thewildrabbit Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Uh, just a few points. Richter was drafted as a CENTER not a guard and wasn't able to displace Will Grant, so Richter was moved to guard, where he did very well. That is why he didn't start for his entire first year with the Bills. Another point is that there is a big difference between the #9 pick and where the great Bill's first round guards were drafted. Let's say we trade down from the #9 slot to where those 3 best Bills guards were taken- what could we get with the extra draft pick that we got. (Okay, I'm using the draft-trade-value chart, which is not exact but better than anything else out there and draft-tech's top 100 rating to show the extra player we could get with that extra pick) Rueben Brown 1995 pick #14.....draft value points 1100......DELTA 4th pick in the 3rd round Ward, FS #100 Jim Richert 1980 pick #16......draft value points 1000......DELTA 23rd pick in the 2nd round Sefen-Jenkins TE #52 Delemielleure 1973 pick #20......draft value points 700.......DELTA 20th pick in the 1st round Gibert CB #19 My point is that the #9 pick has a lot of extra value and suggesting that it would be okay to spend it on a JUST a guard, (as per the historical 1st round guard draft pick examples, would not be a good deal because we would be wasting a lot of the value of the #9 pick. I would have absolutely NO PROBLEM if (by miracle) we could pull off some trade as above and use the traded down draft pick on a LEFT offensive tackle or offensive guard- as well as something like the highlighted extra player. BPA is not the best strategy IF you have a lot of holes. BPA as a strategy is severely weakened by the fact that the draft is a crap shoot because everybody is way off in predicting the NFL ability of college players. The point I was making was that usually first round picks start, as some Bills fans here label a player as a bust if he doesn't show immediate impact. What position Ritcher played in college makes no difference as so many linemen are moved, as with the case with Eric Wood who was a center in college, and the Bills started him at OG, and then later on moved him to center. That 1980 Bills line was already solid, and Ritcher didn't need to start right away, so he cut his teeth on special teams, and as a backup. To me this is a perfect example on how one HC views adding the proper depth for his O line, rather then scrubs from other teams dumpsters. I have never advocated drafting an OG at #9 in this draft simply because there is no top OG talent anywhere near the #9 position. The only guy close is Zack Martin who could play any position on that line. So if the Bills are targeting an OT, and the top three are gone. Then a trade back to tab Martin might be on order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 The point I was making was that usually first round picks start, as some Bills fans here label a player as a bust if he doesn't show immediate impact. What position Ritcher played in college makes no difference as so many linemen are moved, as with the case with Eric Wood who was a center in college, and the Bills started him at OG, and then later on moved him to center. That 1980 Bills line was already solid, and Ritcher didn't need to start right away, so he cut his teeth on special teams, and as a backup. To me this is a perfect example on how one HC views adding the proper depth for his O line, rather then scrubs from other teams dumpsters. I have never advocated drafting an OG at #9 in this draft simply because there is no top OG talent anywhere near the #9 position. The only guy close is Zack Martin who could play any position on that line. So if the Bills are targeting an OT, and the top three are gone. Then a trade back to tab Martin might be on order. I know it's part of a larger point but comparing team building from the 1980s (with no cap and completely different rules) to today is flawed thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryland-bills-fan Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 The point I was making was that usually first round picks start, as some Bills fans here label a player as a bust if he doesn't show immediate impact. What position Ritcher played in college makes no difference as so many linemen are moved, as with the case with Eric Wood who was a center in college, and the Bills started him at OG, and then later on moved him to center. That 1980 Bills line was already solid, and Ritcher didn't need to start right away, so he cut his teeth on special teams, and as a backup. To me this is a perfect example on how one HC views adding the proper depth for his O line, rather then scrubs from other teams dumpsters. I have never advocated drafting an OG at #9 in this draft simply because there is no top OG talent anywhere near the #9 position. The only guy close is Zack Martin who could play any position on that line. So if the Bills are targeting an OT, and the top three are gone. Then a trade back to tab Martin might be on order. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 In the salary cap era it is VERY rare to draft any player (other than maybe QB) that you do not plan on starting year 1. No one is drafting depth in the 1st 2-3 rounds anymore. They are making decisions to let certain players go (like Byrd) and replacing them with less expensive players (like Duke Williams). These coaches and GMs have 2-3 years or less (I see you Cleveland) to prove their worth. They simply can't worry about what kind of player a guy may be 5 years down the road if he can't help immediately. They say that NFL stands for "not for long." What worked 30 years ago is totally irrelevant to what is happening now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I know it's part of a larger point but comparing team building from the 1980s (with no cap and completely different rules) to today is flawed thinking. I don't think it is at all considering Knox saw the value of the player in that pick, and still drafted him perhaps knowing he might not start his first year. Maybe the guy simply wasn't ready to start right away. To me, drafting a RB when the position is already filled with a talented 1st round pick, a player with 1000k yard seasons behind him, and then having a very solid backup who could easily be the starter...when the team was desperate for a LT is flawed thinking. In the salary cap era it is VERY rare to draft any player (other than maybe QB) that you do not plan on starting year 1. No one is drafting depth in the 1st 2-3 rounds anymore. They are making decisions to let certain players go (like Byrd) and replacing them with less expensive players (like Duke Williams). These coaches and GMs have 2-3 years or less (I see you Cleveland) to prove their worth. They simply can't worry about what kind of player a guy may be 5 years down the road if he can't help immediately. They say that NFL stands for "not for long." What worked 30 years ago is totally irrelevant to what is happening now. I get all this. Then again, not every first round pick enters the league and makes an immediate impact, and they shouldn't be considered a bust because they didn't. Some players need time to learn their jobs and get better the more they learn. Look at #9 pick CJ Spiller who rode the bench most of his first year, starting in only one game back in 2010. A point being that not every player drafted in the first round must come out and have an instant impact, now or then, or he is a bust. Then there are the Patriots who drafted Ryan Mallett in the 3rd round knowing that he wasn't going to replace Brady anytime soon. Just sayin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I get all this. Then again, not every first round pick enters the league and makes an immediate impact, and they shouldn't be considered a bust because they didn't. Some players need time to learn their jobs and get better the more they learn. Look at #9 pick CJ Spiller who rode the bench most of his first year, starting in only one game back in 2010. A point being that not every player drafted in the first round must come out and have an instant impact, now or then, or he is a bust. Then there are the Patriots who drafted Ryan Mallett in the 3rd round knowing that he wasn't going to replace Brady anytime soon. Just sayin. Totally agree with all of this. We do tend to have a quick trigger as fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixxxer Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Whaley today ....That is what Fish is alluding to; you need a right tackle nowadays as athletic as your left tackle. That’s why we feel these guys are interchangeable and we’re excited about the depth at the position. Q: Is a right tackle really worth using the number nine pick on? Doug Whaley: If he can plug and play and we forget about him for ten years? Why wouldn’t you? You’d have two bookend tackles. http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Full-transcript-Bills-pre-draft-press-conference/6999db23-b2ee-463b-b59b-5c75535568a9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Whaley today http://www.buffalobi...9b-5c75535568a9 When asked about ''where do you need depth", and all he talked about was the defense....It figures. OT, I'll believe it when I see it, as I am so very skeptical that this team has any real deep concerns about the O line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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