finn

Like Whaley went after Sammy Watkins? Two first rounders and fourth to move up four spots to get a player he had conviction on, as you put it, while passing on Mike Evans and Odell Beckham, who were both available in their original spot and ended up having far better careers. Not saying you never trade up. It's sometimes the right move, especially for a quarterback. Beane has moved up four times, for Allen, Edmunds, Elam and Kincaid. Given what he gave up, that's not a very good record. Allen was a slam dunk of course, and Kincaid looks great (although La Porta was available in their original slot). But Edmunds was no more than above average, and Elam, well...

I agree. If a draft is loaded in a position of need, you don't trade up. When he was Bills GM, John Butler would let the draft come to him; sometimes the best move is not to move. E.g., not panicking and giving up a fourth to trade up for Elam (given that Beane realized he wasn't a good fit despite his skills). It looks like plenty of good WRs will be available at the end of round one and even in round two. If a good edge rusher is available at 28, I'd take him and pick up a WR in the second round. The alpha WR might be coming next year, when Beane has cap room, in the form of top free agent. Patience, grass hoper!

I compliment you for spelling "complement" correctly. 🙂

His catch-rate percentage is pretty mediocre, too: 68%. Compare that rate to his teammate Shakir catching ball from the QB: 86.7%. Let's put this all together. Diggs was (and is) earning the second highest salary on the team, drawing a huge percentage of targets. Yet last year he caught a far lower percentage than any of his teammates, except long-ball Davis, he's a distraction, he disappears in the playoffs, and he's washed. Beane was right to flush him. He extended Diggs when he was a top receiver, not knowing he would bottom out so quickly, which happens. To be blunt, his production is no longer worth the money or his whining, which was going to only increase as he declines. Take the hit and move on.

I was. Should have /s

What are you referring to? I missed a few news cycles.

There goes Simmons as our safety....

What would it take? Maybe our first and second this year, as well as our first and both seconds next year. That's one impact player instead of, potentially, five. No, better to trade up to the middle of the first round to take one of the top four WRs. Even that will take three high picks.

Good point. That squares with the Athletic's take after last season, which was that with no deep threat (Gabe Davis was a cartoon figure), teams rolled up on the short and intermediate routes, leaving the Bills with no option but to wait for the deep shot once or twice a game, which (late in the season/playoffs) Allen overthrew twice and Diggs dropped once.

On reflection, maybe this is a good move. I was willing to give Diggs the benefit of the doubt after his decline over the second half of the season. But then I think of that drop in the playoff game against KC. That spoke volumes. If you choke at the most important moment of the season, you're not untradeable anymore. Wish it were a first-rounder this year, but that's just not realistic. Hopefully they trade up for a WR 1. Maybe their first and second this year and their second next year to move up for one of the Big Four.

So a lousy 2nd round pick next year and we lose our best WR AND take a huge cap hit? WTF?

Beane has plenty of options at safety/corner, including Simmons and Blackmon after June 1 with the Tre White savings. Could be a decent safety available in the second round, too. No, I think Beane will draft a pass rusher then trade up in the second to nab a WR he likes, using a fourth-round pick. Then depth picks for DB and OL.

Basically what we've been paying Von Miller...🤢

Yes, I'll always appreciate him for those deep balls, against KC in the playoffs especially, but also the long TD he caught in stride when Allen was throwing from the end zone under heavy pressure. The pessimist in me sees a player just good enough to delay Beane from investing in the WR position before now, which might have made the difference the past two years between the Super Bowl and merely the playoffs. Still, I wish him luck. He seemed like a good guy, and he worked hard.

Was Davis really a downfield threat? It's always seemed to me he was just a guy out there, with average WR speed, average hands, and little ability to get separation. His success, one could say, was entirely due to a future HOF QB throwing to him. I'm willing to learn that I've been wrong about him, though. What did you see or know that I didn't describe here?

This board was pretty bullish last year at this time, as I recall. People were optimistic with things returning to normal after the truly weird 2022 season. Gabe Davis would finally shine, his injury behind him, Von and Tre would be back, a healthy Poyer and Hyde had another good year in them, Dorsey's offense and Kromer's O-line would improve with a year under its belt, and so on. But so many things went south, especially injuries. So, yes, I'm optimistic, but cautiously so. Actually, I'm most worried about Bass. You need a reliable kicker to win in this league, and Bass was not reliable last year.

A younger Linval Joseph.

Does anyone know if interviews and private workouts correlate with players the Bills draft ?

I wonder if Beane promised him that start. If they sign Blackmon or Simmons, that promise would be pretty disingenuous, less so if they draft a safety in the second round. He sounds like an excellent depth player but a gamble as a starter. My ideal scenario (given the cap): They sign Blackmon after June 1 and draft a safety in the fifth round and a corner in the fourth or fifth. Go into the season with Douglas and Bedford backed up by Elam, a rookie, and a free agent, with Blackmon and Rapp at safety backed up by Edwards, and a rookie. Jackson backed up by Lewis.

What don't you like about him? He's the athletic white guy, right?

What about trading down to pick up another second and third? They still might be able to pick up a good WR since the draft is deep there, and they'd have two more high picks. With needs at DE, DT, and S in addition to WR and depth on the offensive line, those two picks would be welcome. The top four or five WRs will be gone, but Mitchell, Franklin, or one of the two Xaviers might still be there in the second. Put it this way, would you rather have 1. Brian Thomas or 2. Keon Coleman AND a top safety AND a decent DT?

On his tiny throwing hand.

I won't miss Gabe. I can say that even as I recognize the valuable qualities he brought to the team. We need a big WR who can block, get deep, win contested throws, catch the ball in clutch moments, and block downfield. Gabe did some of that, but not all.

Yikes, that hurts our depth. Now we have Elam, Lewis, and....[crickets]

Add one impact WR, and you're looking at that guy, Diggs, Shakir, Kincaid, and Cook. With Allen behind a decent line, that's a scary lineup to face. One home run, and they go from meh to "Wow!"