[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

37 minutes ago, OldTimer1960 said:

If you could trade for any receiver in the league now, would you trade what it takes to get Odunze or higher?

Part of the appeal of Odunze is the rookie contract with a fifth-year option. The price folks are throwing out there to acquire him is plausibly accurate. It's a little rich for my taste. I'd rather hold onto 60 since we were Goodelled out of a 3rd rounder. A trade for the best established WR includes a hefty contract, or the need for one to retain the fella. So I wouldn't pay as much as I would for Odunze, even if you argue the established WR is a known commodity and Odunze involves some risk.

[Why the Bills don't "need" a traditional X receiver]

Well done, OP, but I am still in the camp of those who want a big X (split end.) I also want a flanker, only I think McConkey is that player (he's not a slot, no matter how many times folks say it.)

[Lions extend St. Brown (4 years, 120 mil, 77 gtd)]

1 hour ago, Einstein's Dog said:

And for the people that want an early double dip this contract shows a downside, if they both hit you have some real financial decisions/problems 4 years later.

I don't think it's much of a problem. The issue really only becomes difficult if they are both elite producers. If that happens, I'm still happy to have that on rookie contracts. If I lose one of them to free agency, I'm likely getting a solid comp pick (though for the Bills, maybe only a fourth). Regardless, the double dip is also motivated by the requirement of a big X and a movement Z. I don't agree with those who think Shakir or Samuel is a replacement for either Diggs or Davis.

 

Anyway, I don't think you can draft worrying about the terrible implications of if you get it right. At minimum, get it right and you have an asset that can be extended, traded, or yields a comp pick down the line. 

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

6 minutes ago, longtimebillsfan said:

Why is this draft different than 2014?  When we moved up then, the hindsight conventional wisdom was that we could have drafted just as talented receiver in the 2nd round?  Now many think a move up is a good thing.

 

No one knows which receivers will excel at the next level.

That is very lazy thinking. I suppose you could say that without taking into consideration the particulars of any draft. No one knows, so why trade up? But that isn't strictly true. There are tiers, and there are players with greater chances of success than others. Of course, there's always risk. You can't eliminate that in life, so you can't eliminate it from the draft. Certainly, folks who reactively think Sammy Watkins is somehow the basis of a draft law of gravity that means you should never trade up for a WR are not prudential enough. Practical wisdom is taking into consideration the precise nature of particular situations, and choosing what is best. 

 

That doesn't mean moving up for a top 3 WR is correct. The cost might be too much, but it might also be worth the risk, depending . . . so one hopes Beane makes the right calculation.

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

1 hour ago, Pete said:

We only have one WR who has caught passes from Josh.  We have a big friggin hole at WR 1, and two big holes in top 5 WR.  Beane is going to fill them, and upgrade 14 and Gabe

Folks who still want defense ahead of WR in this year with the draft set up to fill those holes, and obvious need, are either always going to think Josh Allen should elevate mid-level talent or they are Sean McD.

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

Just now, Kirby Jackson said:

MHJ

 

I’ve heard that they love Nabers from a reliable source. I just can’t wrap my head around passing on MHJ. His ceiling is the best WR in football and a HOF career. His floor is pro bowl WR IMO. If you’re spending that kind of draft capital you want both the high ceiling and high floor.

Yeah, I agree. I have days where I really like the other guys, but I just couldn't pass on MHJ.

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

1 minute ago, 97bills said:

I was thinking the same thing today, when we traded up for Watkins in a loaded draft, everyone said how stupid that was. 

The other thing that is stupid is to overgeneralize from a single example. 

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

1 minute ago, Kirby Jackson said:

6 is probably the “floor” of where they can go as of now. They could be working contingent deals though with the Titans, Falcons and Bears. I’d imagine that the Bills are calling 4 through 9. 

Let's just pretend they get to 4. Who do you think they are taking in that scenario?

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

6 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

The question isn’t whether or not the Bills are trying to get up for one of the big 3. That answer is unequivocally yes. That’s obvious. The question is, “can they make a deal that’ll work?” That’s the only question.

How high up do they have to get to be certain one of them is available? They could conceivably all be gone by pick 6.

[Rumor: Bills trying aggressively to move up for a WR in round one]

14 minutes ago, HardyBoy said:

 

To be fair I do think it was injuries largely with Watkins... which is a huge risk in the nfl obviously. 

 

He also turned out to have some pretty let's just say interesting ideas on things iirc... kinda wonder if he brought any of that into his injury rehab?

One of these days, you're going to fall off the edge of the earth, and then how funny will it be?

[2024 WR Draft Class]

3 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Because he’s a elite WR1 with a Buffalo mentality. Rare. 

His character fits McD to a T. He'd be a great pick, but how much is it going to cost to grab him? And all that is predicated on him falling to maybe 8. It's not at all a sure thing that happens.

[NFL draft rumors 2024]

1 minute ago, RyanC883 said:

 

both Xaviers is fine, one alone is insufficient. 

I've been arguing for McConkey and Legette, but either way, or some other combination (draft or draft + trade), I believe Beane has to bring in a dynamic Z and a big X.

[NFL draft rumors 2024]

2 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

I have picked up the mantel this year. 

 

Give me DHop and X Worthy.  The Bills WR room would then be an on-paper year over year improvement IMO.

That works, too.

Just now, Aussie Joe said:

Ok…so  taking this to the full conclusion … would you do this if they gave up all their Day 1-2 picks next year ? So they would have a 4th , 6th and 7th … and a couple of comp picks ..

No, for me that does not equate to a semblance of a draft in 2025.

[NFL draft rumors 2024]

3 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

What about Odunze and Legette ?

 

Warrior Spikes splooging everywhere until he remembers that they got no picks next year and his Feb- Apr 2025 is going to be very boring …

Assuming you can keep a semblance of a draft in 2025 and grab Odunze, I would do it. I like Legette and McConkey. If I have Odunze, I'd rather add McConkey, but no one should argue with any one or combination of them. That would be a home run draft for the WR room.

 

WarriorSpikes is a master story-teller. He'll find a way to create a plausible scenario for 2025, regardless. Like Rumplestiltskin, he's adept at taking straw and spinning it into gold. Whether that turns out true or maybe pyrite is another matter.

[NFL draft rumors 2024]

15 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

I still am not 100% sure if ECB always gets real info or not, but I have seen enough from him to give some credence to his info. If this report is true, it is very interesting.

 

The day before the 2022 draft it was reported by someone who worked for I think The Draft Network that we had brought Elam in on a top 30 visit earlier that week. This was not a widely publicized visit, it was kept under wraps except for that one writer that got the scoop.

 

Last year after the draft Beane revealed that they had met virtually with Kincaid a couple times earlier in the week because they had zeroed in on him as a possible target. This was never reported by anybody.

 

So this tweet from ECB is the kind of report I have been looking out for - a last minute report with information that isn't widely publicized that says we are doing work on a prospect the week of the draft. There might be something to this.

 

In the 1st round Beane loves prospects with elite physical traits that interview well and have a good personality. Worthy fits the profile.

 

Just now, Aussie Joe said:

No doubt the Bills are gunna use that 60 to trade up and get Legette .. so that’s why you gotta hang onto at all costs..

 

I haven't been a fan of the fast feather, but if they end up with both Xaviers, that could be a nice combo.

[Predict the draft day trade]

Just now, Thrivefourfive said:

Easy, you draft a raw project and make him startable for an entire season, eventually. The Bills are proven right tackles developers. I know, draft the replacement with a pick you get in the Brown trade. 

And who is playing RT in 2024?

[Legette vs. McConkey]

14 minutes ago, Thrivefourfive said:

Could you guys convince me that McConkey is this good? He seems to be LOVED by the board, with no negatives by my account. 
 

What makes him such a strong WR in general? If he’s good, he’s good, and of course he’d be a hit for the Bills, even if he isn’t a WR1, which we’d still be looking for if drafted. 

He does have negatives. As the Jokeman indicated, McConkey has battled injuries, so concerns about durability are not ridiculous. And he's not a great receiver in traffic, though he runs such savage routes that he normally creates a lot of space. The big 3 at the top of the draft have high floors and high ceilings, though no one is without risk. After that, everyone has something to worry about for sure. In addition, lots of folks in this thread think McConkey is just another slot receiver. We don't need more of those, frankly, but I don't think that's what he is. In the old nomenclature, he's a flanker.

10 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

it’s also cheaper/easier to find a lunch pail guy than an elite traits guy in free agency 

 

Also- I swear I meant that as a hard working technician of the game and not as a white guy

I think McConkey has some elite traits. The gritty slot/lunch pail thing annoys me. I think he's more the Fred Astaire of wide receivers. He's smooth, and at the same time can break a route off with violence.

[Predict the draft day trade]

19 minutes ago, Thrivefourfive said:

I could be dead wrong, all speculation, but doesn’t it also seem that Brown will be forever indebted to play his ass off for JA17 & the Bills. He doesn’t seem like the type of guy, given his current Bills journey, who will jump ship and go where he’ll make an extra dollar somewhere else. Jmo

I honestly don't know the answer to that, but what I do know is I don't have confidence there is an able replacement on the roster that I would want to be RT for the entire season.

[Legette vs. McConkey]

33 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

I just watched McConkey’s college highlights, and can’t stop seeing a slightly versatile slot receiver. I want to see what others are seeing, but I don’t get it. The college highlights look strikingly similar to a Kincaid, Shakir, Samuel type player. We don’t have a need for that. I appreciate the fact he lined up on the outside, but that’s college. The NFL is a huge step up, and I don’t see a guy with the physicality to play on the outside consistently. Our greatest hope is finding a Metcalf, Lamb, or AJ Brown type player. Someone who can dominate physically, while giving Josh a downfield threat. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I just struggle seeing this in McConkey. He looks like a slot receiver twig figure running down the field. 

I think he can play the Diggs' role. You'd still need to get a big X. I have advocated for McConkey and a trade up from 60 for Legette. Naturally, you're free to draw your own conclusions and advocate for whatever you like. If you think you only need one receiver to add to the WR group (I don't,) then a big trade up for Odunze is probably the best you could do if focused on the kind of boundary receiver you are looking for.

1 minute ago, GASabresIUFan said:

McConkey only lineup in the slot 25% of his college snaps if my memory serves.  
 

I’m a Dawg fan so I’m partial to Ladd, but I’m taking Mitchell above Ladd, Worthy, Coleman, Franklin or Legette. I love AD’s combo of size and speed.  I also like his ability to make the big play, 11 TDs last year and 5 TDs in 5 CFP games.

I know for whatever reason, you don't normally respond to anything I write, but the questions on Mitchell are about his effort, his diabetes, etc. I can't answer how much of that is manageable, real, etc. I do like him.

[Legette vs. McConkey]

38 minutes ago, Chaos said:

If the pick in the first is a WR it will be dissident they can’t make major contributions next season.  It seems like a losing strategy to use first round picks that need development.  

McConkey is absolutely a volume receiver year one. You don't know what you are talking about. Also, I don't think "dissident" means what you think it means.

[Legette vs. McConkey]

22 minutes ago, Chaos said:

Shakir demonstrated competence but it is not like he he is copper cupp or Wes Welker in his prime.  if McConkey beats him out,

I t is a good position to upgrade.  

It's been explained quite a bit, but McConkey lined up on the outside close to 80% of the snaps. Folks who are painting him as a gritty slot receiver are mistaken. He's the best route runner in the draft and faster than I think many folks imagine. He'd be a great pick at #28.

 

I like these fella's rankings. If you go to the 46 minute mark, they make the case for McConkey.  

 

 

[Predict the draft day trade]

1 minute ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

He’ll be smiling.

I'm not against the idea of getting a top 3 WR. I'll be very surprised if Beane is willing to trade 60 to do it.

[2024 WR Draft Class]

2 minutes ago, DCOrange said:

Tom Pelissero did mention him as one of the 4 guys to watch out for as a surprise 1st rounder. 

I agree it would be a surprise.

[Predict the draft day trade]

4 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

We are sending Picks 28, 60, 128 and 133 for pick 12 to Denver. Then we’re sending 12 and our 2025 2nd to Atlanta for pick 8.

I can't see Beane going a route that leaves him with only one pick in the first 2 days.

[Predict the draft day trade]

7 minutes ago, Warriorspikes51 said:

Spencer Brown? Or what are we using to get up there

The ease with which folks are willing to just throw in the starting RT who has matured into a solid starter as part of trade up package is infuriating. It doesn't help to improve the WR room at the cost of taking another starter off the Oline. Those who think La'el Collins is going to just step in and replace Brown are mistaken. Collins is a backup and paid like one for a reason.