finn

Until there's a run on them just before the Bills pick.

Drafting Starks would show a lot of imagination on Beane's part, a quality he hasn't really shown. He'll think, "We already have two starting safeties, one a second-rounder last year. I'm not going to put another premium pick there when I have needs elsewhere." It's the same thinking that might have caused him to choose Boogie Basham over Creed Humphrey, who played a position Beane had covered. He didn't seem to grasp that Humphrey could have stepped in for Morse the following year, providing an instant (and cheap) upgrade, just as Starks could supplant Rapp this year or next, and allow Bishop to play his more natural strong safety position.

Beane moving up. He moved up for Allen, yes, but he also moved up for Tremaine Edmunds, Cody Ford, Kaiir Elam, and Dalton Kincaid, passing on, respectively, Jaire Alexander, AJ Brown, Tariq Woolen, and Sam LaPorta. When he gets an itchy trigger finger, bad things tend to happen. So if I see "TRADE! Bills send their fourth-round pick (56 overall) to the LA Rams for their first-round pick (26 overall)," I will turn off the computer and go to bed, knowing for sure that they a) just burned a 4th round pick for a player who would have been there at 30 or even later; or b) they did so and picked a lemon to boot.

Dane Bruegler compares him to Milano in his ability to recognize plays and fly to the ball. There's a good case for picking him with the first of the two second-round picks, with CB and DT right before and after (in either order). Would be a forward-looking pick. I loved Bernard in 2023, but he was a lesser player last year: small, slow, and injured. A Williams-Schwesinger pairing might be elite in 2026.

It's awkward. Rapp is an adequate/average strong safety, and Bishop projects to be an upgrade, even a big one. But neither are a good fit at free safety. If the team didn't have crying needs elsewhere, it would be great to draft Malachi and let Rapp and Bishop compete for strong safety, leaving an excellent backup. (Or trade Rapp.) But it's risky to wait to address CB and DT. Tempting, though. I'd love to see an elite secondary.

Maybe they even see a Micah Hyde-type role for him in case he can't contribute on the field: a mentor either way, but a low-cost one in case he's washed.

I do like Amos, and the draft appears to be a lot deeper at DT. Still, Grant looks to me like another Ted Washington, who also went late in the first round.

But Kenneth Grant...😧

I realize it's a bit absurd for me to second-guess Beane, given the enormous amounts of time and resources he pours into researching these players over months and even years. And here I'm scolding him for his choices, drawing on the vast knowledge I gleaned from reading Lindy's Draft Guide and watching highlights on YouTube.

That's right. My heart sinks whenever I see his name, especially since Beane probably could have had Elam AND Woolen if he had stayed put in the first round and used the fourth-rounder he gave up for Elam on Woolen (would have had to move up a bit). I didn't see any problems with Elam, but I really wanted Woolen. Tall, fast, great hands and instincts, terrific athlete...? Pass. 🥺

I like that Porter didn't draw any flags last year and didn't allow a touchdown. He's green as they get, but with his talent, I hope Beane drafts him. I suspect he won't, though, since he didn't draft Tariq Woolen, who had the same profile, in 2022. People say this year's draft is awful, but there are a lot of gems out there.

"shooting Bail Inspector into the sun"? Is that a race horse? Why into the sun?

Do you have anyone in mind?

The scouting report on him looks terrific, even for a Day Two pick. If it's accurate, this is just the kind of player the Bills need for quality depth, in addition to a starter at the position. Git her done, Beane.

We can improve on Rapp, who is just ok as a starter in addition to be injury-prone.

Bobby Beathard did that every year as a matter of policy when he was the San Deigo GM. Didn't get him very far.

And the play was called back for roughing the passer because of the look he gave Mahomes as he ran by, right?

Beane doesn't take chances on injured players in the draft, or at least I can't recall him ever doing so. For example, he passed on the highly rated Trey Smith, who fell to the sixth round because of health concerns. Smith of course was chosen by KC and went to the Pro Bowl last year. I would be both thrilled and surprised if he picked Revel.

Bottom line: We need a CB far more desperately than a DT, DE., or WR You could even make an argument for two of the first three picks going to the secondary, it's that thin. Rapp is a placeholder, Bishop is a hope (a good one, I think), and the rest are JAGs. Only Benford is a proven player. Last year's pass rush would have gotten home if we had a stellar secondary. With Hamlin and Douglas? And Elam as CB depth? Even the bawds of euphony would cry out sharply.

That third-round pick would have been more than enough to move up for Cooper DeJean in the second round. Just sayin'.

To be fair, who was available and not too expensive? I guess Beane could have signed Gilmore or Douglas, but I wouldn't have been too happy with either, unless it's too give time for an early-round CB to develop or recover from injury. No, I'm guessing Beane is planning to draft two CBs, one early and one mid-round; plus, he might sign another Dane Jackson type for depth. The big CB question is Benford. Do you really want to make him the highest-paid player on the team outside of Allen? Maybe that's just the market, but Cook isn't going to be happy if that happens, especially if he doesn't get close to the $15 million he has his heart set on. (And that number might have gone up with the new Barkley contract.) Best-case scenario: Beane does it all, with a stud CB and a (rich) Benford joining Bishop, Taron and Rapp, and several quality depth players to complement a pass rush revitalized by Bosa and a stud DE. And on offense, a big fast WR project making just enough of a contribution that, combined with improved play by Coleman, makes the offense still better.

Needless to say, he would not have fit into the Bills culture. I wonder if that was the deal breaker for Beane, especially after just getting rid of Diva Diggs.

You talking about Diggs? 😇

Shades of Thurman Thomas revenge-signing with Miami. Sad.

Still, he's only 25. I guess the hope is that a change of scenery will coincide with or bring out his potential. I wish I could cite precedents, but none come to mind.