Manther Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Aaron Donald is a sneaky pick for the BILLS. Jerry Hughes did well last year, but seems to be a bit one-dimensional and I think Donald would be a legit 4-3 DE opposite Super Mario. You would also guarantee some scheme versatility as he can obviously play the DT position but by transitioning him to the outside, you don't lose his speed and he can be stout against the run while keeping the other playmakers ON the field and not subbing him in for KW or Dareus...I also think you showcase his talent b/c he can rush the outside to the QB but also big and strong enough to set the edge against the run....I don't know if the Giants would trade with the BILLS from 12 to 9, b/c it could cost them a 3rd, but even if the BILLS stay put at 9, Donald still has good value there, IMHO. Can he play DE? Is he a little small for DE? These are serious questions. If he can....and the WRs are gone and the OTs, he might be a good pick IF we can't trade down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo poonani Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I believe he can be a serviceable DE as he has incredible speed and can chase the QB and run down RBs, but there are other options like Ealy and Tuitt that may be there in round 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTO Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I cant possibly see him playing DE in the NFL. He may be better suited as a LB or DT because he is only 6'0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TC in St. Louis Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Monster. Take him. The Bills often draft people who don't come in for visits. They try to outsmart people, but it can backfire. This is the problem when the draft gets moved so late. Everybody, including me, has visions of everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3rdand12 Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 Can he play DE? Is he a little small for DE? These are serious questions. If he can....and the WRs are gone and the OTs, he might be a good pick IF we can't trade down. this is the bpa question. Swattz will still need an End. so we have not filled a need. Thats okay but changes the rest of the picks i think. I am against the grain and want Matthews to solve the RT problem long term. Well at least for four years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manther Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I believe he can be a serviceable DE as he has incredible speed and can chase the QB and run down RBs, but there are other options like Ealy and Tuitt that may be there in round 2. What about Chricton and Kareem Martin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
....lybob Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I cant possibly see him playing DE in the NFL. He may be better suited as a LB or DT because he is only 6'0. An inch taller, 25 pounds heavier and a little faster than Elvis Dumervil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannc Posted May 3, 2014 Share Posted May 3, 2014 I cant possibly see him playing DE in the NFL. He may be better suited as a LB or DT because he is only 6'0. If there is one thing we should have learned over the past few years, it is that one should not make negative assumptions about a prospect simply because he does not fit the preconceived notions of how tall, heavy, long-armed or fast a player has to be to play a particular position. How good is he at football? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prickly Pete Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 All this is nice...but they aren't gonna select him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 I cant possibly see him playing DE in the NFL. He may be better suited as a LB or DT because he is only 6'0. I think maybe in a 3-4 he could... Though I don't see him as real 2-gap fit...It's kind of a waste of his talent...He's clearly best suited inside in a 4-3 as a penetrating DT where he can wreck havoc...The problem I see with Donald and the Bills is that he's basically a younger, lighter, and slightly quicker version of KW...I think they are very similar players...Which speaks a lot to Donald's ability, but it's going to be tough for him to get on the field much with the Bills unless he plays out-of-position... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 Christ, Get here already draft!!!! I hear that, (although I like Donald) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo Barbarian Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 If there is one thing we should have learned over the past few years, it is that one should not make negative assumptions about a prospect simply because he does not fit the preconceived notions of how tall, heavy, long-armed or fast a player has to be to play a particular position. How good is he at football? :worthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 He won't get by Tampa. Hear me now, believe me later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 The problem I see with Donald and the Bills is that he's basically a younger, lighter, and slightly quicker version of KW...I think they are very similar players...Which speaks a lot to Donald's ability, but it's going to be tough for him to get on the field much with the Bills unless he plays out-of-position... He is also far healthier than KW, but your comparison is obviously sound. Donald is not the player I am hoping for, but I won't be mad if they draft him. Not at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarlinTheMagician Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 If we take Donald (which I would be fine with, but would really like one of the top three tackles), I think the move would be to kick Dareus out to end. He has lots of experience there, where Donald is really an inside guy. From what I read he is a penetrator like Kyle Williams, who is aging, so it would make some sense. Branch plays the run stuffer role and we draft some fat slob to back Branch up (or use a chunker we already have). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo poonani Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 By the way, Donald was moved around on the line and has experience at DE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted May 4, 2014 Share Posted May 4, 2014 By the way, Donald was moved around on the line and has experience at DE. Didn't read this whole thread but saw today that no DT 295 lb. or under has been drafted in the top 10 since 1987. He seems scheme-specific at DT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBuff423 Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 Seriously dude? You read away more than I wrote. Aaron Donald is too short to be a 3-4 DE, not fast enough (or small enough) to be a 4-3 end and is absolutely ideal as a 4-3 DT playing a 3 technique. I defy you to find 1 article discussing his possibilities as a DE. If you can, I'll be happy to eat crow. But I'd take him as a linebacker or kicker on the Bills. I love the guy. I think Barr is better than you think. As good as KW is, he is one of the common threads on some awful defenses. I think Donald will be better. First, if I read too much into it, my bad. Second, not fast enough to be a 4-3 end? Really...? Well, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but looking at his Combine numbers, he's plenty fast enough and given his strength, he's great at DE man-handling the tackles...when it comes to, too short or arms not long enough stuff, I simply refer to watching him play...now, obviously you don't think he can play DE in a 4-3, fair enough, again all opinions (within reason) are valid...but to say that it isn't so just b/c others are writing articles about it, doesn't seem to hold water IMO...Russell Wilson was also too short to be a QB in the NFL, yet any other team - had they known what and how he could play at the NFL level - would have Drafted him in the 1st, assuming they needed / wanted a QB...he's just an easy one to pick, but the NFL is full of players who don't meet the measurable criteria and yet play well for their teams...how many former basketball players converted to TEs are playing now? How many DEs in college are OLB in a 3-4 scheme? Look at the Ty Powell kid the BILLS seem to really like and Seattle Drafted, who was converted to LB...there's a long list of players who have transitioned from one position to another, and going from DT to DE is not a huge leap, especially for a guy who is BIG and FAST and STRONG...and not for nothing, but given this team's issues against the Run, a BIG, STRONG, FAST DE is exactly what this team needs...plus, versatility is a nice bonus, can put him inside or if they Coach him up to DE, put him outside and switch on the line as an audible based on who's in the game....just a thought, and a way of getting the best talent on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HankBulloughMellencamp Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 He would be a fantastic pick. He is likely the BPA at #9, and, we need another DT because Williams is not getting any younger. Imagine having Mario, Williams/Donald, Dearus on the line. He is a beast. I would love this pick, and I seriously doubt Donald would be on the sidelines very much. Our buddy Bill Polian loves him, and even referred to him as “the 3-technique of my dreams”. As much as I get why people want us to grab Ebron to be our Jimmy Graham Jr. for EJ, here is my theory on why the Bills will select Aaron Donald if they stay at #9: We have barely heard a thing about Donald, and that is the way Whaley seems to roll. Donald also fits who the Bills may truly feel is the BPA at #9. Ebron plays a need position, but probably is in the 15-20 range on their draft board. At TE, I think Tyler Eifert was quite comparable to Ebron last year in terms of skill set and NFL polish, and he had a decent but limited impact as a 1st round rookie for Cincy. So, it is safe to say that Ebron would not be a Jimmy Graham Jr. for us on day one of rookie camp. And I do not buy this notion of coddling EJ along and supplying him with whatever weapons he needs to succeed. If EJ proves that he can get rid of it effectively vs. heavy pressure, something he has yet to do IMHO, he will find whoever is open. And to hinge his development and our investment in him on the addition of a supposed game-breaking weapon who is a rookie TE or WR is pure folly (and possibly a smokescreen, IMO). Kyle Williams sure isn’t getting any younger, and having a viable DT option who could learn from him and be ready if Kyle or Dareus got dinged up is not the worst idea I have ever heard. Alan Branch can (and has) played well for us, but he is much older and not nearly as disruptive in the way KW/Dareus are. By most accounts, Aaron Donald is viewed as the best DT in this draft, and a dominator at his position. And he or Dareus could probably play some end as well. 4-3 ends need to be much more stout and adept at containing their edge vs. the run. Remember how Jim Schwartz’s Detroit club took Fairley to add to an already imposing D-line that featured Suh? You can never have enough dominant defensive linemen. Who remembers that New York Giants Superbowl-winning formula? And having such a D-line in place makes everyone else on the defense better, especially our DBs. Opposing QBs will have nightmares, and they will have to contend with these guys every snap. My icing on the cake is that Whaley is a Pitt guy, and probably very familiar with what Donald can do. He’d be a key interior defensive piece for the next 5 years (and at a relatively modest salary for 4 of them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannc Posted May 5, 2014 Share Posted May 5, 2014 I would love this pick, and I seriously doubt Donald would be on the sidelines very much. Our buddy Bill Polian loves him, and even referred to him as “the 3-technique of my dreams”. As much as I get why people want us to grab Ebron to be our Jimmy Graham Jr. for EJ, here is my theory on why the Bills will select Aaron Donald if they stay at #9: We have barely heard a thing about Donald, and that is the way Whaley seems to roll. Donald also fits who the Bills may truly feel is the BPA at #9. Ebron plays a need position, but probably is in the 15-20 range on their draft board. At TE, I think Tyler Eifert was quite comparable to Ebron last year in terms of skill set and NFL polish, and he had a decent but limited impact as a 1st round rookie for Cincy. So, it is safe to say that Ebron would not be a Jimmy Graham Jr. for us on day one of rookie camp. And I do not buy this notion of coddling EJ along and supplying him with whatever weapons he needs to succeed. If EJ proves that he can get rid of it effectively vs. heavy pressure, something he has yet to do IMHO, he will find whoever is open. And to hinge his development and our investment in him on the addition of a supposed game-breaking weapon who is a rookie TE or WR is pure folly (and possibly a smokescreen, IMO). Kyle Williams sure isn’t getting any younger, and having a viable DT option who could learn from him and be ready if Kyle or Dareus got dinged up is not the worst idea I have ever heard. Alan Branch can (and has) played well for us, but he is much older and not nearly as disruptive in the way KW/Dareus are. By most accounts, Aaron Donald is viewed as the best DT in this draft, and a dominator at his position. And he or Dareus could probably play some end as well. 4-3 ends need to be much more stout and adept at containing their edge vs. the run. Remember how Jim Schwartz’s Detroit club took Fairley to add to an already imposing D-line that featured Suh? You can never have enough dominant defensive linemen. Who remembers that New York Giants Superbowl-winning formula? And having such a D-line in place makes everyone else on the defense better, especially our DBs. Opposing QBs will have nightmares, and they will have to contend with these guys every snap. My icing on the cake is that Whaley is a Pitt guy, and probably very familiar with what Donald can do. He’d be a key interior defensive piece for the next 5 years (and at a relatively modest salary for 4 of them). I agree with your opinion about Donald, however, there are a couple problems with this scenario. First, I am starting to doubt that Donald will still be on the board at 9. Second, Marrone has said over and over that they want to get more weapons for EJ to work with. To me, that sounds like they won't use their first pick on a defender. I hope I'm wrong, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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