Since we can't grade 2010 draft yet, how 'bout 2007?

[HurlyBurly51]

OK, the general consensus is it takes 3 years until you can properly grade a draft. Here's our 2007 draft class. Have at it.

 

2007 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 12 Marshawn Lynch RB California

2 34 Paul Posluszny MLB Penn State

3 92 Trent Edwards QB Stanford

4 111 Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State

6 184 John Wendling DB Wyoming

7 222 Derek Schouman FB Boise State

7 239 C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma

 

Here's some grades at that time.

 

Buffalo Bills: This is not necessarily a complaint about the players the Bills drafted because running back Marshawn Lynch is very talented, linebacker Paul Posluszny was considered a first-round talent and quarterback Trent Edwards was highly regarded by many. However, you have to wonder if the Bills did a lot of checking into Lynch's background, given the character issues, before they used a pick this high on him. Even more, Lynch is probably going to like Buffalo's weather as much as former back Willis McGahee. That said, if the Bills get four or five good years out of Lynch, who cares if he likes it there?

Grade: B+

 

 

Buffalo B The Bills considered taking Posluszny in the first and wound up with him in the second. Lynch is an automatic starter, replacing Willis McGahee. Edwards is excellent QB insurance for J.P. Losman.

 

Buffalo Bills ***

USA Today 3 out of 4 stars: RB Marshawn Lynch makes Willis McGahee's departure tolerable. LB Paul Posluszny is a mini-steal with the 34th pick. QB Trent Edwards is a questionable third-round pick, considering Buffalo has multiple defensive needs.

 

Buffalo (A) - The Bills may still end up between Sucky and Mediocre next season, but the good news is that Marv hasn't forgotten how to build a winner. They're getting younger and faster and they addressed two monster needs (LB and RB) with the No. 2 guys at their respective positions (Posluzny and Lynch).

 

 

April grade: B

January grade: C The Bills found three key pieces of the rebuilding process in the 2007 draft – quarterback (Trent Edwards), running back (Marshawn Lynch) and middle linebacker (Paul Posluszny). But Posluszny missed the final 13 games of his rookie season with a broken forearm.

[Justice]

D-

[Dr. Fong]

No wonder the Bills suck.

[QB Bills]

Egads...

 

They were so close to getting Patrick Willis...dammit!

 

CJ Ah You...now there's a name and a half.

[Numark]

yea, our drafts have been ugly pre 2009 draft for awhile now. Shame

[C.Biscuit97]

It's still kinda of incomplete IMO. The bottom half produced nothing though Wendling was a good STer. If Losman didn't fail so bad, Edwards probably would have played in a few games, did well, and had great value as a backup QB or potential trade bait.

 

Poz basically miss his entire rookie season but really picked up his play the 2nd half of last year. I feel that he is going to really shine as an ILB next to Davis this year.

 

And as much as we hate Lynch, before this season, he was off to the 2nd best start of any rb in Bills history (he had slightly less yards than Henry) and went to a pro bowl. He still is very young but it sounds like the Bilsl are turning the page on him.

 

But looking back, it doesn't look that great.

[symbiant]

We will find out. This is the key year for Lynch/Pos/Edwards

[San Jose Bills Fan]

It's still kinda of incomplete IMO. The bottom half produced nothing though Wendling was a good STer. If Losman didn't fail so bad, Edwards probably would have played in a few games, did well, and had great value as a backup QB or potential trade bait.

 

Poz basically miss his entire rookie season but really picked up his play the 2nd half of last year. I feel that he is going to really shine as an ILB next to Davis this year.

 

And as much as we hate Lynch, before this season, he was off to the 2nd best start of any rb in Bills history (he had slightly less yards than Henry) and went to a pro bowl. He still is very young but it sounds like the Bilsl are turning the page on him.

 

But looking back, it doesn't look that great.

Nice idea for a post, HB. Good post above too.

 

One could say that the bottom half of the draft produced our starting tight end, Derek Schouman.

 

He was starting to look like a pretty decent player before getting injured last year.

[Steely Dan]

2007 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 12 Marshawn Lynch RB California - two 1,000 yard seasons in his first two years. B+

2 34 Paul Posluszny MLB Penn State - excellent pick that hasn't stopped getting better A

3 92 Trent Edwards QB Stanford - C still think there might be something there.

4 111 Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State - D

6 184 John Wendling DB Wyoming - was one of the best ST players until he was cut. B-

7 222 Derek Schouman FB Boise State - will be on the Bills roster this year and contribute a lot B

7 239 C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma - F

 

I'd give it a B-. JMO

 

Lets check out 2006

 

1 8 Donte Whitner SS Ohio State - C

1 26 John McCargo DT North Carolina State - F

3 70 Ashton Youboty CB Ohio State - C

4 105 Ko Simpson FS South Carolina - D

5 134 Kyle Williams DT Louisiana State - A

5 143 Brad Butler T Virginia would probably have been at least a B had he stayed until he couldn't play anymore.

6 178 Keith Ellison OLB Oregon State - C

7 216 Terrance Pennington T New Mexico - F

7 248 Aaron Merz G California - F

 

I'd give it a C-

 

2005

 

2 55 Roscoe Parrish WR Miami (Fla.) - B-

3 86 Kevin Everett TE Miami (Fla.) Would have probably ended up at least a B without his injury.

4 122 Duke Preston C Illinois - D-

5 156 Eric King DB Wake Forest - F

6 197 Justin Geisinger G Vanderbilt - F

7 236 Lionel Gates RB Louisville - F

 

I give it a D- leaving Everett out of it.

 

2004

 

1 13 Lee Evans WR Wisconsin - the QB troubles are not his fault - A

1 22 J.P. Losman QB Tulane - F

3 74 Tim Anderson DT Ohio State - F His lunchpail F-

4 109 Tim Euhus TE Oregon State - F

7 207 Dylan McFarland T Montana - F

7 214 Jonathan Smith WR Georgia Tech - F

 

I'd give it an F+

[GG]

2005

 

5 156 Eric King DB Wake Forest - F

6 197 Justin Geisinger G Vanderbilt - F

 

I give it a D-

 

Oh oh. That's worse than saying Beetlejuice three times.

[uforesircher]

your point is well taken and shared by most people who understand that the draft is a crapshoot - therefore all the draft grades are just a joke and not based on nfl game playing ability imo - you don't see these same guys come back 3 years later and analyze just how badly they graded teams' draft picks

[bbb]

I didn't get the Dwayne Wright pick when we made it, and I don't think he ever played a down, did he?

[cale]

Egads...

 

They were so close to getting Patrick Willis...dammit!

 

CJ Ah You...now there's a name and a half.

 

Our scouting dept's claim at the time and still is that Poz was higher on their board. No wonder we (still) suck.

[Deep2Moulds46]

People say the verdict is out on Lynch, but i disagree.

 

Not only did he already lose his job as starting RB, but i highly doubt the Bills saw themselves being the position to draft another top-10 RB 3 years after drafting him. Regardless of if he regains his pro bowl form, the dominoe affect of his mistakes has already set us back quite a bit.

 

Edwards has to at least be a C+ Maybe even a B-. HE hasn't turned into the franchise QB everybody hoped, but he has played well at times, and for a late 3rd round draft pick, you got a starting QB who has had moments.

[Steely Dan]

I didn't get the Dwayne Wright pick when we made it, and I don't think he ever played a down, did he?

 

http://www.nfl.com/players/dwaynewright/profile?id=WRI168848

 

He played in 15 games in 2007 and currently is with Philiadelphia.

[JPS]

Overall, the '04-'06 drafts were an overwhelming "F". And those drafts are the reason we suck today. '07 is not looking great. Wow....I can't believe how bad those drafts turned out to be.

 

But didn't you know it? I just remember us NOT picking big men for about 5 years. Ouch!

[GG]

Our scouting dept's claim at the time and still is that Poz was higher on their board. No wonder we (still) suck.

 

Of course they're going to say that after they drafted Poz.

[BuffaloBill]

Ouch it is painful to read that list. Unbless Edwards somehow manages to turn it around this year you would have to rate that draft as an epic failure. Poz is good but not great and sadly by the end of the year he may be the only player left on the roster from this draft.

[dhg]

2005

 

2 55 Roscoe Parrish WR Miami (Fla.) - B-

3 86 Kevin Everett TE Miami (Fla.) Would have probably ended up at least a B without his injury.

4 122 Duke Preston C Illinois - D-

5 156 Eric King DB Wake Forest - F

6 197 Justin Geisinger G Vanderbilt - F

7 236 Lionel Gates RB Louisville - F

 

I give it a D- leaving Everett out of it.

 

2004

 

1 13 Lee Evans WR Wisconsin - the QB troubles are not his fault - A

1 22 J.P. Losman QB Tulane - F

3 74 Tim Anderson DT Ohio State - F His lunchpail F-

4 109 Tim Euhus TE Oregon State - F

7 207 Dylan McFarland T Montana - F

7 214 Jonathan Smith WR Georgia Tech - F

 

I'd give it an F+

 

Wow. Those two drafts set us back years. Thanks TD.

[Endless Ike]

I honestly don't think the 2007 draft was so bad.

 

Marshawn's a dufus, but his story's not over yet...could turn into a thunder/lightning flash/bang tandem with Spiller. And like it or not he's made a pro-bowl.

 

If the bills hit on starters in the first three rounds of every draft we would be a legitimate team, instead of a bunch of mopes, which, let's face it, is what we got.

 

Not a home run, but not terrible, I think a B is fair

[dollars 2 donuts]

2007 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 12 Marshawn Lynch RB California - two 1,000 yard seasons in his first two years. B+

2 34 Paul Posluszny MLB Penn State - excellent pick that hasn't stopped getting better A

3 92 Trent Edwards QB Stanford - C still think there might be something there.

4 111 Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State - D

6 184 John Wendling DB Wyoming - was one of the best ST players until he was cut. B-

7 222 Derek Schouman FB Boise State - will be on the Bills roster this year and contribute a lot B

7 239 C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma - F

 

I'd give it a B-. JMO

 

Lets check out 2006

 

1 8 Donte Whitner SS Ohio State - C

1 26 John McCargo DT North Carolina State - F

3 70 Ashton Youboty CB Ohio State - C

4 105 Ko Simpson FS South Carolina - D

5 134 Kyle Williams DT Louisiana State - A

5 143 Brad Butler T Virginia would probably have been at least a B had he stayed until he couldn't play anymore.

6 178 Keith Ellison OLB Oregon State - C

7 216 Terrance Pennington T New Mexico - F

7 248 Aaron Merz G California - F

 

I'd give it a C-

 

2005

 

2 55 Roscoe Parrish WR Miami (Fla.) - B-

3 86 Kevin Everett TE Miami (Fla.) Would have probably ended up at least a B without his injury.

4 122 Duke Preston C Illinois - D-

5 156 Eric King DB Wake Forest - F

6 197 Justin Geisinger G Vanderbilt - F

7 236 Lionel Gates RB Louisville - F

 

I give it a D- leaving Everett out of it.

 

2004

 

1 13 Lee Evans WR Wisconsin - the QB troubles are not his fault - A

1 22 J.P. Losman QB Tulane - F

3 74 Tim Anderson DT Ohio State - F His lunchpail F-

4 109 Tim Euhus TE Oregon State - F

7 207 Dylan McFarland T Montana - F

7 214 Jonathan Smith WR Georgia Tech - F

 

I'd give it an F+

 

 

 

That is the worst post I have ever read.

 

I am not saying anything against you, Rfeynman, as a matter of fact, nicely done.

 

It is just simply the content...honestly, it is enough to make me sick just thinking about it.

[Lurker]

Overall, the '04-'06 drafts were an overwhelming "F". And those drafts are the reason we suck today. '07 is not looking great. Wow....I can't believe how bad those drafts turned out to be.

Yep, they're hard to look at.

 

Makes you wonder why we spend so much time on pre-draft analysis...

[peteski]

I didn't get the Dwayne Wright pick when we made it, and I don't think he ever played a down, did he?

He didn't play a down when he didn't fumble.

[grelit]

We will find out. This is the key year for Lynch/Pos/Edwards

 

That was actually last year...and they failed.

[Celtic_soulja]

Lynch B

Poz A

Edwards B

Wright F

Wendling C

Shouman C

Ah You F

 

Rate the draft a C overall

[SKRAAPY]

OK, the general consensus is it takes 3 years until you can properly grade a draft. Here's our 2007 draft class. Have at it.

 

2007 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 12 Marshawn Lynch RB California

2 34 Paul Posluszny MLB Penn State

3 92 Trent Edwards QB Stanford

4 111 Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State

6 184 John Wendling DB Wyoming best player from this draft

7 222 Derek Schouman FB Boise State

7 239 C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma

[coldstorage5]

2007 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 12 Marshawn Lynch RB California - two 1,000 yard seasons in his first two years. B+

2 34 Paul Posluszny MLB Penn State - excellent pick that hasn't stopped getting better A

3 92 Trent Edwards QB Stanford - C still think there might be something there.

4 111 Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State - D

6 184 John Wendling DB Wyoming - was one of the best ST players until he was cut. B-

7 222 Derek Schouman FB Boise State - will be on the Bills roster this year and contribute a lot B

7 239 C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma - F

 

I'd give it a B-. JMO

 

Lets check out 2006

 

1 8 Donte Whitner SS Ohio State - C

1 26 John McCargo DT North Carolina State - F

3 70 Ashton Youboty CB Ohio State - C

4 105 Ko Simpson FS South Carolina - D

5 134 Kyle Williams DT Louisiana State - A

5 143 Brad Butler T Virginia would probably have been at least a B had he stayed until he couldn't play anymore.

6 178 Keith Ellison OLB Oregon State - C

7 216 Terrance Pennington T New Mexico - F

7 248 Aaron Merz G California - F

 

I'd give it a C-

 

2005

 

2 55 Roscoe Parrish WR Miami (Fla.) - B-

3 86 Kevin Everett TE Miami (Fla.) Would have probably ended up at least a B without his injury.

4 122 Duke Preston C Illinois - D-

5 156 Eric King DB Wake Forest - F

6 197 Justin Geisinger G Vanderbilt - F

7 236 Lionel Gates RB Louisville - F

 

I give it a D- leaving Everett out of it.

 

2004

 

1 13 Lee Evans WR Wisconsin - the QB troubles are not his fault - A

1 22 J.P. Losman QB Tulane - F

3 74 Tim Anderson DT Ohio State - F His lunchpail F-

4 109 Tim Euhus TE Oregon State - F

7 207 Dylan McFarland T Montana - F

7 214 Jonathan Smith WR Georgia Tech - F

 

I'd give it an F+

 

 

Great job, wow the 2004 and 2005 drafts were horrible. 1 Starter.... Well that why we are 7-9 every year

[hondo in seattle]

I once heard Ron Wolf (ex superstar GM of the Packers) talk about the draft. He says it doesn't really matter how many starters you pick up. Role players can be found anywhere. What you really want are impact players. If you get one difference-maker out of a draft, it isn't bad. If you get two or more, it's a really good draft. He also observed, btw, that it doesn't matter what round you hit in. If your first round pick is a flop, but you hit homeruns in rounds 3, 4, and 5, then it's a very good draft.

 

Based on this, 2007 was a bad draft.

[justnzane]

2007 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 12 Marshawn Lynch RB California - two 1,000 yard seasons in his first two years. B+

2 34 Paul Posluszny MLB Penn State - excellent pick that hasn't stopped getting better A

3 92 Trent Edwards QB Stanford - C still think there might be something there.

4 111 Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State - D Bills gave up on him too early imo.

6 184 John Wendling DB Wyoming - was one of the best ST players until he was cut. B-

7 222 Derek Schouman FB Boise State - will be on the Bills roster this year and contribute a lot B

7 239 C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma - F

 

I'd give it a B-. JMO No arguments here

 

Lets check out 2006

 

1 8 Donte Whitner SS Ohio State - C Agree, I don't understand the Donte hate but he was picked far too high and we could have had better players at other needs.

1 26 John McCargo DT North Carolina State - F

3 70 Ashton Youboty CB Ohio State - C

4 105 Ko Simpson FS South Carolina - C he had a solid rookie year and we still got a pick back for him

5 134 Kyle Williams DT Louisiana State - A

5 143 Brad Butler T Virginia A was our best lineman the past two years when healthy.

6 178 Keith Ellison OLB Oregon State - C

7 216 Terrance Pennington T New Mexico - C played a lot and decently his rookie year before we cut him

7 248 Aaron Merz G California - F

 

I'd give it a B-

2005

 

2 55 Roscoe Parrish WR Miami (Fla.) - D With the Bills needing a complement to Evans, they draft somebody who never will have the size to be an every down player. Damn good returner, but not worth a 2nd

3 86 Kevin Everett TE Miami (Fla.) Would have probably ended up at least a B without his injury.

4 122 Duke Preston C Illinois - D-

5 156 Eric King DB Wake Forest - F

6 197 Justin Geisinger G Vanderbilt - F

7 236 Lionel Gates RB Louisville - F

 

I give it a F, epic failure of a draft only overshadowed by 2000 in recent memory

2004

 

1 13 Lee Evans WR Wisconsin - the QB troubles are not his fault - A

1 22 J.P. Losman QB Tulane - F

3 74 Tim Anderson DT Ohio State - D He got on the field and had one season of real production, but still need more out of a 3rd, imo His lunchpail F- no argument here.

4 109 Tim Euhus TE Oregon State - F

7 207 Dylan McFarland T Montana - F

7 214 Jonathan Smith WR Georgia Tech - C Decent Special Teamer that is all you can really expect out of somebody that low.

I'd give it an D just on the basis of Lee Evans being in the draft. Otherwise it would be a complete failure

[MarkyMannn]

Wow, that's bad. Lets see 2000-2003 also

 

 

BTW, no player can be an "A" unless they have been a pro bowler

[2003Contenders]

Another point to be made is that it takes a minimum of 2-3 years to get a real assessment. After both the 2006 and 2007 seasons it really looked like the Bills had hit pay-dirt with each of those drafts. Whitner appeared promising, Ko was a 4th round starter, both Williams and Butler were 5th rounders that started as was 6th rounder Ellison. 2007 seemed ever so promising with a new starting QB, a 1000-yard rusher, and a new ILB all on board. If Lynch can behave and Trent gets his mojo back, that draft may still have been worthwhile.

[MarkyMannn]

Hey ths is fun! Here are older drafts:

 

 

2003 - Buffalo Bills

1 23 Willis McGahee RB Miami (Fla.) C

2 48 Chris Kelsay DE Nebraska B

3 94 Angelo Crowell LB Virginia C

4 111 Terrence McGee DB B

4 127 Sam Aiken WR North Carolina D

5 151 Ben Sobieski G Iowa F

6 187 Lauvale Sape DT Utah F

7 228 Mario Haggan LB Mississippi State D

 

2002 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 4 Mike Williams T Texas F-------

2 36 Josh Reed WR Louisiana State B

2 61 Ryan Denney DE Brigham Young C

3 97 Coy Wire SS Stanford C

5 139 Justin Bannan DT Colorado B

6 176 Kevin Thomas CB Nevada-Las Vegas F

7 215 Mike Pucillo G Auburn F

7 249 Rodney Wright -- Fresno State F

7 251 Jarrett Ferguson -- Virginia Tech F

7 260 Dominique Stevenson LB Tennessee F

 

Plus we traded that day for Drew Bledsoe C

 

2001 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 21 Nate Clements CB Ohio State A

2 46 Aaron Schobel DE Texas Christian A

2 58 Travis Henry HB Tennessee B

3 76 Ron Edwards DT Texas A&M C

3 95 Jonas Jennings T Georgia C

4 110 Brandon Spoon MLB North Carolina D

5 144 Marques Sullivan T Illinois F

6 178 Tony Driver DB Notre Dame F

6 195 Dan O'Leary TE Notre Dame F

6 196 Jimmy Williams CB Vanderbilt F

7 214 Reggie Germany WR Ohio State F

7 238 Tyrone Robertson DT Georgia F

 

2000 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 26 Erik Flowers DE Arizona State F-

2 58 Travares Tillman FS Georgia Tech D

3 89 Corey Moore OLB Virginia Tech F isn't he dead?

4 121 Avion Black WR Tennessee State F

5 156 Sammy Morris RB Texas Tech B

6 194 Leif Larsen DT Texas-El Paso F

7 233 Drew Haddad WR Buffalo F

7 251 DaShon Polk LB Arizona F

[Matt in KC]

My reactions are in bold in the quote.

Hey ths is fun! Here are older drafts:

 

2003 - Buffalo Bills

4 111 Terrence McGee DB B

7 228 Mario Haggan LB Mississippi State D

 

I think you're way off on these two. What more would you expect from a 4th round CB? Also, he's still the best KR we've had in the last decade, by far (acknowledging McKelvin's promise and flashes)

 

For a 7th rounder, Haggan contributed quite a bit on ST for years. While Wire had the mis-label of ST demon, Haggan was our top ST player for several years.

 

2002 - Buffalo Bills

Rd Sel # Player Position School

1 4 Mike Williams T Texas F------- This is couple too many minuses after the F

2 36 Josh Reed WR Louisiana State B

2 61 Ryan Denney DE Brigham Young C

3 97 Coy Wire SS Stanford C

5 139 Justin Bannan DT Colorado B

 

6 176 Kevin Thomas CB Nevada-Las Vegas F

7 215 Mike Pucillo G Auburn F

 

Kevin Thomas did pretty well as our nickel corner and Pucillo, while not great, was good enough to start for many games, and has been used well since leaving the Bills. Those grades are not deserved for how late they were selected. I'd give K. Thomas a B- and Pucillo a C+.

[Packerland Bills Fan]

One trend that stands out in all these drafts - there are a lot of late round offensive linemen that never amounted to anything. Brad Butler was good, but not great. That's about it. The one that did was not on any of the lists, Jason Peters, because he was an undrafted free agent. Even if he was included you could argue that he was really signed as a wedge-busting 3rd TE, so credit can't be given to the scouting department.

[Nico]

D- would give an F if it wasnt for poz

[nobody]

Looking back at all of those drafts makes me impressed they were able to get to 7-9 for some seasons.

[lets_go_bills]

Although the top three picks are still on the roster and are starters, they have been less than spectacular. All have shown flashes of talent at some point.

 

1. Lynch looked like a perennial pro bowler until he got into overwhelming legal trouble and has since worn out his welcome in Buffalo. He's still very young and talented though. Right now he remains on the roster and unless Nix gets a decent offer, he figure to stick around for one more year in limited action due to a now deep Bills backfield.

 

2. Posluszny had trouble staying healthy but puts up good numbers when he's on the field. He is going to be learning a new defense but his responsibilites as far as tackling go, remains unchanged. He's been good but not great. This is his time to shine now.

 

3. Edwards showed potential and had many thinking he was "the guy". Then he got blown up by Wilson and hasn't quite been the same since. He's become Cap'n Checkdown, but perhaps that's because he took on the conservative personna of his horrible coach, Dick Jauron. He's got one more year and one more chance to show what he can do.

 

Grade:

 

C+

[Reed83HOF]

Looking back at all of those drafts makes me impressed they were able to get to 7-9 for some seasons.

 

+100000

 

Those drafts this decade were brutal...maybe our coaching staffs weren't that bad...damn those are hard to look at

[I 90]

Running Back, Linebacker, Quarterback, Running Back on Day One... think about that. It nearly broke something in my brain at the time.

 

As good as these players might become (or Spiller for that matter), elite big people make winning easier. And the Bills are starved of them.

[nucci]

CBS ran an article for all teams

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/1331339...es-real-picture