

Always a useful guide to see where players are projected to fall in the draft: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/04/06/pfws-exclusive-draft-value-chart-4

After doing some extensive reading of PFW's comprehensive 2011 Draft Preview........here's how Nawrocki rates this years prospects: 1- Von Miller (8.5) 2- Patrick Peterson (8.0) 3- A.J. Green (7.9) 4- Marcell Dareus (7.75) 5- Julio Jones (6.7) 6- DaQuan Bowers (6.6) 7- Prince Amukamara (6.5) 8- Robert Quinn (6.45) 9- Blaine Gabbert (6.4) 10- JJ Watt (6.4) 11- Brandon Harris (6.25) 12- Aldon Smith (6.25) 13- Anthony Castonzo (6.20) 14- Mark Ingram (6.15) 15- Cameron Jordan (6.15) 16- Nick Fairley (6.15) 17- Gabe Carimi (6.15) the points refer to how good of a prospect they are. So basically, there are 4 stud prospects, at least in Nawrocki's eyes, in this draft. So if the Bills stand pat at #3, they have a shot at one of them. i have to say, I wasn't a big fan of Von Miller, and I still have my doubts about his size and run support, but it's tough to ignore Nawrocki's rating on the guy. He has him as the best players in the draft and it's not even close (for the record Nawrocki was not a huge fan of aaron Maybin coming out). I know Mike Mayock, is super high on Von Miller as well. Thast's two pretty good endorsements. What do you guys think of his ratings? Personally I wasn't too surprised to see Brandon Harris as high as he is (I think he's the best cover corner in the draft, his height hurts him). Fairley at 16 is a little lower than you'd expect, but Nawrocki clearly has questions about his character and drive, so it's understandable. Flame away.

Not sure why so many people have Dalton going so high: Nolan Nawrocki, of PFW.com, who is wired in on what's going on (a lot moreso than Todd McShay), has Andy Dalton as a 4th-5th round draft pick, and the 149th rated prospect overall, regardless of position. Given the fact that he plays QB, maybe he's overdrafted a round or so, but that still would only make him a 3rd rounder. To take him with #34 overall, would be a gigantic reach, and one the bills can't afford to take. It's tough for me to imagine Nix coming away with the impression that Dalton could ever be a franchise QB. For the record Nawrocki has Ricky Stanzi rated as a 3rd-4th round prospect, but has him as his 56th rated prospect, regardless of position. I personally like Stanzi, but don't think his athleticsm, or lack thereof, matches with whta Gailey likes. I'm just throwing it out there......if you're going to project a QB being overdrasfted at #34, Ricky stanzi makes a lot more sense than Andy Dalton.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/03/31/draft-countdown-pick-no-28 2009: Bills select Louisville C Eric Wood Wood has started all 24 games in which he has played since entering the league. The Bills like what they have seen and he is expected to be the starting center in '11. Not sure if this is speculation. or fact, but with the addition of Urbik, it's certainly a possibility.

In order to move down from #3 to #12, the bills would need the Vikings 1st, 2nd and 4th plus next years 1st. A future pick, in general gets discounted one full round because you have to wait a full year to turn that pick into a player. Therefore a 2012 1st round pick carries the same value as a 2011 2nd round pick. See Carolina trading away their 2011 2nd round pick to take Armanti Edwards late in the 2010 3rd round (seems like a heist now). To make a long story short the Vikes would need to give the Bills a lot in exchange for the #3 pick.

Looks like the red helmets will be gone. The Bills have had the authentic gameday helmets for sale on their website for as long as I can remember. I noticed they've been removed from the website recently. Only a replica mini red helmet remains for sale, the authentic and replica full size are both no longer available. Definitely looks like we're going back to the whites. http://www.shopthebills.com/collectibles/helmets.aspx

You see that stat where the Bills let up 200+ rushing yards in half of their games, and finished dead last in rush defense. That need. NeverGiveUp any idea on how the Bills feel about Marcel Dareus? I think he's the most versatile and intriguing DL in the draft. Just wanted to throw that out there and see if you had any scoop on the opinions of Dareus. FWIW, I think he's gone to the Broncos at #2, but if he happens to be there for us........Von or Marcel? Thanks.

I like everyone on your list with the exception of Solder and Wilson. Solder is too soft to play in the NFL, I don't care how fast he is. Martez is too stiff and doesn't break down well in space (just my opinion of course). Here's my list: 1- Marcel Dareus (#1 DL, my favorite player in the draft) 2- DaQuan Bowers (I'm still not sure he fits into a 3-4, but I'm starting to believe he can be a 5-technique) 3- AJ Green (#1 WR in the draft, think Larry Fitzgerald) 4- Blaine Gabbert (admittedly I'm not a huge fan of any QB, but I think Gabbert is clearly the best of the bunch. Think Chan could go to work with his skill set.) 5- Gabe Carimi (best T in the draft, but keep him on the right side) 6- Cameron Jordan (a solid 5 technique prospect, softer than Dareus and not as physical as Bowers) 7- Phil Taylor (#1 NT, man-child, if he's motivated and hungry he'll be a force down the line) 8- Brandon Harris (best CB in the draft, "yeah I said it" - Raheem Morris) 9- Danny Watkins (I know we're only doing 8, but I had to find a spot for him. Showed his worth at the Senior Bowl. A more athletic version of Eric Wood.) Dareus, Bowers, Gabbert and maybe even Green should all be in the discussion for #3. I suppose Cam Newton and Von Miller will also be in that discussion, I hope neither wins out.

Probably, not. Not many QB's like him have had success in the pros. Isn't a good enough passer to be considered anything more than a raw developmental project. He's got a big arm, so technically he should have a better chance than guys like Brad Smith and Dennis Dixon, but history is not on his side.

Agreed. Dareus makes the most sense for the Bills. A huge need and a huge talent. Unfortunately, for the Bills they select #3, so there is a good chance Dareus will be off the board. If that's the case, it sounds like Miller will be in the running according to NGU. I just hope we luck out, and the Broncos go in another direction. The fact that the Broncos switched to the 4-3 under Fox should actually slighty increase the chance of Dareus being there. You would have to think that Bowers will be right in the mix with Dareus for the #2 pick. Hopefully good ol' John Elway likes him some DaQuan.

The Bills are just covering all the bases, as any decent GM should be doing this time of the year. If there is one word to describe the NFL draft it is "unpredictable." The Bills needs to be sniffing around anyone they like that could be selected between #1 and #250. What happens if a team like the Phins offer an unbelievable package to move up from #15 to #3. Say their 1st, 2nd, 3rd and future 1st. If you get a kings ransom to move back you have to be familiar with potential targets at your new pick.