Whitewalker's Big Board for rounds 1-2

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

Well, I don’t know if it counts for anything, but since we’re spinning out wheels until 36 hours from now I figured that it couldn’t hurt. Here’s the list of names that I’ll be checking off and hoping for as things progress.

 

I should note, that I do believe that the Bills will trade down somewhere, as it seems that the picks from 1-5 all seem to have the same guys, and there seems to be a period in the upper single digits and the mid rounds of talented guys who don’t seem to be immediate needs for the people there to take them. San Fran? St. Louis? I don’t know who, but I would be shocked if all three of the elite tackles, Dee Milliner and Tavon Austin all fall within the first 7 picks. There is trade bait in there somewhere, the question is whether we can get at it and use it.

 

1) The last QB out of Smith, Manuel and Nassib-These are my three. I’ve seen endless debate on all of them, and not a single one of them is perfect. I’m OK with that. I do believe that any single one of them, coached correctly, could be a productive starter for the team…but I’m holding off calling any of them superstars. I think that Kevin Kolb stands a chance of beating any rookie QB here in camp this summer, but I don’t expect things to stay that way. Smith has shown the highest level of production, but has been inconsistent. Manuel has some incredible tools, but definitely needs polish. Nassib knows the offense the best and thrives in the system we’re taking on. I would be entirely happy with any of them, whether it’s at 8, 41, or some pick we’ve traded for between then.

 

2) Tavon Austin- But he’s not a big, strong outside receiver! Well, yes…he’s not the man who will let the Bills put Stevie in the slot. But the West Coast Offense is predicated on timing throws, slants, and a lot of yard after catch. He’s an incredible talent, and who knows…maybe someone wants him so bad that they’re willing to trade for him after he gets picked.

 

3) Dee Milliner- I know, another CB pick…can we slit our wrists yet? If we hadn’t had such abysmal luck at the position, and with Aaron Williams now moving to safety our #2 and #3 are McKelvin and Brooks, neither of whom have shown themselves to be rocks of consistency. Even more distressing is our situation behind them which looks…grim. We can hopefully get another gem out our depth charts, but some assurance would be nice.

 

4& 6) Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz-The Bills don’t have their one starting tight end from last year, so the reasoning between the two of them is so similar that I lumped them together. Maybe Dickerson can be of some use as a passing TE, and maybe Chandler comes back at some point, and MAYBE he’s just as effective, but that is a whole lot of maybe. I don’t see this pick happening at #8, but if the Bills trade back, or one of them slips I would be content.

 

5&7) Kevin Mintner and Manti T’eo- I think that if there is a single remaining weak spot in the Bills front seven, it’s at the Mike linebacker. If the Bills don’t pick up Dansby, or if he’s not a good fit there, that leaves Sheppard as the weak link on the line with Lawson, Bradham and Mario. We NEED help there. I could only really see this for Minter is if the Bills trade for San Fran’s 31 and 34^th picks, but we might get lucky and Teo may slide as low as 41. Remember, this is a guy who a few months ago we were worried may go top 5.

 

8) Tyler Wilson-You will note the absence of Matt Barkley here. Maybe I’m crazy, and I came down on the wrong side of QB debate once before (Johnson over Flutie…what was I thinking?!?) but I don’t see it. Wilson may not knock your socks on combine numbers and measurements, and had a down year, but he put up a body of work beforehand. Now, this may sound a lot like Barkley, who also has similar excuses, but Wilson lost his best receivers and head coach his senior year. He’s best comparison as a pro has been to Jim Kelly, and considering the elements that Marrone and Hackett have been trying to bring in I would be more willing to give the chance on him…if my top three are gone by the time 41 rolls around.

 

9) Justin Hunter- Did someone call for a tall, fast receiver who has experience with blocking? This might be the solution for who to put on the outside to help out Stevie. Comparisons to Randy Moss have been made, and there does seem to be a crop of decent WR talent for day 2.