Bob in STL Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 This is where I struggle when "Old Timers" tell us we need 2-3 years to evaluate a draft class and young players need time. I'm sure all of GB's young rookies struggled at times and made mistakes and I'm sure they will all improve - but they also all contributed significantly to a team with playoff hopes (the eventual SB champion). So why exactly is it that GB can score 6 for 7 on quality draft picks who contribute (at least to some extent) their rookie year, while our class struggles to sniff the field? Not sure I am an "Old Timer" but it is reasonable to say you need 3 years to fully evaluate a draft class and see who the solid starters are. Sure, Green Bay got production out of many of their rookies and that is needed today with free agency causing roster turnover every season. It seems easier for talented teams (New England, Pittsburg, Green Bay, Baltimore, etc) to plug in a rookie into a known and stable system. Buffalo has had chaos for a decade with revolving door of coaches, GMs, and schemes. The talent level on this team may be improving but is still very poor. Proof of this: 1. Listen to how high Nix is on Urbik, Pears and Rhinehart --- guys who could not get on the field on their previous teams. 2. Three of Buffalo's more productive rookies this year were not even drafted - Cordero Brown, David Nelson and Donald Jones all contributed. Yet is could be down the road that none of them will be solid starters for a playoff caliber team. The fact that Buffalo cannot consistenly find solid starters in the first three rounds of the draft is the number 1 reason why the talent on this team is so poor and unless this is corrected we will remain bottom feeders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 They had the best draft in 2005 when they got handed Rodgers. It's all about the qb. For as bad as the Bills have been at drafting, Rodgers or Farve on those 7-9 teams instead of JP or Trent probably gets them into the playoffs. It's really that simple. Once you have the qb, you build around him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003Contenders Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 They had the best draft in 2005 when they got handed Rodgers. It's all about the qb. For as bad as the Bills have been at drafting, Rodgers or Farve on those 7-9 teams instead of JP or Trent probably gets them into the playoffs. It's really that simple. Once you have the qb, you build around him. Yep, and when I look at the recap of their draft, perhaps my reading comprehension is off, but it sounds to me like most of the guys wound up injured. Balaga became a serviceable starting RT (which is what you would expect from a first round draft pick) -- and most everyone else became a role player. Now, let's take a closer look at the Bills' own 2010 draft class. Spiller was certainly a let-down, but it is WAY too early too suggest that the Bills made a mistake passing on someone like Bulaga to take him. Troup and Carrington were decent role players. Easley looked good before he went down in preseason with the injury. Wang was pressed into playing time. Moates was a solid contributor and probably the team's best pass rusher down the stretch. And that doesn't even count a number of guys like Nelson who were undrafted free agents. You can take from a single draft less than a year later whatever you wish. Recall that after 2006, we thought that draft class looked like one of the best for the Bills ever. Now, depending on what happens with Whitner, Kyle Williams just may be the last man standing from that class. We'll see what happens moving forward, but even that 2009 class bolstered by Wood, Levitre and Byrd looks pretty good -- even with the Maybin gaffe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I wouldn't be pissed that we passed on Bulaga if not for the fact that this board was overwhelmingly on board with a Bulaga pick. GMs can't be faulted for missing the Tom Bradys of the world in the 6th round. But they flatly MUST do better than some guys on the internet. Who needs a RT? Instead the Bills got the "best player available". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobcat Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/story/09000d5d81e318ed/article/pack-has-nucleus-personality-to-pull-off-rare-feat-of-repeating?module=HP_cp2 Youth Due to all the injuries, the Packers have been forced to play younger guys who answered the call. General manager Ted Thompson loves the draft and is good at unearthing gems. He will continue to stockpile young talent, but at the same time, the Packers are also willing to admit a mistake. They will not allow a guy to stick around because of draft status. Most importantly, the Packers never seem to draft on need. They draft based on their board, which allows them to stay young and deep. Did they really need a wideout when they took Jordy Nelson at the top of the second round in 2008? Probably not, but Thompson understands talent and value, so he picked Nelson. Equating value is the most critical aspect of the draft, and Thompson is great in that regard. Most teams believe they set their board based on value, but they actually rig their board to have the value meet their needs. In essence, they lie to themselves, which starts to decay the roster. Packers fans do not have to worry about this because Thompson and his staff know value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangarang Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 BPA is a smart way to go. Don't know why so many people have a problem when Nix says he's drafting BPA even if it means we get Peterson or Green. You draft talent and make your schemes based on the talent. Not the other way around. That's how you maximize players' talents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobcat Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Agree 100%...maybee if the bills starting doing that 11 years ago we might of seen some playoff football in that span.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Blizzard Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 This is where I struggle when "Old Timers" tell us we need 2-3 years to evaluate a draft class and young players need time. I'm sure all of GB's young rookies struggled at times and made mistakes and I'm sure they will all improve - but they also all contributed significantly to a team with playoff hopes (the eventual SB champion). So why exactly is it that GB can score 6 for 7 on quality draft picks who contribute (at least to some extent) their rookie year, while our class struggles to sniff the field? Buffalo hasn't had a draft like that since 1987 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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