Big Turk Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) Wow...Mack seems to be rocketing up the boards...more than likely because more people are watching his games now that he is in the draft.... His blurb: 5. Buffalo DE-OLB Khalil Mack — Turn on the Ohio State tape: a glimpse of future dominance. Here is a link to the article: http://sports.yahoo....28474--nfl.html Edited February 5, 2014 by matter2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 This is not news. Mack has always been in the top 5-10 range. At least from all of the draft blogs and pundits I've read and seen since the season was over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Wow...Mack seems to be rocketing up the boards...more than likely because more people are watching his games now that he is in the draft.... His blurb: 5. Buffalo DE-OLB Khalil Mack — Turn on the Ohio State tape: a glimpse of future dominance. Here is a link to the article: http://sports.yahoo....28474--nfl.html But don't watch the SDSU or Bowling Green games. Huge buzzkill. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 But don't watch the SDSU or Bowling Green games. Huge buzzkill. PTR so PTR I thought you wanted this guy with our pick? is he worth it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 so PTR I thought you wanted this guy with our pick? is he worth it? I did want him, but his last two games scare me. You can't ignore a player like this vanishing in the two biggest games of his career. Then he skips the Senior Bowl. As for the OSU game, even teams at that level take a while to get going in their first games. I mean UB hung with UGA and Penn State too and went on to lose 10 games those years. Could be nothing. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. It still gives me pause. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 He will have the most heavily scrutinized first step in the history of the NFL combine. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) I did want him, but his last two games scare me. You can't ignore a player like this vanishing in the two biggest games of his career. Then he skips the Senior Bowl. As for the OSU game, even teams at that level take a while to get going in their first games. I mean UB hung with UGA and Penn State too and went on to lose 10 games those years. Could be nothing. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. It still gives me pause. PTR The only game I watched was the Bowling Green game, and he looked OK to me. The Bulls D shut them down in the first half, but then in the second half BGSU beat them through a combination of lucky prayer/duck throws, laughably bad secondary play, and avoiding Mack's side of the field. The secondary looked high school level in that game, largely because the throws weren't very good. Edited February 5, 2014 by dave mcbride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GOBILLS78 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 But don't watch the SDSU or Bowling Green games. Huge buzzkill. PTR I didn't watch the BG game, but SDSU rarely even went near him, if I recall correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) He will have the most heavily scrutinized first step in the history of the NFL combine. GO BILLS!!! You have mentioned this on a few occasions and we know that you have the sources to back that up. I just find it a little odd because he really is a complete LB. The first step would be really important for a Jerry Hughes, Kiki Mingo, Dion Jordan, etc... but I view Mack as much more than a pass rusher. It will be interesting to see for sure. I don't see him slipping out of the top 10 but if scouts deem his first step too slow you never know. I am not concerned about his last two games either. They schemed for him by doubling and tripling (as always) and then ran away from him. There is just not enough talent on UB to make up for it. He had years of production and sometimes against teams much better than BGSU and SDSU. I still think that he will be the second defensive player off the board. Edited February 5, 2014 by Kirby Jackson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobonators Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I did want him, but his last two games scare me. You can't ignore a player like this vanishing in the two biggest games of his career. Then he skips the Senior Bowl. As for the OSU game, even teams at that level take a while to get going in their first games. I mean UB hung with UGA and Penn State too and went on to lose 10 games those years. Could be nothing. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. It still gives me pause. PTR Same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 (edited) The scouts are drooling over him for sure. They are also looking at how he practices, how he studies film, and breaking down technique and fundamentals outside of what you might see in a game, which is important. I was at that OSU-UB game. He mainly abused Taylor Decker who was a freshman RT playing his first game. That said, he really was all over the field and made huge plays against some legit (and very fast) talent. That was one of the best OLs in the country he faced, and that was their worst game of the year. Not sure what to expect in the NFL but I think as long as he is in a system that utilizes him right he will be very good. I also think he will flourish in the NFL despite how he was somewhat neutralized in his last few games since he was one of the only guys on UB's D the opponent had to really account for on every play, whereas if he was on the Bills, for example, they wouldn't be able to contain him as well with a double team or run plays away from both him and Kiko. In addition, had he been on an SEC defense he could have had more ability to make plays as he would have been one of many LBs to worry about. I am not advocating the Bills taking him that high, because I feel they have higher needs in round 1, just an example. Edited February 5, 2014 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astrobot Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 My thinking is this. We have Mack on our Big Board at 5. Mack will make a great OLB34 and an equally-good OLB43. I have seen articles (Rotowire etc.) saying we need a OLB43 and Mack would be it. I disagree; We need a SILB or WILB. Mack won't be there anyway. Mosley in RD1, Skov in RD2, or either Chris Borland/Andrew Jackson in RD3 meets our needs in the ILB dept if Whaley opts to draft the guy next to Kiko. If they choose to go after a veteran, we think the Bills would have ~$24.97 Million in FA if they cut Pears and Kolb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. WEO Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 He will have the most heavily scrutinized first step in the history of the NFL combine. GO BILLS!!! Except Maybin, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koufax Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 My thinking is this. We have Mack on our Big Board at 5. Mack will make a great OLB34 and an equally-good OLB43. I have seen articles (Rotowire etc.) saying we need a OLB43 and Mack would be it. I disagree; We need a SILB or WILB. Mack won't be there anyway. Mosley in RD1, Skov in RD2, or either Chris Borland/Andrew Jackson in RD3 meets our needs in the ILB dept if Whaley opts to draft the guy next to Kiko. If they choose to go after a veteran, we think the Bills would have ~$24.97 Million in FAif they cut Pears and Kolb. Who knows what we need most over the impactful first five years of his career. If he really doesn't fit the current system for some reason maybe you shy away, but if you use a top 10 pick on a less talented player based on the voids the other guys on the 53 man roster are creating, you will ensure yourself of an inferior 53 man roster year after year. On similarly ranked players sure, split some hairs using perceived immediate need, but when in doubt take the best football player (weighted according to positional importance so a 92 QB is much higher than a 99 Right Guard) to infuse your roster with the most talent as possible, and keep repeating that over the four or five years that each of those players is sure to be on your roster, and sooner or later you look up and your roster resembles Seattle's. I don't consider myself an expert evaluator of talent and don't know where Mack and Mosely rank. But I think anything other than some weighted version of BPA is shooting your team in the foot. I want really good talent evaluators to make the rankings, but I would just as soon have Warren Buffett define the philosophy and add as much to our talent portfolio. If a talent/BPA focused draft leaves short term holes, fill them with free agents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Personally I think he is gonna be a stud and wouldnt cry if he fell to us and we drafted him...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPS Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Ranked #5 by Eric Edholm....in February. Means nothing. It sounds like he will be a top 10-20 guy, but if he runs a 4.9, all the sudden he's a 2nd rounder. It's wayyyyy early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I'd take him at 9 in a heartbeat. I don't think he'll be there for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I think that there's a good chance either Watkins or Mack will be there at the Bills #9 pick and I'm good with either one of them. However, seeing how the Seahawks have made building a great defense cool again, I don't think he makes it to the Bills and gets picked by the Falcons or Bucs. If both are gone, then I see the Bills will picking WR Kelvin Benjamin who I believe will be a prospect who's stock will soar after the combine and pro day. He's a better prospect than Mike Evans IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-9 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 You have mentioned this on a few occasions and we know that you have the sources to back that up. I just find it a little odd because he really is a complete LB. The first step would be really important for a Jerry Hughes, Kiki Mingo, Dion Jordan, etc... but I view Mack as much more than a pass rusher. It will be interesting to see for sure. I don't see him slipping out of the top 10 but if scouts deem his first step too slow you never know. I am not concerned about his last two games either. They schemed for him by doubling and tripling (as always) and then ran away from him. There is just not enough talent on UB to make up for it. He had years of production and sometimes against teams much better than BGSU and SDSU. I still think that he will be the second defensive player off the board. There's a lot to like about Mack, but he's projected to have his biggest impact as a pass rushing OLB at the next level. Scouts just need a little convincing about his explosiveness off the ball. Every OT he faces in the NFL is gonna have long arms and decent feet and that first step will be vital for him; it's what sets up every other aspect of the pass rush technique. Teams will be wanting to see athletic prowess in the jumping events and his 10 yard splits in the 40, the best indicators of explosiveness. He's no different than any other highly rated prospect in the draft. Scouts need to see things from all players at every position. His body of work speaks for itself though, and that carries a lot of weight. Explosiveness is the only concern I've heard about his game. GO BILLS!!! Except Maybin, of course. Maybin's first step made him a multi-millionaire. That and Maybin's pro day. It was probably the ONLY aspect of his game that the scouting community DIDN'T have questions about. Almost the exact opposite of Mack. GO BILLS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machine gun kelly Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I understand the interest in Mack. What about the need for the big athletic WR, TE, star OG in a later round etc? They have a decision whether to load offensive talent around EJ or make a commitment to a #1 defense in the NFL with an avg. offense. I'm not convinced either way. I enjoy the opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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