A Few Scattered Thoughts About The Draft

[DreReed83]

1) Nice pick Mr. Nix!!!

 

2) Imo, teams will be beating down the door to trade up. PLEASE don't do it unless it includes a #1 in 2012!!!

 

3) Blast away, but I am hoping that they take Mallett. I would have to think about it to figure out if I ever wanted to see the Bills draft someone THIS much. If he busts out or smokes crack, what will it cost them? Peanuts, and he has a chance imho to be an all time great.

 

4) I hope they find a way to draft John Moffitt. We are thin at OG by any measure, and this kid can block (again, imho).

 

5) I won't be THAT pissed off if they select Bowers, but I am not high on him at all. In fact, I hope that the patsies take him to be honest.

 

6) We have probably not been in a good situation coming into round 2 since 2001, and I think that today is a much better place.

 

7) I hope that all of you are in the same happy state of mind that I am. Bickering aside, we really are just a great bunch of fans. Thanks SDS.

 

8) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Why would someone give us a 1st round pick to move up in the 2nd???

[dave mcbride]

Akeem Ayers: very strong against the run, good size, and a good athlete.

 

Think of the possibilities:

LBs - Poz, Merriman, Ayers, Moats, A. Davis

D-Line - Troup, Dareus, Williams, Arrington, Kelsay, Edwards

 

That make's a solid front seven group.

[PromoTheRobot]

Very hard to go QB at 34 when there are some solid LBs to be had. Then there is TE Kyle Rudolph from ND. Does anyone remember Tight Ends? If Mallet or Dalton falls to our 3rd then grab 'em there, but I just don't consider QB a pressing need.

 

PTR

[bizell]

Why would someone give us a 1st round pick to move up in the 2nd???

It's probably not going to happen anymore since Josh McDaniels isn't a HC now... (he did it a few years ago)

[KOKBILLS]

1) Nice pick Mr. Nix!!!

 

2) Imo, teams will be beating down the door to trade up. PLEASE don't do it unless it includes a #1 in 2012!!!

 

3) Blast away, but I am hoping that they take Mallett. I would have to think about it to figure out if I ever wanted to see the Bills draft someone THIS much. If he busts out or smokes crack, what will it cost them? Peanuts, and he has a chance imho to be an all time great.

 

4) I hope they find a way to draft John Moffitt. We are thin at OG by any measure, and this kid can block (again, imho).

 

5) I won't be THAT pissed off if they select Bowers, but I am not high on him at all. In fact, I hope that the patsies take him to be honest.

 

6) We have probably not been in a good situation coming into round 2 since 2001, and I think that today is a much better place.

 

7) I hope that all of you are in the same happy state of mind that I am. Bickering aside, we really are just a great bunch of fans. Thanks SDS.

 

8) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Good thoughts Bill...

 

I doubt VERY much Bowers will be the Pick...I just think with the Dareus Pick, Carrington last year, Edwards, and Spencer the Bills will look to plug holes elsewhere...Not to mention the injury situation...The Bills rarely take chances like that...If they did take a chance on an injury I would MUCH rather see them go with NC LB Bruce Carter...

 

I'm intrigued with Nix's comment about finding another Starter at #34...If that's what they plan on then it could be RT, ILB (OLB of they move Moats inside), or TE I'm guessing...With that in mind I think Ayers, Houston, and Wilson are in play at LB...I don't see much value on the O-Line at #34...And of coarse Rudolph should be there unless someone Trades up to #33 to grab him...

 

Ryan Mallett would sure stir up some conversation... Seriously though, I have faith in Gailey with QB's...If they take Mallett I think Gailey would have a plan in place to build an Offense around him...But I have a feeling they like Kaepernick more...

 

I'm hoping for Rudolph at #34...I just think landing the #1 D-Lineman, and the #1 TE in this Draft would be pretty sweet!

[UpperDeck]

I agree, Kaepernick makes more sense due to his mobility. But I doubt we'll take a QB at 34. Nix wants a starter plus I think we can wait to take a QB since so many went off the board in the 1st round and other teams won't be looking there.

[SouthernMan]

I respect your opinion, but do you really see the Bills fighting with either NE or NYJ this season for a wildcard and coming out on top? I don't. They are more than "one less injury" or bad call away from that in my opinion. Some more solid drafting today and tomorrow as well as next year, a couple well placed free agents, and a stud QB and they can make a race out of it. But certainly not this year in my opinion anyway.

 

But right at this moment I think almost everyone agrees the Bills are a better team now than there were 24 hours ago

 

It is possible to have 2 wildcards in the same division.

 

The other thing to remember is that the Pats and Jets play each other twice. Somewhere in there are going to be 2 losses. That's why I said if somehow we can go .500 in the division, or even get lucky and knock off the Jets and Pats once each (early season game against Pats), and sweep the Dolphins to go 4-2, a wildcard doesn't seem that out of the question.

But .500 (in the division)doesn't sound out of the realm of possibility. 6 or 7 wins outside of the division, and a wildcard race could be reality. I hate they miss out on a real "home" games with that Toronto fiasco. Hopefully, they'll actually win there for once.

Edited April 29, 2011 by DML2005

[Orton's Arm]

Thanks, Bill, for your thoughts and for starting this thread!

 

What intrigues me about this second round pick is the number of different positions upon which the pick could justifiably be used. Below is a list.

 

QB. Normally you wouldn't expect to find your franchise QB at the top of round 2. But if (insert QB name here) proved an exception to that rule, getting the Bills' QB of the future would be a bigger win than anything else the Bills could do with this pick.

 

RT. The Bills' OL was deeply flawed last season, and those problems began at RT. A good player here could solidify the second most-important spot on the Bills' OL for a decade or more. Plus, it would allow Bills' TEs to become a bigger part of the passing game, instead of staying home to help the RT block.

 

TE. A TE is supposed to be a QB's best friend. Not that Bills fans would know this, because it's been over a decade since the Bills have had a bona fide long-term answer at TE.

 

NT. The theory with this pick, if it was made, would be that Kyle Williams belongs at LDE, and Dareus belongs at RDE. Troupe could play some of the snaps at NT, with this player playing the rest. Williams and Dareus would of course be your starting DEs (3-4), with players like Carrington and D'wan Edwards in the rotation as well. The Bills would release Marcus Stroud and John McCargo.

 

OLB. In a 3-4 you can get by with average ILBs; but you need at least one really good OLB/pass rusher. It's not certain that Merriman will return to form from his injury, or that Moats will become the really good OLB that the Bills need.

 

ILB. The Bills need an ILB, and perhaps they could get a really good one here.

 

CB. I'm hesitant to add this to a Bill from NYC thread, but here goes. Your pass rush and pass coverage work together. A pass rush that can get to the QB in three seconds is great! But allowing a WR to get open after only two seconds makes that pass rush significantly less useful than it otherwise would have been. McGee isn't getting any younger, and McKelvin's instincts are flawed. If the Bills do take a CB with this pick, they'd better not let him go first-contract-and-out!!!!

 

 

I'll likely be reasonably happy if the Bills get a solid football player at one of the above-described positions of need. (Assuming, of course, that this player remains with the Bills for the vast majority of his career.)

Edited April 29, 2011 by Edwards' Arm

[mikef272002]

Guys we need players that are going to start next year and make an impact..We got the best DL in the draft at #3, were now sitting at #34 with a chance to get the best ILB in the draft with Martez Wilson, round 3 we have a good chance to get the second best TE in the draft with Stocker, allthough I dont see him falling to round 3, but its wishfull thinking

[eball]

Agreed. All the reaches in the first in addition to the huge run on DL left a lot of talent on the board.

That is the damn truth. We need to see a starter with this pick -- another reason why I'm not hopping aboard the Mallett train.

 

Sure there is. He was arrested once and there were drug rumors.

 

That said, we have used the #11, #8, and other early first round picks of a draft on marginal at best players. Whitner really had no chance for greatness. Neither did McKelvin. And, most of our 2nd round picks also sucked. This kid has an arm comparable to that of Marino.

 

At this point, what do we really have to lose by taking a chance?

I don't even care that much about the arrest or drug rumors. I care about spending a very high draft pick on a QB who would have been prototypical for the NFL of the 1990s but doesn't seem to be a good fit for what's needed now (and the system Gailey runs). Huge arm -- great. No mobility -- uh oh. This guy screams "Bledsoe" and that's why guys like Simms are so enamored. No thanks.

[Orton's Arm]

That is the damn truth. We need to see a starter with this pick -- another reason why I'm not hopping aboard the Mallett train.

 

 

I don't even care that much about the arrest or drug rumors. I care about spending a very high draft pick on a QB who would have been prototypical for the NFL of the 1990s but doesn't seem to be a good fit for what's needed now (and the system Gailey runs). Huge arm -- great. No mobility -- uh oh. This guy screams "Bledsoe" and that's why guys like Simms are so enamored. No thanks.

Tom Brady isn't exactly an Olympic sprinter gold medalist. Mallett's lack of mobility is of far less concern to me personally than are other questions. Can Mallett throw the ball with Brady-like touch and accuracy? Can Mallett process information with Brady-like or Fitz-like quickness and excellence? Can Mallett sense and avoid pressure in the pocket? These are the questions which will determine whether Mallett goes to the Hall of Fame, or whether he becomes yet another failed quarterback with a million dollar arm and a ten cent brain.

 

I personally had been hoping the Bills would trade back into the late first to take Christian Ponder. Obviously that didn't happen! I think the best quarterback still available at this point may be Dalton. From the Bleacher Report (quoting Peter King):

 

He ran a sophisticated offense with lots of decisions made on the run. One scout that has studied Dalton in the past couple of months thinks he's the most pro-ready quarterback from day one that a team could draft in this offseason of uncertainty. Mike Mayock says Dalton's Rose Bowl performance against Wisconsin was one of the best tapes he saw of a college quarterback in the 2010 season. "He put on a clinic' date='" Mayock said.[/quote']

 

I see potential here. I'm not familiar enough with Dalton to know if that potential is enough to justify to committing to him as the QB of the future.

[Pete]

Thanks, Bill, for your thoughts and for starting this thread!

 

What intrigues me about this second round pick is the number of different positions upon which the pick could justifiably be used. Below is a list.

 

QB. Normally you wouldn't expect to find your franchise QB at the top of round 2. But if (insert QB name here) proved an exception to that rule, getting the Bills' QB of the future would be a bigger win than anything else the Bills could do with this pick.

 

RT. The Bills' OL was deeply flawed last season, and those problems began at RT. A good player here could solidify the second most-important spot on the Bills' OL for a decade or more. Plus, it would allow Bills' TEs to become a bigger part of the passing game, instead of staying home to help the RT block.

 

TE. A TE is supposed to be a QB's best friend. Not that Bills fans would know this, because it's been over a decade since the Bills have had a bona fide long-term answer at TE.

 

NT. The theory with this pick, if it was made, would be that Kyle Williams belongs at LDE, and Dareus belongs at RDE. Troupe could play some of the snaps at NT, with this player playing the rest. Williams and Dareus would of course be your starting DEs (3-4), with players like Carrington and D'wan Edwards in the rotation as well. The Bills would release Marcus Stroud and John McCargo.

 

OLB. In a 3-4 you can get by with average ILBs; but you need at least one really good OLB/pass rusher. It's not certain that Merriman will return to form from his injury, or that Moats will become the really good OLB that the Bills need.

 

ILB. The Bills need an ILB, and perhaps they could get a really good one here.

 

CB. I'm hesitant to add this to a Bill from NYC thread, but here goes. Your pass rush and pass coverage work together. A pass rush that can get to the QB in three seconds is great! But allowing a WR to get open after only two seconds makes that pass rush significantly less useful than it otherwise would have been. McGee isn't getting any younger, and McKelvin's instincts are flawed. If the Bills do take a CB with this pick, they'd better not let him go first-contract-and-out!!!!

 

 

I'll likely be reasonably happy if the Bills get a solid football player at one of the above-described positions of need. (Assuming, of course, that this player remains with the Bills for the vast majority of his career.)

right on. I can't wait to see this pick

[Albany,n.y.]

It really can Harvey. Imo, we are on the cusp of having a splendid draft. But, as a Bills fan I am realistic.

That said, we really are in the drivers seat, no?

Well, you're halfway to the ledge right now. The mentality that you have to keep drafting DBs continues. Next up another DB or another RB.

[Coach Tuesday]

I hate to say this Bill, but I can see them drafting a CB at 34...

 

(sigh)

[BillsVet]

I hate to say this Bill, but I can see them drafting a CB at 34...

 

You might be able to stomach a CB if they are active in free agency and acquire a TE, ILB, OLB, and OT. If they duck UFA, it's going to be another luxury pick, despite the need being there.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Sorry, Bill. You know it's a given by now though.

[Kelly the Dog]

You might be able to stomach a CB if they are active in free agency and acquire a TE, ILB, OLB, and OT. If they duck UFA, it's going to be another luxury pick, despite the need being there.

 

How exactly is it a luxury pick with no healthy and reliable starter at one of the most important positions on the team, plus only three reasonable CBs on the roster in McGee, McKelvin and Corner (who isn't any good)?

[BillsVet]

How exactly is it a luxury pick with no healthy and reliable starter at one of the most important positions on the team, plus only three reasonable CBs on the roster in McGee, McKelvin and Corner (who isn't any good)?

 

When teams don't throw on you because they can pick up 200 yards rushing with Joe McKnight.

[Kelly the Dog]

When teams don't throw on you because they can pick up 200 yards rushing with Joe McKnight.

Teams threw on us often, and with easy results. McGee was hurt as usual, Florence was horrible, and Leodis incredibly inconsistent. Corner is crap, Youboty and Florence are FA. I wanted an ILB, too, but there really weren't any obvious real good ones. We have to see if Merriman or Moats can rush the passer. I expect a LB or OT in the third round. But a solid, big, highly regarded CB is hardly a luxury pick, it was a clear need.

[BillsVet]

Teams threw on us often, and with easy results. McGee was hurt as usual, Florence was horrible, and Leodis incredibly inconsistent. Corner is crap, Youboty and Florence are FA. I wanted an ILB, too, but there really weren't any obvious real good ones. We have to see if Merriman or Moats can rush the passer. I expect a LB or OT in the third round. But a solid, big, highly regarded CB is hardly a luxury pick, it was a clear need.

 

There will be a UFA period, and I realize there's a drop off at CB in this draft. But I'm not concerned about pass defense when teams eat up the clock and stuff it down the heart of the defense. Furthermore, there's a reason the CB's get beat up in Buffalo, and it's because they're playing run support more often than not and getting nicked up doing so.

 

Yeah, McGee's regularly hurt, McKelvin isn't living up to his draft selection, Corner is a nickel/dime guy, and Florence is probably gone. Still, it's a matter of what killed me, and it wasn't other teams passing on that defense.

 

I'm not killing the player, but the point is he doesn't help the run defense.