NFL Draft 2010 Revisited

[Johnny Hammersticks]

There have been a lot of threads on this message board which have criticized the front office for the 2010 draft class. While I think it's unfair to evaluate a draft class during the first season, I thought it would be fun to look back (knowing what we know now) and re-draft. I only kept one of the Bills' picks. Let me know what you think (please be nice ), and feel free to post your "hind sight" 2010 draft classes.

 

Round 1: Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa

-Besides getting abused by Cameron Wake in week 6, Bulaga's play has improved considerably in past weeks. He has earned much praise from around the league, and has solidified himself as the Packer's starting RT moving forward. He also has the versatility to play guard if the Bills decided to move Wood to Center.

Round 2: Jared Veldheer OT Hillsdale

-The Raiders started him at center early on in the season, but since he has moved to starting LT and has been a dominant force. He is big (6'8" - 315), athletic, and excels at both pass protection and run blocking. Many people attribute the success of the Raider's running game to his play at LT.

Round 3: NaVorro Bowman LB Penn State

 

-He has played well for the 49ers, and has seen an increase amount of playing time next to all-world LB Patrick Willis.

 

Round 4: Aaron Hernandez TE Miami

 

- This one's a no-brainer.

 

Round 5: Cam Thomas NT UNC

 

- The Bills fill their need for a space-eating 3-4 NT in the fifth round with the addition of Thomas. Right now, he is buried in the San Diego depth chart, but could do a good job next to Kyle Williams given his size and decent athleticism. Much better value IMO than Troup in the second round.

 

Round 6 (pick 1): Arthur Moats DE/LB James Madison

 

- I like Moats, and I feel like he has great potential. That's about all I have to say about him.

 

Round 6 (pick 2): Ted Larsen C/G NC State

 

- Originally drafted by the Pats, he was picked up off waivers by Tampa Bay before the start of the season. Due to injuries, he was thrust into the starting line-up at left guard, and has played very well. Many speculate that he has won the starting job over veteran Jeremy Zuttah. He would add some good depth to the interior of our offensive line.

Round 7 (pick 1): Brandon Deaderick DE Alabama

 

- Selected in the 7th round by the Pats, he was placed on the inactive list for the first three weeks of the season. He has been in the starting line-up for the past three weeks, however, and has contributed to the Pats improved defensive front. He has been praised for his stout play against the run. Reportedly, he possesses decent athleticism for his size (6'4" - 315), and could play DE in the 3-4 and DT in the 4-3.

 

Round 7 (pick 2): LaGarrette Blount RB Oregon

 

- The guy carries the football like a man possessed. He has decent speed and deceptiveness for a RB his size. I say screw the character issues...we need some nasty players on this team.

[JohnC]

I watched a good chunk of the Raider/Chiefs game. I thought that Veldheer played very well at LT. We really didn't have an opportunity to take him in the second round because the Raiders drafted ahead of us. The same issue applied with our not drafting Bulaga. Where we drafted in the first round Bulaga would not have been good value. The Bills still have some work to upgrade the OL but in the long run Spiller is going to be a playmaker for us.

 

If you go back on any draft you can always say we should have taken this player over that player. The fairest way to evaluate your draft is to ask if the player taken was worth taking at the spot you took him.

 

Was Troup or Carrington good value at where they were taken? With Troup I'm not sure. With Carrington I'm get very queasy about that pick.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I watched a good chunk of the Raider/Chiefs game. I thought that Veldheer played very well at LT. We really didn't have an opportunity to take him in the second round because the Raiders drafted ahead of us. The same issue applied with our not drafting Bulaga. Where we drafted in the first round Bulaga would not have been good value. The Bills still have some work to upgrade the OL but in the long run Spiller is going to be a playmaker for us.

 

If you go back on any draft you can always say we should have taken this player over that player. The fairest way to evaluate your draft is to ask if the player taken was worth taking at the spot you took him.

 

Was Troup or Carrington good value at where they were taken? With Troup I'm not sure. With Carrington I'm get very queasy about that pick.

 

Veldheer was taken with the Raider's 3rd round pick (#5) so he would have been there for us in round 2. If I recall correctly, Troup was considered a reach, but Carrington was considered a value in the third round. According to some draft pundits, Carrington was the most impressive defensive player at the senior bowl. I still like him a lot, he just needs some work on his technique.

[JohnC]

Veldheer was taken with the Raider's 3rd round pick (#5) so he would have been there for us in round 2. If I recall correctly, Troup was considered a reach, but Carrington was considered a value in the third round. According to some draft pundits, Carrington was the most impressive defensive player at the senior bowl. I still like him a lot, he just needs some work on his technique.

 

I thought that the Raiders had a superb draft last year. What is going on? I thought crazy Al Davis had a good offseason. Or is it just that he is listening more to the staff and not asserting his quirky self?

[JPS]

And 10 years ago, if the Bills just woulda taken Tom Brady in the 6th instead of Leif Larsen...

 

Hindsight like this will drive you crazy and it means absolutely nothing.

[aristocrat]

veldheer, levitre, hangartner, wood bulaga = nastiness

[Thoner7]

While I agree hindsight is 20/20, sometimes foresight is too. It really infuriates me when things like this is brought up bc I know that I along with many others wanted Bulaga long before draft day. He was pretty obviously a great prospect and a great fit for Buffalo and what we needed. Now its all “O what could have been if only we had known” Well…. WE DID KNOW!!!! I blame the front office for not adding him like they should have, along with Orakpo/Ngata/Mangold – all of whom were not hindsight picks at all. All of them were pretty blatantly the correct most obvious choice that a vast majority of fans/writers/bloggers/ESPN analysts would have picked.

The Veldheer guy is tough. I could not imagine trying to predict how a lower-level college player adjusts to the NFL. I really cannot blame them for missing on this guy the way I blame them for missing on the Orakpos and Ngatas and Mangolds. That said troupe was a reach on draft day and hasn’t really shown anything to make us think, in hindsight, that he wasn’t a reach. Looking like another fail by the scouts.

Rd 3 I still think John Jerry is/was the right pick, both in hindsight and foresight. He was taken by the Fish immediately after us taking Carrington and has started every game he has been healthy for (apparently he has some mystery illness and he lost a lot of weight and strength). Bowman had some real character issues which is why he fell to the 3rd. Carrington tho cant even make the active roster for a team with the worst DL in the league. In hindsight John Jerry is still a good pick, so is Bowman – But that cant be said about Carrington.

No surprise its looking like the scouts laid a huge egg again. I’ll give it another year before harping on it too much

[Johnny Hammersticks]

While I agree hindsight is 20/20, sometimes foresight is too. It really infuriates me when things like this is brought up bc I know that I along with many others wanted Bulaga long before draft day. He was pretty obviously a great prospect and a great fit for Buffalo and what we needed. Now its all “O what could have been if only we had known” Well…. WE DID KNOW!!!! I blame the front office for not adding him like they should have, along with Orakpo/Ngata/Mangold – all of whom were not hindsight picks at all. All of them were pretty blatantly the correct most obvious choice that a vast majority of fans/writers/bloggers/ESPN analysts would have picked.

The Veldheer guy is tough. I could not imagine trying to predict how a lower-level college player adjusts to the NFL. I really cannot blame them for missing on this guy the way I blame them for missing on the Orakpos and Ngatas and Mangolds. That said troupe was a reach on draft day and hasn’t really shown anything to make us think, in hindsight, that he wasn’t a reach. Looking like another fail by the scouts.

Rd 3 I still think John Jerry is/was the right pick, both in hindsight and foresight. He was taken by the Fish immediately after us taking Carrington and has started every game he has been healthy for (apparently he has some mystery illness and he lost a lot of weight and strength). Bowman had some real character issues which is why he fell to the 3rd. Carrington tho cant even make the active roster for a team with the worst DL in the league. In hindsight John Jerry is still a good pick, so is Bowman – But that cant be said about Carrington.

No surprise its looking like the scouts laid a huge egg again. I’ll give it another year before harping on it too much

 

It's obvious that there have been many glaring "whiffs" by our front office guys. I was scratching my head when we selected Maybin (I wanted Cushing), and I was a dumbfounded when we took Spiller with the number 9 pick. I was not completely sold on Bulaga at #9, however, and was hoping that we would trade down to acquire additional picks. What's more interesting to me are these late-round guys, or small-school prospects, for which none of us had the foresight to predict their success in the NFL.

[JohnC]

It's obvious that there have been many glaring "whiffs" by our front office guys. I was scratching my head when we selected Maybin (I wanted Cushing), and I was a dumbfounded when we took Spiller with the number 9 pick. I was not completely sold on Bulaga at #9, however, and was hoping that we would trade down to acquire additional picks. What's more interesting to me are these late-round guys, or small-school prospects, for which none of us had the foresight to predict their success in the NFL.

 

It is a cliche to say that you can't evaluate your draft the first year but it is certainly ture. It is going to take another couple of years to get a more accurate picture on this past draft. I still believe that Spiller is going to be a factor. Who knows if Easley turns out to be a very good receiver? It is not out of the realm of possibility that Moats, Coleman, David Nelson and Batten become contributing players for us. That would certainly change one's perspective on last year's draft.

 

As of right now (clearly a preliminary assessment) I would say that this year's draft was average. I look at New England taking the local kid (Gratkowski) sic and see how productive a TE he is in his rookie year. I just shake my head at how the incapable Bills have not been able to draft a functional TE over the past decade or so and the Pats get a good TE in the fourth round. It is so absurd!

Edited November 16, 2010 by JohnC

[Thoner7]

It is a cliche to say that you can't evaluate your draft the first year but it is certainly ture. It is going to take another couple of years to get a more accurate picture on this past draft. I still believe that Spiller is going to be a factor. Who knows if Easley turns out to be a very good receiver? It is not out of the realm of possibility that Moats, Coleman, David Nelson and Batten become contributing players for us. That would certainly change one's perspective on last year's draft.

 

As of right now (clearly a preliminary assessment) I would say that this year's draft was average. I look at New England taking the local kid (Gratkowski) sic and see how productive a TE he is in his rookie year. I just shake my head at how the incapable Bills have not been able to draft a functional TE over the past decade or so and the Pats get a good TE in the fourth round. It is so absurd!

 

It is very hard to evaluate the late round picks, especially when a few are out for the year before a singel game.

 

But haveing a top 10 pick being a backup, our 3rd rounder not getting on the field at all, and troup barely playing and not playing too great - its gonna be impossible to have a good draft if those top 3 dont produce a lot more moving forward.

[Dennis in NC]

I still have some hope that Chad Rinehart can play OT for us at some point. He was a dominant LT at a lower level, Northern Iowa.

 

He was a Redskin 3rd round draft pick, and is now on our PS.

 

I can always hope!

[Astrobot]

RD1-Mike Iupati--OG--Great work ethic, outstanding run blocker. Moves Wood to OC.

RD2-Daryl Washington--ILB---46 tackles and 1 sack. Fast. Good complement to Poz.

RD3-Jordan Shipley--WR--Possession receiver.

RD4-Aaron Hernandez--TE--Nolo Contendere.

RD5/6-Wang and Moats--these were, and will be, great picks.

RD7-Brandon Deaderick-DE-starting for the Patriots

[JohnC]

It is very hard to evaluate the late round picks, especially when a few are out for the year before a singel game.

 

But haveing a top 10 pick being a backup, our 3rd rounder not getting on the field at all, and troup barely playing and not playing too great - its gonna be impossible to have a good draft if those top 3 dont produce a lot more moving forward.

 

You are basing your opinion on these players' inaugural year. Don't be too quick to make a judgment. I'm not saying you are wrong in your quick assessment but I am also not saying you are right.

 

Bruce Smith was the first pick in the draft when we took him. His rookie year was very uneven. He became a HOF player. Certainly, I'm not claiming any of our draftees are that caliber of player but the point is that you can't fairly draw any conclusions based on the first year. Another player who took some time to develop is Eric Moulds. He didn't get much playing time until his third year. He became one of the most productive receivers in our team's history.

 

Sometimes young players transition very quickly into the lineup. Most times it takes a little time to develop to get to the point where a player can contribute. There are some occasions when it is blatantly clear that a player simply is not good enough. Maybin is a classic example of that.

 

Who would have known that Freddy Jackson would be the player he is? He bounced all over the place for years before he got established. There are other possible examples where lowly drafted and free agent pickups such as David Nelson and Coleman become solid players.

Edited November 16, 2010 by JohnC

[Haven Moses]

How about Colt McCoy?

[1B4IDie]

I would just like to point out, that even in rewriting the draft with perfect hindsight at this point in time, no one could get an impact pass rusher in the first 3 rounds, I wouldn't put Bowman in that category he may be a good LB someday and has earned PT over an aging Takeo Spikes but he is not terrorizing QBs.

 

Brandon Deaderick is a no brainer given his performance for a 7th round pick and I really was surprised we passed on Hernandez in the 4th but notice that the Pats took both of those players, maybe there is more to it than just picking a player from one team and dropping the player on another team, maybe the coaching and FO helps supports the players and puts them in an opportunity to be successful, just maybe.

 

My point is that, there really wasn't an impact player drated over Spiller in the Hindsight mocks.

 

People can complain all they want but Brian Beluga at RT is definitely an upgrade over the turnstile of the week, but a RT at #9 overall isn't really an impact pick at #9 overall.

 

So maybe with the draft class of 2010, the Bills draft picks weren't so bad.

Edited November 16, 2010 by Levitre + Wang = Wood

[Green Lightning]

You can spend your time looking backwards or forwards. I see no point to this thread. The reality is what we have and where we are and judging the 2010 draft right now is folly.

[Cash]

You can spend your time looking backwards or forwards. I see no point to this thread. The reality is what we have and where we are and judging the 2010 draft right now is folly.

 

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

[todzilla]

How about Dez Bryant at #9. If he keeps his head on straight, he is going to be very good, and a true number 1 receiver that the Bills still lack.

 

You can spend your time looking backwards or forwards. I see no point to this thread. The reality is what we have and where we are and judging the 2010 draft right now is folly.

Isn't it the same point as any thread, to have a discussion about football. I never understand why people take the time to post in a thread if they see no point to it, just move on to another one.

[Homey D. Clown]

I want to add a point of view nobody seems to take into consideration when analyzing drafts on this board:

 

- Starting games is not always an indication of how good a player is, or how great a draft pick he is/was. And sometimes a player that doesn't start right away is not doing so on a team where the scheme has not been fully fleshed out, and throwing a rookie into that mix would not do him any good.

 

Does that apply to Aaron Maybin, absolutely not, but so some of our newest draft picks, I'd say absolutely. I would always say it's a safe bet to judge a rookie/draft pick once he has had ample time to play and start(CJ Spiller comes to mind). It would be nice to see these guys play a while before we label them busts, a popular way to bash the front office around here.(Aaron Maybin excluded)

[1B4IDie]

How about Dez Bryant at #9. If he keeps his head on straight, he is going to be very good, and a true number 1 receiver that the Bills still lack.

 

 

Isn't it the same point as any thread, to have a discussion about football. I never understand why people take the time to post in a thread if they see no point to it, just move on to another one.

 

+1

 

"This thread is a waste of time" is the most ironic occurrence on the internet.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

You can spend your time looking backwards or forwards. I see no point to this thread. The reality is what we have and where we are and judging the 2010 draft right now is folly.

 

Thanks for the feedback....troll. This thread was created for entertainment purposes only. I was not attempting to judge the 2010 draft, as I very clearly stated in the OP. For me, it was an interesting idea to "re-visit" the draft based upon what we know now about the 2010 draft prospects. I though it might create some interesting discussion...sorry for having wasted your time. So, in the future, if you do not have anything constructive to add to the discussion....then move on to a different thread or create your own.

[Sisyphean Bills]

A wrinkle for you Winkle... some of these picks could have been had with trade downs, which means the Bills could've moved back in the draft and got even more bodies. Of course, Buddy Nix doesn't like trading draft picks, "Some of those guys I don’t know how they know where the hell they draft."

[Bill from NYC]

 

Round 1: Bryan Bulaga OT Iowa

-Besides getting abused by Cameron Wake in week 6, Bulaga's play has improved considerably in past weeks. He has earned much praise from around the league, and has solidified himself as the Packer's starting RT moving forward. He also has the versatility to play guard if the Bills decided to move Wood to Center.

 

The thing to remember about Bulaga is that we could have drafted him AND received at least another 2nd round pick in return for trading the number 9. Is this speculation? I suppose so, but Philly sure did give up a lot to move up for Brandon Graham.

 

Now, couple this with the fact that it took about 50 seconds for the Bills to go flying up to the podium and waste a #9 on Spiller, and you have a strong reason why this team is weak.

The Bills were strong at running back, and imo McKelvin (another very shaky pick) is at least as good as Spiller at returning kickoffs. Going after a small part time running back was stupid, and quite suspect in terms of winning football games.

 

When Ralph fired TD he said he was going to get "more involved." I know that I cringed, and things went down from then on. However, this year he is going to force them to draft a QB. I hope he decides on Mallett.

[JohnC]

When Ralph fired TD he said he was going to get "more involved." I know that I cringed, and things went down from then on. However, this year he is going to force them to draft a QB. I hope he decides on Mallett.

 

Please don't advocate for Mallett. It would be a very damaging mistake for a franchise that can't afford more crippling mistakes with our high draft picks. The Bills probably are going to be drafting from the 1-5 range. Mallett is going to be ranked somewhere between 15-25. The Bills need to have the discipline to stick with its board. I'm not suggesting that he won't eventually be a good pro. But in my view he is not mobile and nimble enough to do well with our porous OL.

 

As the college season concludes and the draft process advances you will see Mallett steadily slide down the board. Trust me on this issue.

[1B4IDie]

Please don't advocate for Mallett. It would be a very damaging mistake for a franchise that can't afford more crippling mistakes with our high draft picks. The Bills probably are going to be drafting from the 1-5 range. Mallett is going to be ranked somewhere between 15-25. The Bills need to have the discipline to stick with its board. I'm not suggesting that he won't eventually be a good pro. But in my view he is not mobile and nimble enough to do well with our porous OL.

 

As the college season concludes and the draft process advances you will see Mallett steadily slide down the board. Trust me on this issue.

Can you please stop posting this nonsense. Mallet is better than Bradford without the injuries. Mallet will shot to the top of most boards.

Plus I didn't know the Bills made there draft rankings public.

 

Why very specifically a QB with a 166 passer rating 3500 yards passing with 67%+ rating. With an arm like a cannon and elevated a program in the difficult SEC drop in the draft?

[JPS]

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

Hollow quote. You can only repeat it if the same prospects are drafted again. Each year is a new series of guesses.

[Bill from NYC]

Mallett is going to be ranked somewhere between 15-25. The Bills need to have the discipline to stick with its board. I'm not suggesting that he won't eventually be a good pro. But in my view he is not mobile and nimble enough to do well with our porous OL.

 

As the college season concludes and the draft process advances you will see Mallett steadily slide down the board. Trust me on this issue.

 

I am hoping that we can agree to disagree. While it is true that qbs sometimes drop in draft rankings (Leinart is a good example), I think that someone with the talent Mallett has will be far more likely to climb. Besides this, do you really think that Dallas will pass on him?

 

As for playing well behind our OL, you raise a good point. I make the case that this is all but impossible for any QB. People will point to Fitz having good numbers, but the team is losing. Not only that, he takes horrible hits week after week, whereas finishing the season in one piece is all but certain. Many posters are excited because Bell no longer completely sucks but that isn't enough, and the situation at RT is deplorable. My point is that the OL will need to be seriously addressed under any conditions.

 

The Bills need a ton of help at LB as well, and they used to be able to find players such as Covington in round 3, and Holocek in round 5. I think that Nix, if left alone, can find players who will help this team. Bills fans no longer have Levy/Jauron focusing primarily on the secondary and special teams. If Ralph will step back, our needs can be filled imo. He did however make statements about the QB position, so I would think he will go that way. Last year he spoke of "excitement" and we got Spiller.

 

One thing for certain is that it's going to be interesting.

[JohnC]

Can you please stop posting this nonsense. Mallet is better than Bradford without the injuries. Mallet will shot to the top of most boards.

Plus I didn't know the Bills made there draft rankings public.

 

Why very specifically a QB with a 166 passer rating 3500 yards passing with 67%+ rating. With an arm like a cannon and elevated a program in the difficult SEC drop in the draft?

 

If you think that Mallett is better than Bradford, the first pick in last year's draft, then you and I have little in common to discuss.

 

Mallett is not going to be at the top of any team's board. He won't be rated ahead of Luck on any team's board either. As the season advances and the scouting reports get more detailed you are going to find Mallett rated in the 15-25 range.

[1B4IDie]

If you think that Mallett is better than Bradford, the first pick in last year's draft, then you and I have little in common to discuss.

 

Mallett is not going to be at the top of any team's board. He won't be rated ahead of Luck on any team's board either. As the season advances and the scouting reports get more detailed you are going to find Mallett rated in the 15-25 range.

Why?

We're not agreeing or disagreeing you're stating an opinion based on what?

I gave you very specific examples why Mallet will be ranked near the top. I never said Luck will be rated lower. Luck will still be #1.

You're opinion is based on what, what specifically?

 

"He'll drop because he'll drop is not answer it's nonsense."

[JohnC]

I am hoping that we can agree to disagree. While it is true that qbs sometimes drop in draft rankings (Leinart is a good example), I think that someone with the talent Mallett has will be far more likely to climb. Besides this, do you really think that Dallas will pass on him?

 

Dallas will absolutely pass on Mallett. Don't get too impressed with the owner's connection to Arkansas. They have some critical needs on the OL and D-backfield to address first before looking for a replacement for Romo.

 

As for playing well behind our OL, you raise a good point. I make the case that this is all but impossible for any QB. People will point to Fitz having good numbers, but the team is losing. Not only that, he takes horrible hits week after week, whereas finishing the season in one piece is all but certain. Many posters are excited because Bell no longer completely sucks but that isn't enough, and the situation at RT is deplorable. My point is that the OL will need to be seriously addressed under any conditions.

 

The Bills have not had a quality line since the departure of the Kelly era. That is certainly a factor as to why the gangly Mallett would not be a good fit for the Bills. He would get pummelled.

 

The Bills need a ton of help at LB as well, and they used to be able to find players such as Covington in round 3, and Holocek in round 5. I think that Nix, if left alone, can find players who will help this team. Bills fans no longer have Levy/Jauron focusing primarily on the secondary and special teams. If Ralph will step back, our needs can be filled imo. He did however make statements about the QB position, so I would think he will go that way. Last year he spoke of "excitement" and we got Spiller.

 

One thing for certain is that it's going to be interesting.

 

As you suggested the Bills have a lot of holes to fill before becoming a serious team. In the next draft the Pats have multiple picks in the first, second and third rounds. It is going to be a some time before they can close the gap with our divisional rival.

 

Yes, it is going to be interesting. When your team isn't in playoff contention after the first few games you then focus more attention on the next draft. That's the way it has been for a lot of years for us.

[jumbalaya]

And 10 years ago, if the Bills just woulda taken Tom Brady in the 6th instead of Leif Larsen...

 

Hindsight like this will drive you crazy and it means absolutely nothing.

We would have traded him for Bledsoe.