Tortured Soul

Congrats on 7K. Two thoughts on Devin Thomas. 1. He was a JuCo transfer, so he sat on the bench and had to work his way up from the bottom. That counts for a lot. 2. He uses his strength better than the other big receivers in the draft. He pushes smaller corners around. Much like Dwayne Bowe did last year, and Owens and Moulds are able to. He plays big, and you have to like that.

A 21-year-old kid lost more money today than a lot of us will see in our lifetimes. I'd cut him some slack.

I'm not sure what else I needed to do. I got a mailing that said I had to pay to be considered for upgrades, and I paid for two tickets in full. That letter said you would be contacted for upgrade, right?

So any guess why Southtown has seats already? I'm only in my second year. I didn't even get the e-mail yet.

Hey, when did you get to do seat relocation? I haven't heard anything yet. Anyone else?

Who is Jerry?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/colu...kipermock080401 http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft08/ins...dmcshaymock0401 There you have it, folks. Either the Bills take Kelly or he falls out of the first.

On the ESPN mock, he had the Bills taking Malcolm Kelly. I just think he's trying to throw out as many guesses as he can.

Good to see the Kzoo name back, even if it's not by choice. 11. The schedule is much easier this year. Eight of our games are against teams drafting in the top seven.

Clady could go to KC at 5, an Williams to Denver at 12.

As much as I don't want the Bills to leave Buffalo, I don't think it's Congress' place to dictate what a privately owned business can and can't do. Some regulation is needed, of course, but this isn't it.

No, you're stupid! Thanks, Dean. Good post.

And one more: Johnny(Queens): Who has turned out to be a better player so far in their young career's? Micheal Huff or Donte Whitner? Mel Kiper said Whitner was a reach but Huff was a great pick! Thats sad! SportsNation KC Joyner: (4:57 PM ET ) Johnny, from a talent perspective, I think Mel got it right at the time. The Bills have just done a better job of utilizing the talent.

Matthew (Buffalo, New York): I've heard talk about moving Dante Whitner to free safety to allow him to make more plays but doesn't this cut Ko Simpson another VERY GOOD player out of the mix? SportsNation KC Joyner: (4:46 PM ET ) Matthew, the Bills injuries last year allowed some of the backups to showcase their skills. Buffalo may have the deepest set of defensive talent of any team in the league because of this, and I think they are going to be willing to make some moves they otherwise wouldn't be willing to make. Simpson as a strong backup would be quite a plus for any team. Matthew (Buffalo, New York): I guess that is true some guys such as George Wilson, Jim Leonard and John DiGorgio really stepped up but then who do we plug in at SS? Wilson? The draft? SportsNation KC Joyner: (4:49 PM ET ) I could see Wilson in that role.

The Seahawks cap situation was tight with the franchise number for Trufant on the books. This move saved them a bundle. We're not privy to the innerworkings of an NFL team, but doesn't the Dorsey item strike you as nonsense? These professional organizations can't be that gullible. Seems like Lovie is just doing his due diligence. I wonder how much the hometown factor has to do with the Bears preferring Mendenhall. It seems like the Niners always valued Cal and Stanford players, but I don't know what that counts for.

He had that one fourth down stuff on McGahee that made his whole career worthwhile.

You actually leave off the Seahawks leading receiver, Bobby Engram. Their top three last year were Engram, Burleson, and Branch in that order. Hackett was fourth. I'll take your word on Kent, but how much could you expect from a guy who didn't have a catch last year? Obviously, something else was up with Hackett that we the fans didn't know about, or he would've gotten more interest than he did. As it was, he got what you'd expect for a 3/4 receiver. The problem with their top three is the same problem with our top three. Their 5'10, 6'0, and 5'9. And in the case of Engram, he's coming off a career year at age 34. All this adds up to adding a big receiver. And with Hardy and Kelly still on the board, I'd expect it to be one of them.

I think there will be more like five or six WRs taken in the first round, with a run starting around the Eagles' pick. Tampa, Dallas, Tennessee, Seattle, and San Francisco could all take WRs in the first round, in addition to the Bills, Eagles, and Redskins. I realize you're not making trades, so it seems like the Bills won't take one at 11, but I really think WR will be their top pick. Don't count on there being good ones available later. I really don't know enough about the rest of the teams to know who should fall where. You put Talib higher than the experts, but who knows? I also would be very surprised to see Keller go to the Seahawks, and if the picks fall as you predict to that point, they would go for a WR. Kelly will go in the first round, maybe to the Cowboys at the bottom. So will Mannginham. I don't see the Jets taking a CB in the first again this year. If everything falls as you have it, I could even see them going for Clady at that point.

Can't argue with Evans' placing. Looking at the list, it's increasingly clear that there are really only 25 receivers worth anything in the NFL now. I'd put Parrish lower. His production hasn't warranted 51.

This is why I'm increasingly convinced we need to draft two WRs in the first three rounds. Thomas and Hardy!

Tipsy, I think where I disagree with you is your idea of a "significant" contribution. Last year, Bills WRs not named Evans combined for 1 touchdown. So, I think adding a rookie WR who could score 5 TDs, in my mind, would be a very significant contribution. I compared it to a "significant" contribution from rookie DEs - 5 sacks. Here are the numbers for the past five years. 10 WRs scored five or more TDs in their rookie seasons. Of those, six were taken in the first round. Another way to look at it is six of 23 first-round WRs in that span - 26% - made significant contributions. (3 TEs also did.) 8 DEs registered five or more sacks as rookies. Of those, four were first-rounders. Another way, four of 17 first round DEs - 24% - made significant contributions. (2 DTs did as well.) So is there a difference between drafting a receiver or a DL in terms of rookie production? The numbers don't think so.

But seeing Gregg Williams and Mike Mularkey on that list makes me cringe.

They won't post something until it's official and the Bills announce it, I think.

Astro, I think we need to drop CB down a notch after the James signing. I think WR has to be a clear #1 need.

Personally, I'd go far the other way. I don't see Floyd, Martin or anyone else on the market as the answer. I think we need two WR's in the first three rounds, ideally after a first round trade down. We need at least one from the group of Thomas, Kelly, and Sweed, and one from Hardy, Nelson, and Bowman. My choices from each group are listed in order.