Ok, since its senior bowl week and I haven't heard much about it yet, i decided I'd throw my two cents in. Unlike past years, there's a lot of good players participating in the game this year, especially players that are of interest to Buffalo.
Louisville DT Amobi Okoye - Word out of ESPN insider is that he weighed in at 287, down from the 305 he was listed at for his senior season. That's light for a DT if we're hoping to add beef in the middle. Though I admit his age is attractive (he's only 19 years old), I really think we need size up the middle to improve our run defense. If you look at most cover-2 teams (i.e the colts, bucs, and even the bears towards the end of the season), they struggle against the run because the system is designed around speed. Speed equales smaller guys. Smaller guys results in being pused around between the tackles. Ideally you want a big guy with speed who can penatrate and rush the passer, but who can also help agaisnt the run too (alla warren sapp in his prime) and i don't know if Okoye really offers that.
Michigan DT Alan Branch - I don't think he's participating in the senior bowl, but he can't be ignored. He'd be a huge presence on the Bill's DL all 6-6 331 pounds of him. I'll admit i haven't done my research on him, so i don't know if he's a good cover 2 DT or not. I also don't know about his speed. He's far and away rated as the number 1 DT in the draft though and bills would have to get lucky for him to drop to them (same with OT Joe Thomas and WR Calvin Johnshon, which is why they aren't on this list).
Michigan CB Leon Hall - rated at the top CB, but apperently from reports hasn't been looking like it such far. He's 5'11 and 193 pounds. He's currently number 10 on Mel's Big Board. He's quick with decent size, and alot of mock drafts have him going in the top 10.
Really when you look at the bills needs, their draft position and the analysis of the players out there, I don’t know if they can get good value at the number 12 spot.
There aren't any other good "value" DT's at that spot, nor are there any O-linemen worth reaching for there. CB's are plentiful, but there's a gap between Hall and the rest. As for LB's, I dont really think there's a guy out there worth the 12th overall pick. OLB Paul Posluszney is a beast, but for some reason, he's been slipping over the last few months. The only player that seems to really fit is Branch, although they’ll be lucky if he’s still around when they are on the clock. One thing to think about is trading down. Perhaps to the low 20’s and being able to pick up a extra 2nd round draft pick in the process. Along with Posluszney, other players like Chris Houston (CB -Ark) and Revis (Pitt) might be good options for later in the first round. There are two players in specific though I think would fit well in Buffalo. Consider these two players who are having good weeks at the senior bowl practices (so far) and who can help the bills right away:
Cal CB Daymeion Hughes -Here's an intriguing guy. He's 5'11 and 192 pounds. Although he doesn't have the size of Nate Clements, he's been rising up draft boards. Some project him as high has 20 overall, and that was before the excellent senior bowl week practices he's having. He's not overly fast, but is instinctive and ideal for the cover two. Here's what ESPN said about his performance at the senior bowl this week:
"There wasn't a receiver on the team, including standouts such as Jason Hill (Washington State), Rhema McKnight (Notre Dame) and David Clowney (Virginia Tech), who could shake Hughes in one-on-one drills. While it's important to put everything into perspective this week, I think it's safe to say that Hughes showed better man-to-man cover skills this afternoon than Michigan's Leon Hall, who is widely considered the top cornerback prospect and a potential top-15 pick in this year's class." - ESPN
and then there's the reason why I started posting this to begin with...
Penn State RB Tony Hunt - Here's a guy that Mel Kiper rated as the 5th overalll RB's among seniors (that doesn't even include the juniors like Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch). Many mock drafts have him as a second or third rounder, and he's been flying under the radar up until this week. Being a Penn State alumnus though, i've been following ths guy for quite some time. He's a pure beastQ All 6'1'' 235 punds of him. He's a great blocker and has good hands out of the backfield. The biggest knock against him is his speed, but he place deceptivly quick. Hunt's best attribute though is his determination. He always runs hard and is a north and south runner (are you listening willis?) ESPN insider has said that he looks like the best all around back so far this week nothing his size and good blocking. CNNSI has said that he looked great in the weight room. I really feel as though he's going to be a sud in the NFL. The reason why he is on this list is because where we could possibly get him. If the bills trade down and aquire an extra pick, this may be the perfect guy for it. As i said earlier, right now he's projected as a second or third round guy, but (almost bitter-sweetly) I think his draft status is going to go up much higher from there. If he continues to have a good week this week ( which i think he will considering they're in pads today and running over people is what he does best), I can only see his stock going up at the combine (the only thing holding him back is if he has a bad 40-time). That said, if he goes up too high, he wouldn't be a good fit for Buffalo. But if we could get him in the 2nd or 3rd, he'd be a steal. The drafts a long ways away, and there's so much left to happen between now and then, but keep on eye on this kid (because he might just be the perfect replacement for Willis Mcgahee)
(note: The Willis Mcgahee debate: Iin my eyes, aside from all his character flaws, he just hasn't produced. Running backs are a dime a dozen in the NFL with a shelf life of less then 4 years. Willis is entering his 4th year now and wasn't even able to hit the 1000 yard mark this past season. I know he didn't have a great line, but not every great NFL runner have had good O-lines. 1000 yards also isn't what it use to be, not with guys like LT, LJ or shaun alexander around. Need I remind you we drafted Willis Mcgahee when Travis Henry was coming off a 1300+ yard season. The season Willis was rehabilitating his knee Travis ran for 1400+ yards. Willis wasn't able to crack a 1000 this season. Now, I'm in no way saying that we should make RB a priority, we have far to many needs, but if the right guy is in the right position, you gotta look at him. Furthermore, although personally I wouldn't like to see Willis on the roster next year, I can't see that happening for a few reasons. First, he has no trade value right now (see the reasons above). Who would give up a 1st or 2nd round pick when you can draft a guy with fresh young legs who can be just as productive if not better? They might be able to find some sucker to take him for a third rounder, but I seriously doubt it and Marv is not just going to give him away. Second, despite his lackluster performance, he's a good deal right now. He's getting far below market value, which makes it economically foolish to just cut him. I think for those two reasons alone Willis will be our back next year. Beyond that, when his contract runs out, or he demands more money i don't know though. And as I said above, if the right guy is there, why not? This is a team that is building to win now, not a few years from now, so why not have his replacement ready to go?).
