thebandit27 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 The Bills had plenty of WR's already. No need to give up a 1st and 4th rd picks next year. Serious question: If you're a defensive coordinator, which WR on the Bills pre-draft roster requires any type of game plan to stop, aside from "go cover that guy"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Jackson Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 The Bills had plenty of WR's already. No need to give up a 1st and 4th rd picks next year. That was the point. They weren't trying to get A WR they were trying to get THE WR. This team hasn't had a legit number 1 since Moulds. They do now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 There were plenty of good WR prospects in the draft this year, but Watkins was the only one with that 'elite' status. I'm no expert and will be the first to admit I have a hard time discerning the difference between his skills and the other top WRs. But, if he is the elite wideout many say he could be, than IMHO he is absolutely worth the trade up. Look at the impact that current elite wideouts (Johnson, Green, Jones, Fitzgerald) have on the game. Having a threat like that changes the entire approach of opposing defenses, which should especially come in handy considering how much Hackett likes to run the ball. Time will tell, but if Sammy is the stud many are projecting, then the offense should reach another level entirely... And yes, as previously stated, this is all dependant on EJ's progress No he wasn't. Mike Evans was right up there with him, and most teams are now looking for the taller player with the larger catch radius. It remains to be seen who will be this years elite players, as 50% of 1st round picks fail. Except that Lewan has been described as "quirky". He has had serious run ins with the law. Yes I know so has Henderson but he is a 7th round flyer pick not a first rounder. It just could be that they did not trust Lewan. No he didn't, as it was all mostly suppositions and allegations so far. Yes, he was arrested, but he has of yet to be convicted of anything! Sammy Watkins failed a drug test in 2012, and was suspended by the team for it. Much more serious problems could arise from this IMO. Josh Gordon, and his one year suspension, Justin Blackmon, and his one year suspension both say hello! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 No he wasn't. Mike Evans was right up there with him, and most teams are now looking for the taller player with the larger catch radius. It remains to be seen who will be this years elite players, as 50% of 1st round picks fail. No he didn't, as it was all mostly suppositions and allegations so far. Yes, he was arrested, but he has of yet to be convicted of anything! Sammy Watkins failed a drug test in 2012, and was suspended by the team for it. Much more serious problems could arise from this IMO. Josh Gordon, and his one year suspension, Justin Blackmon, and his one year suspension both say hello! How did PFF grade Lewan on the criminality scale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 How did PFF grade Lewan on the criminality scale? Not as bad as Watkins. I went with Football outsiders for that one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALF Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Serious question: If you're a defensive coordinator, which WR on the Bills pre-draft roster requires any type of game plan to stop, aside from "go cover that guy"? Sammy is the elite WR no argument there. Giving EJ time to find a open receiver is a even higher priority this season. If Sammy was the final piece to making the playoffs then he would be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryland-bills-fan Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 So...let me get this straight you would pass on a hall of famer for a right tackle? And we addressed tackle in the 2nd round with a guy who might ultimately have a better career than lewan No way that Lewan in a no-doubt hall-of-famer. It is true that we would be a paying LEFT offensive price for a RIGHT offensive tackle. You don't maximize your team by overpaying for players. You lose by not using the high pick on a skill position and you lose by having the guy be pissed off at not reaching his potential in skills, reputation and money and by his leaving the first chance he can. (Ever hear of Jason Peters?). There are a lot of very good LEFT offensive tackles in line ahead of Lewan for the HoF. Cyril may be a HoF at right offensive tackle for all we know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALF Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 So...let me get this straight you would pass on a hall of famer for a right tackle? And we addressed tackle in the 2nd round with a guy who might ultimately have a better career than lewan Plus a 1st rd and 4th rd picks next year. What could possibly go wrong ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 The Bills had plenty of WR's already. No need to give up a 1st and 4th rd picks next year. Did you see the Bills play last year? Defenses stacked the line daring the Bills to beat them because they feared nobody. A lot of the blame gets laid on the QBs last year but the WRs didn't do them any favors. Brining in a guy like Watkins to draw attention and suddenly Goodwin get more single coverages over the top, Mike Williams gets single covered on the outside and Chandler will get matched up with LBs more often. If Watkins is half the player we hope he is the Bills have dramatically improved their WRs this year. This helps EJ and the running game. It improves the entire offense if Ds have to worry about Watkins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALLEN1QB Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 (edited) I would take Taylor Lewan at 9 . Sammy is a future HOF er, but I have to give our QB time. Ha Ha the guy has not played a down in the NFL and you already have him in the HOF! Edited May 14, 2014 by BLEDSOE1QB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALF Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Ha Ha the guy has not played a down in the NFL and you already have him in the HOF! With a solid OL and QB why not ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 No he wasn't. Mike Evans was right up there with him, and most teams are now looking for the taller player with the larger catch radius. It remains to be seen who will be this years elite players, as 50% of 1st round picks fail. While Mike Evans may be turn out to be great, he wasn't being talked up as a once in a generation talent. And I haven't seen any reports come out that have said that teams had Evans as the top pick on their board. Yet, it's already been reported that Watkins was at the top of more than a handful of teams boards. I wouldn't exactly say Evans was right up there with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manther Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 There's a ton of negativity out there as it pertains to trading for Sammy Watkins, and what the Bills could have done instead. I thought this would be a good opportunity to break down where they ended up in the early rounds of the draft versus where they potentially could have been. The first suggestion is that they still trade up with Cleveland, but take Khalil Mack instead of Sammy Watkins at #4. While my initial inclination was that they should have done exactly that, there's hindsight to suggest otherwise. Many would have stated that Stevie being traded was a foregone conclusion. I don't think there's any doubt that Kouandjio is the right pick in the second round regardless of whether they picked Mack or Watkins with that #4 pick. So this would have left them in the lurch in the rd round where they would have still taken Preston Brown or having to reach for another WR. Their only other WR visitor was Cody Latimer, and he was long gone by their pick at #73. WR possibilities there would have been Josh Huff, Donte Moncrief, and John Brown. None of those guys are anything better than slot receivers and then they would have been stuck (still) without a true #1. The second suggestion is that the still trade up but for Jake Matthews. This wouldn't be a bad play as Kouandjio wouldn't be needed in the second and they could have turned around and taken Cody Latimer without having to spend next years pick. While this might have been the best option on paper, I wonder if Matthews might state his desire to play LT in the big leagues and whether that would have thrown the Bills into a situation where chemistry in the locker room starts to break down. The third suggestion was to stay put at the #9 pick. They don't lose next years first rounder, but then what would they be able to do at #9? Anthony Barr really isn't an option. Buffalo didn't prioritize getting another OLB until very very late in the draft (6th round). This would have left them with Eric Ebron or perhaps Taylor Lewan. The former still leaves them picking Kouandjio in the 2nd and still having no #1 WR. The latter would leave them with Cody Latimer. When all is said and done, I think this was a well executed draft. The alternative to Watkins would have left this team in the lurch or with average talent at other key positions. The more ways I look at it, the more I like what they did. Your 2nd option is flawed as it states we could have traded up to get Matthews. We would have had to trade up to #4 or #5 to do so AND is suggests we would still have our 1st rounder next year. At VERY least we would have lost our 2nd rounder in 2014. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 Sammy is the elite WR no argument there. Giving EJ time to find a open receiver is a even higher priority this season. If Sammy was the final piece to making the playoffs then he would be worth it. Time wasn't really the issue last season--for any of the QBs. The issue was a general lack of pocket presence (rolling into the pressure), indecision with the football, and an all-too-often lack of open targets in the middle of the field. Don't get me wrong, the improvements along the OL will help; improvements from the QB and WR positions will be of even greater influence IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 (edited) a 4th option was to trade DOWN from #9 and pick up an additional 2nd rounder like last year (kiko). as an example: 2014 1st round #16 LB CJ Mosley or OL Zach Martin 2014 2nd round #48 RB Carlos Hyde (the bills tried to trade back into round 2 for hyde). 2015 1st round #?? you would still have next years first round pick (QB Brett Hundley UCLA) Edited May 14, 2014 by papazoid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALF Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 A trade down for Zach Martin and a extra pick , plus Cyrus in the 2nd, keeping next years picks sounds better to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebandit27 Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 a 4th option was to trade DOWN from #9 and pick up an additional 2nd rounder like last year (kiko). as an example: 2014 1st round #16 LB CJ Mosley or OL Zach Martin 2014 2nd round #48 RB Carlos Hyde (the bills tried to trade back into round 2 for hyde). 2015 1st round #?? you would still have next years first round pick A trade down for Zach Martin and a extra pick , plus Cyrus in the 2nd, keeping next years picks sounds better to me. No offense intended--I'm far, far more excited about what they actually did than the idea of either of the above options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve O Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 The Bills had plenty of WR's already. No need to give up a 1st and 4th rd picks next year. Thought I was the only one that felt like this. Wanted Aaron Donald at 9 (even if Watkins was still on the board.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 No offense intended--I'm far, far more excited about what they actually did than the idea of either of the above options. none taken...if Watson plays like AJ Green and Megatron (pro bowl level) and stays healthy, then this was a good trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted May 14, 2014 Share Posted May 14, 2014 (edited) No he didn't, as it was all mostly suppositions and allegations so far. Yes, he was arrested, but he has of yet to be convicted of anything! Sammy Watkins failed a drug test in 2012, and was suspended by the team for it. Much more serious problems could arise from this IMO. Josh Gordon, and his one year suspension, Justin Blackmon, and his one year suspension both say hello! Re Lewan, while I liked him as a possible R1 pick, it's apparent the Bills wanted nothing to do with him. Edited May 14, 2014 by TPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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