Dr. Who

I draft the qb. My order of preference: Mahomes, Watson, Trubisky. If you think one of the available qbs is a franchise qb, why wouldn't you draft them? It's the most important position in today's NFL. It doesn't matter how strong or weak the 2018 class is in that case. The people who are passing on the qb just don't think highly of any of them. This is not 2013 redux imo. Depth at DB means you can get a good one in the second round, no?

Manziel played for Texas A&M, no?

That's what I meant by "the scrutiny is selective." I don't think he cares.

I think there is a reasonable chance, despite what mock drafts are projecting, that all four top qbs get drafted in the first round. For the business as usual crowd, this is a great opportunity to trade back, get extra picks, and stack the defense. What we ought to do is choose the best qb on the board at #10, hopefully Mahomes.

Completely agree. There are a lot of folks on this board, however, who agree with the standard fill holes strategy and think one is a childish, instant gratification dope for thinking qb this year.

I like Mahomes, Trubisky, and Watson. I suspect Kizer might be EJ 2.0, but if he fell to the second, I might take a chance. Otherwise, I'd just pass on qb.

If they settle on this fella, it's not a good sign.

Well, I didn't think I was making a statement designed to engender such an emotive rejoinder. Prudential judgement is keyed to the specific, particular case, so nothing I said has anything to do with baseball and steroids. There is no self-evident logical necessity in affirming something excessive regarding Thompson's punishment that would require one to dismiss the effect of steroids on performance. But I surmise we have differing criteria for what constitutes thinking and the nature of appeal to emotion.

It was an awkward re-placement, no doubt, but I find it hard to see an appreciable advantage in such a short putt. My main point is the hammer was excessive and the scrutiny selective.

I am one of those who thinks we need to address qb early, so I don't like this strategy. I do believe OBD will probably follow something like this plan. I will give my alternatives following your tactics. If you go with Reddick, I hope you are trading back to take him. #10 is a little rich, I think, though he's an excellent lb choice. For the second round pick, I like Budda Baker or Obi Melifonwu. My under the radar third round choice would be Adam Shaheen te from Ashland.

Obviously nothing, but no one forced you to read the thread.

Not a big fan of the NBA, so I don't watch that show. All I knew about Sage Steele was that she was attractive and seemed articulate. Now that I know she has the courage to go up against the PC mob, I am a fan.

What a complete and utter non sequitur. No one has said "only QB matters." Some fellas think they are funny or are making a strong satiric point when they suggest taking 53 qbs, as if they were producing a reductio ad absurdam argument when they are merely being absurd. Franchise qb remains disproportionately important to success in the NFL. Obviously, one needs good players. One needs to fill "holes" as much as possible. Arguing for a priority to qb is not the same as dismissing other needs. Further, I don't see many folks saying one should "blindly" choose a qb. There are ample examples of those who have articulated a genuine argument as to why Mahomes could become a franchise qb. It's fine to disagree, but dishonest to pretend that those who advocate for taking a qb have not presented reasons why Mahomes, Trubisky, or Watson might be worthy of an early pick. It is not a proven certitude that this draft class is the same as 2013. I think it is clearly a better draft class. So, it is not "basically defending the Manuel pick" unless one presupposes this is a poor draft class at qb.

For once, OBD, get ahead of the curve.

An impressive list of transferable traits that make Mahomes really intriguing. But, you know, a fella posts a link about the Air Raid offense and "buyer beware." Deep thought there. Did you know, Jeffismagic, that the Air Raid offense has never produced an NFL qb of merit? Like, no one has said that in this ginormous thread. Forget everything else. Forget that most Air Raid qbs are small, quick fellas like Johnny football or that individuals can actually learn and transcend the limits of a system, especially if they have rare, superior measurables. But for some, Air Raid = takes off list of draftable players or waits until a late round to chance it.

Your ire is both juvenile and misplaced. Snowflakes want to live in a bubble where everyone agrees with them. I am a Christian conservative with a PhD in the humanities. I am absolutely used to being a minority and shut down by the snowflake totalitarianism you supposedly abhor. This has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with whether the advent of modern technology and the hyper-scrutiny of some golfers in particular situations is just or not. Those who think it is unjust are not communists or authoritarians. Indeed, a kind of reactionary and unthinking scrupulosity regarding rules is much more intrinsically authoritarian. If justice did not require careful consideration of a particular situation (the equity in a concrete dispute,) one could get a robot to read off the rules and penalties. Thompson did not "cheat" because the difference was utterly negligible and there was no intent to defraud competitors. Actual golfers know this, so they were sympathetic to Thompson, not self-righteously angry with her.

A prudential judgement ought to be able to recognize justice beyond strict interpretation of the rules. A good golfer is placed under greater scrutiny. If you're having a bad day, you won't show up on telly for some nerd-accountant type to get upset and tattle. It was an excessive penalty. When the winner feels bad, you know the athletes recognize it was not real justice.

This. The only reason you pass on qb to fill a hole at cb, lb, wr etc. is if you determine there are no potential franchise qbs available at #10. There is probably at least one, imo, and the Bills need to take a shot. Mahomes has the highest ceiling. I am not discounting the risk, but I'd roll the dice. I also like Watson and Trubisky. But fellas like Kiper's Hair who claim inside knowledge say they are doing the same "fill the holes" strategy that has resulted in nearly twenty years of failure. Franchise qb and good coaching makes up for a lot of misses. Get those two right and you are almost always in the conversation. Figure it out OBD and show some guts.

I think its generally a mistake to raid 2018 draft picks to move up in the 2017 draft. Obviously, we could. I will reiterate. I would only think about such a move for a franchise qb.

When you have only six picks in the draft, trading up is probably unwise. I don't think Allen would be worth the cost. DW continues to get raked over the coals for trading up for Sammy. Might be different without the injury issues and deficiencies at qb. Imo, we don't have the resources and I would only trade up if OBD has identified a franchise qb.

I have been arguing that having Taylor on a team friendly contract gives one the opportunity to sit a qb and let him develop. Any qb taken at #10 or later will need time. I have not noticed a lot of posters thinking otherwise. There is one fella who is indeed promising the Hall of Fame. Most other posters are more rational in their evaluations. For the record, I like Mahomes, Trubisky, and Watson. I just believe we need to address qb now. I think it's a pretty good draft class, not a bad one or "meh" as many seem to believe. None of them are can't miss. It's still a risk, but good teams evaluate well and minimize risk. That hasn't been us, of course, but it isn't metaphysically impossible for the Bills to draft a good qb. All this assumes Taylor is not a franchise qb. Those who believe he is will naturally dissent.

No one is forcing you to read the thread. Strange reaction to wish ill on a fella that way. If DW passes on a franchise qb, all the fans who want to fill positional holes on D or WR now instead will be calling for his head later. Half of them will be telling you how they wanted Mahomes or Trubisky, etc.

With that kind of logic, the only time the team won a championship, they were sporting the standing buffalo.

And yet those who dismiss Mahomes continue to trot out this simplistic argument. Jeff George, Cutler, etc. I won't make absolute claims: very few are impressed with arm strength alone. Obviously it is not determinative of future success. Having a strong arm, however, joined with other necessary qualities, is undoubtedly a plus. Do you treat being a qb for an Air Raid i.e. spread collegiate offense as equivalent to a bad character flaw that takes a player off your draft board -- or significantly lowers his draft value? Many qbs from this system were Johnny Football size fellas. Mahomes is different and I think he can develop, assuming he has good character, intelligence, and work ethic.

I don't think anyone is arguing about next year. The question is whether Tyrod is a long term solution or a bridge qb. If he's a bridge qb, don't you want the developmental qb on the roster "developing" so that the bridge is actually going somewhere? Mahomes has prototypical size, athleticism, and a howitzer. He's creative and makes throws in spite of horrible mechanics. 1) the main point is to get the ball to the receiver. If he does that, I don't really care what his mechanics are. 2) the idea is to draft him to sit and learn for a year or two. It's up to our GM, scouts, and coaches to determine if the young man has the character, intelligence and adaptability to break bad habits and learn. Tarring him with a "far worse version of Cutler" brush is patently unfair. We KNOW Cutler's ceiling, limits, and stubbornness. He's a finished product with flaws that were never fixed. We absolutely do not know this about Mahomes. Further, we do know he played on a team that was defensively terrible, so he knew he had to put up fifty points a game to compete. This might provide some context for "careless gunslinging." Imo, it's a mistake to pass on him if he's available at #10.