Dr. Who

I dunno, 30 lbs seems significant to me. I think Worthy is a talent. I'm worried about his size. If you get Worthy, you better find a way to get Legette, too, imo. (There are others, like Walker and Polk, that one could consider.)

Payton Wilson is a big, impressive LB. If you just look at the highlights, you want him on your team. And I do like him, though we don't have the luxury of taking a LB that early. And then the negatives on him are several. He's an older player. He turns 24 on draft day, and has a long injury history. So in that sense, it's a little sketchy as an answer to our hurt linebacker problem. Also, apparently he has trouble shedding blocks, so if he doesn't beat the oline or te to the runner, he might disappear from the play. If I am taking a chance on a defensive player with injury concerns, it's going to be Latu. What about Storm Duck? He's probably a ufa or seventh rounder. I just wanted to type Storm Duck.

Yes, I agree. Diggs was an elite weapon, though not so much last year. I also concur about cap management. I am not for trading for a high-priced veteran. Depending on what happens in the draft, I could see them bringing in a mid-level veteran to fill out the room. Obviously, Beane traded the Justin Jefferson pick for Diggs. The next best receivers during Allen's tenure are arguably Brown for one year, and Cole Beasley. Davis had that explosive game against KC, and some decent games interspersed with lots of dropped balls, nagging injury, and tolerable WR2 play. It's not a great collection, though the Kincaid selection is a nice start at adding offensive weapons with higher ceilings. It is a pivotal draft. Getting WR right could really set the team up well going forward. I don't want to think about the ramifications of getting it wrong. Let's just get it right.

I'm going to cheat and say I like Mitchell. I think he does a lot of things well. There may be whispers about character issues. I don't know, really, but on the field, the main criticism is that he coasts when the ball isn't coming to him. Folks compare him to the Steelers' WR, Pickens. I don't know if that is overblown or not, but I do know that Mitchell has a habit of making clutch plays in big games, and that is something we could surely use. Worthy is a fast feather. He's more than a speed fella, though. He has a more developed route tree, and he could be a real weapon. I still worry about his size, and a lot of very fast WRs for whatever reason don't translate into NFL success. If you take him, unless Shorter turns out well, a big X who can block and catch is still a need in the WR room, so Worthy by himself is not enough. How about Jackson Powers-Johnson?

So, I am pretty old. When I was a kid, the Bills were not making the playoffs. For idiosyncratic reasons, I adopted the Vikings as a team to root for. I liked Fran Tarkenton. He was nicknamed "the scrambler," and back then his leaving the pocket and buying time by running was a novel idea. So, naturally, I feel the football gods are especially spiteful. Florio has definitely put a taint on my nostalgia, but I too still have a soft spot for them.

Perhaps my expression was insufficiently clear. I understand that an elite QB is a force multiplier. One answer is that if that is so, why not multiply elite talent at WR and get the best possible return on that multiplication? And it is true that paying the francise QB means you have to be economical elsewhere. One of the ways you can do that is by drafting WR1 early and getting five cost-controlled years on a rookie contract. Aside from injuries to our D, which were ultimately crippling, KC has a few elite talents. Kelce had a down year, but he was money in the playoffs. Mahomes, of course, and Jones on D. Add in superior coaching. But to return to my original point, obviously elite WRs can help elevate the game of an ordinary QB, though the QB isn't going to maximize their talent. What I intend is the strategy of creating an overpowering offense that can terrify opposing defenses. I don't think that happens without a special QB combined with elite WR talent, or at least, it becomes much harder. Anyway, we are well into Josh Allen's prime. The rookie contract window has come and gone with a lot of post-season disappointment. I don't think Allen has been generally well-served by the roster construction in terms of the quality of surrounding weapons. I'd like to see a commitment to surrounding him with superlative weapons, rather than consistently asking him to elevate players who are "good enough." The latter can achieve decent statistical numbers, but it doesn't create the kind of offensive juggernaut that I believe is within reach.

I agree with all of this, except I think Kincaid can be really good. I don't know how close to Kelce, but I'm not ready to say he can't be elite. You can't count on that happening, however, and he may plateau at a lower level of achievement. Doesn't ultimately affect the overall truth that they still need to give Josh Allen much better weapons. Shakir and Samuel are solid pieces, but they are not A-level weapons. And as I've tried to point out to the D crowd -- if you have a truly potent offense, not just statistically, but one that can terrorize the opposition, you make the other teams' offense reactive, feeling that they have to match you after every drive or risk falling into the abyss. And most teams won't have the fire power to keep up. That is a big edge to your own D, because panic on the other side causes mistakes and also makes the playbook narrow to more predictable limits. If you have an ordinary QB, you can't try this strategy, but we don't have an ordinary QB. We have one of the most athletically gifted QBs to ever play the game. Why construct a roster that ignores that rare gift to your franchise?

Some of these folks think that's overkill. Just get someone who runs the right routes and catches the ball. What about the D, etc.? No matter how the draft plays out, Beane has to upgrade the WR room. I'd like to try exceptional talent at WR to add to Kincaid and Cook as weapons. Then role players like Samuel and Shakir slot into the place where you are not asking too much of them, and they are able to flourish with the correct level of expectation. Outside the top 3, I think you probably have to bring in two WRs, either through the draft or a combination of draft and trade.

I'm a McConkey fan. Some fella, I forget who, but it was an astute comment, said that McConkey could play the role that Diggs had in the offense, except that Diggs had more vertical downfield distance prowess, whereas McConkey runs most of his routes taking advantage of horizontal space and cuts into the middle of the field. What I insist on is that McConkey is not just a "gritty slot receiver," which is the narrative many push with regard to him. My sense is that a lot of folks see Franklin as the more obvious successor to Diggs. I think both are possible, and I see why folks like Franklin. I happen to prefer McConkey. How about Graham Barton? I think both Robinsons are reaches at the bottom of the first. Chop has quick twitch traits, and could develop into a genuine edge threat. I don't think he's worth the investment at #28, but he's the sort of player I can see McD liking. Darius is a different kind of DL player. He is more versatile. You can move him inside. I'd like him as a second round selection, but he's even more of a reach than Chop in the first, I think. Latu is a medical risk, and he may fall because teams are wary of it. It's easier to make a case for him as a first round selection, but that concern is genuine, imo. How about AD Mitchell?

I guess I misinterpreted the game rules. No, Sweat is not a first round pick, and he won't be selected there. After his DWI issue, he may fall a bit, but probably someone will take him late 2nd or 3rd round. I think he's going to be a good player, provided he grows up a bit and keeps his weight somewhat in check. The problem with Bowers and Kincaid is that neither is really a traditional TE. They both would naturally take up the same spot, though I think Bowers has somewhat greater downfield speed. What kind of formation are you running? Thomas just naturally fills the X role, and Josh seems more comfortable playing 11, rather than 12 personnel. And I don't think you can just say, take Bowers and figure it out, or take Bowers and get rid of Knox. Knox is a traditional TE, and we need that player. But I'm an UGA fan. I love Bowers and McConkey. I think they're both going to be very good pros. I'm just not sure what kind of offense you are running that sees both Kincaid and Bowers see the field for the majority of snaps, because they are similar players, overall, though I do think Bowers is somewhat more versatile. If there's a way to make it work, I'd be thrilled to see it. Since I can't really figure it out, I lean towards Thomas. I don't think the conundrum will actually present itself. I think Bowers is likely gone before 12 - 15. And now that I have answered all that, I'll throw out an actual first round option that would be controversial. Cooper Dejean. Not to bias anything, but in my view, it's a mediocre safety draft, and though Dejean is listed as a CB, he's probably the best safety in the draft. Nubin is the only competition there.

Yeah, his pal was fumbling around at the back of the draft party room sorting through stacks of hats trying to find the Bills' cap. No one really expected it.

No one seems to want to play by the initial rules. I think the way it is supposed to work, you comment on a player, then propose someone else for the next poster to comment on, and so forth. Regardless, I'll comment on your comment on Bowers and propose someone to think about (and note: the game is not confined to pick #28, so you can name someone who would be picked later on.) Some will think you are simply replicating Kincaid by choosing Bowers. I think Bowers can play outside some, and I'd be tempted to try that experiment, but you would have to trade up for Bowers about as far as you would trade up for maybe Odunze. You can trade up for Thomas at the same or lesser price point, and I would expect that is the route Beane would go if he made that investment. Player for next poster to consider: T'Vondre Sweat.

I think he is the one that is most likely to be plausibly available. I just don't see a move up into the top 6 picks. It would be prohibitively expensive. Someone would have to fall to the pick 8 or 9 range. (That will still be very expensive.) I can't see the Jets passing on Odunze, so I surmise that is where you'd have to get to acquire him.

I think four picks in the top 100 is unlikely. You could do it if you trade back from #28, and then package mid-round picks and add a 2025 second to move up or something like that. I think the 2025 1st only comes into play if Beane wants to move way up for a top 3 WR. This is probably too expensive a play, but that's the only way I see it happening. The most I would want to invest from 2025 picks is one of the seconds. I would do it to move up from #60 to get two picks in the top 40 or so, presuming there is a player there that is worth that investment.

I think I believe you on this, but every time I look at your avatar a little voice in my head says "this is not the way."

The glaring weakness in this draft is the lack of edge players. It is the weakest position in the draft, but ideally, you'd take a few mid to late round shots. I traded back to pick up a third, and then I decided to see what you could do if you wanted an X receiver of sufficient stature, and a fella that could replace Diggs. I like McConkey, but you could replace him with Franklin if so inclined. Then Benson was sitting there at #60, and I decided to annoy the D crowd by taking a really dynamic RB (which will also annoy the "don't take a RB early crowd.") 35. Ladd McConkeyWR Georgia 60. Trey BensonRB Florida State 71. Devontez WalkerWR North Carolina 128. Tykee SmithS Georgia 133. Jordan JeffersonDT LSU 144. Layden RobinsonOG Texas A&M 160. Justin EboigbeDT Alabama 200. Joe Milton IIIQB Tennessee 204. Brevyn Spann-FordTE Minnesota 248. Decorian PattersonCB UCF

Others answered. It's fine if you like Coleman. He's not my choice. I don't care what Knox is paid. He's a decent TE when healthy.

You think Beane spends any more 2025 picks and day 3 selections to move up for a day 2 pick? Nabers is stellar, so I wouldn't really be unhappy about it, but it's a long wait till Saturday. Personally, I've been hoping that if there is a move up that is expensive, it includes a 2025 second and not #60, but I doubt Chicago would go for that.

Florio is also a Vikings' fan. Maybe he's trying that speak it into existence hocus pocus.

That doesn't mean anything other than the future is an unknown, and the draft an uncertain science. Some folks think you should never trade up for WR because Sammy Watkins, and others counter with Julio Jones. A lot of it has to do with particular fit with what a team needs, and the coaching staff available, injury luck, for a WR the QB in place. Coleman runs a 4.6, doesn't have explosive separation, needs to play in a big slot probably to be successful, so he would take snaps from Kincaid. You want to make a case for other side, have at it.

I generally favor trying to get 2 WRs early, one at #28 and trading up from #60. I like McConkey and think he will be a high volume receiver right out of the box, so to speak. Then I'd like to end up with Legette or Mitchell. I would be willing to part with a 2025 second to accomplish that. I'd rather not pay the price for a top 3. Your argument is a compelling one, so long as you hit on the WR. You're in a world of hurt if you get it wrong, and some folks might not want to take that risk. I do think the top 3, barring the unforeseen mishap or unknown data we are unaware of, look to be high floor players who also have high ceilings. I could be totally wrong on this, but I do have a feeling Beane wouldn't have traded Diggs without a tangible plan. Maybe it was something so bad in the locker room, he had to make the trade, I dunno. I think it's at least 50/50 he goes big, and tries to get a top tier WR.

Some folks have written extensively pro and con. I can't do them justice briefly. Since I am in the opposition to Coleman, at least at #28, the case against is that historically, WRs with 4.6 forty times have a low rate of success. He doesn't give you explosiveness or separation. He wins contested balls, and he may have a harder time doing that in the pros when the dbs are bigger and faster. Those who like him think he would thrive with Allen, and like that he can bulldoze players on the other side of the ball. We don't have that now, unless Shorter emerges as a player, I guess. Some analyses suggest that players with his size and relative lack of speed may do well as a big slot, but I don't want a WR that needs to take snaps from Kincaid to be successful. Overall, I prefer Legette if we don't make an expensive play for a big 3 WR or Thomas. I also prefer Mitchell, even though he probably has as many detractors as those who don't want Coleman. And naturally, if we do take him, I hope he will be a smashing success.

Traded back several times, no trades of 2025 draft picks. Unlikely, but some days the slot machine pays off. 42. Ladd McConkeyWR Georgia 59. Xavier LegetteWR South Carolina 60. Ruke OrhorhoroDT Clemson 128. Blake CorumRB Michigan 133. Tykee SmithS Georgia 144. Jordan JeffersonDT LSU 160. Garret GreenfieldOT South Dakota State 163. M.J. DevonshireCB Pittsburgh 200. Myles ColeEDGE Texas Tech 248. Carter BradleyQB South Alabama

Fella over on the Sabres' forum posted a comment I thought was interesting, so I asked if I could post it over here. It's not inside info, but I think it is an informed opinion. "Talk[ed] to my college football guy. He called McConkey a great #2 receiver and considering he lives under 5 miles away from where Ladd plays and has seen 100% of his snaps, I'm gonna trust him here. Also said he's not a Worthy fan. Thinks McConkey at 28 is probably a tiny reach but would take him there as he will be a hot commodity if available later. Also added the following "I'd also think about what Ladd would look like in KC. He's a receiver that would almost instantly work with Mahomes and Andy Reids offense. If not there, Todd Monken is in Baltimore."