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Buffalo Bills worst draft choices.


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3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Hmm. I think in that second half of 00s we just had more bad picks. Draft after draft was terrible. 

Definitely some bad picks.  But was there anything worst than Chandler Jones for Jonathan Cooper? If the Bills made that trade, that would be a pinned topic haha. 
 

the team with the greatest qb ever has spent him picks on Dobson, Chad Jackson, Brandon Tate, Dave Thomas, Bethel Johnson. Awful, awful picks and Brady just covered them up.  

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3 minutes ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

Definitely some bad picks.  But was there anything worst than Chandler Jones for Jonathan Cooper? If the Bills made that trade, that would be a pinned topic haha. 
 

the team with the greatest qb ever has spent him picks on Dobson, Chad Jackson, Brandon Tate, Dave Thomas, Bethel Johnson. Awful, awful picks and Brady just covered them up.  

 

They also drafted a lot of very good players in that run late 00s and early 10s. The foundation of the 2nd dynasty. When they were drafting poorly they were losing playoff games to the Jets and the Chargers even with the GOAT. 

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On 4/7/2020 at 5:32 AM, BuffaloBills1998 said:

With the draft coming up I wanted to know some of  your guys lists on the worst players we ever drafted here.

 

mine starts off with Aaron Maybin, Mike Williams, Willis McGahee, CJ spiller, JP Losman, Trent Edwards, Dante Whitner, Erik Flowers, James Hardy, and John McCargo, EJ Manuel etc


I disagree with Trent Edwards, a decent Qb (until his injury) that was drafted late.

 

also, I’d add Troup as the big omission.  

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1 hour ago, Crayola64 said:


I disagree with Trent Edwards, a decent Qb (until his injury) that was drafted late.

 

also, I’d add Troup as the big omission.  


It’s a common fan misnomer that Trent was different before and after the concussion.

 

He wasn’t. He was always a 1 TD, 1 Int QB for about 160 yards a game. Stylistically, he never changed from a check down manager.

 

So like many Bills teams from 2005 - 2018 they didn’t score enough to threaten good teams.

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1 hour ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Forgot Troup.

 

I can't hate the Mike Williams pick other than Bryant McKinnie should have been the choice. Mike Williams was considered a can't miss top 10 prospect.

Well, at this stage we have to decipher which is theoretically worse. Reaching for a bad player, or a censuses player flopping. 

 

I think when you also factor in how highly Williams was picked, its vastly more damaging,  in turn that's what give it the edge for me one of the worst picks.

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21 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Mckelvin was the clear cut #1 corner. His physicality, speed , and traits were all damn good and teams wanted to hit on a lockdown guy

 

And he had all pro return ability

 

He never turned out 100% like they wanted but he definitely became a very steady corner over time, with some good ball skills

the problem with most of the press cover CBs drafted high by the Bills is that they always played a soft zone with CBs 5-10 yards of the WR, thus wasting the very skill that cost them high draft picks

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9 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

2006 draft. The 1st 4 picks. Wow. The 1st 2 picks were massive reaches in the 1st round. Donte Whitner and John McCargo.

 

Willis McGahee also is right up there. It was a  wasted pick. Unwarranted.

 

Aaron Maybin. His own college coach said he wasn't ready. Huge red flags the Bills ignored. To top it off Orakpo looked like a can't miss prospect. Fans were actually right that year.

 

TJ Graham. Ugh. Easy one. So excited when they traded up. I knew it was for Russell Wilson. I don't even think Graham was ranked by some.

 

 

I think the Bills have had many drafts worse than 2006.  Beside Whitner, we drafted Kyle Williams and Brad Butler.  All solid starters.  Whitner had a better career than a whole bunch of the first rounders drafted after him that year.   I admit the first round was not good but unfortunately, the Bills have done worse. 

 

1          8          Donte Whitner, DB                    A controversial pick for many at TBD because most did not want to see a SS picked at #8.  He played 157 games in 11 seasons, and started 152 of them.  He made 2 Pro Bowls, one in the AFC and one in the NFC.  His level of “badness” is more TBD legend than reality. There are so many bad or failed Bills first rounder’s -  Whitner is not even in the top 20. 
 

1          26         John McCargo, DT                   Total Bust
 

3          70         Ashton Youboty, DB                 No impact, not good.
 

4          105       Ko Simpson, DB                       Played a little and was not a good player
 

5          134       Kyle Williams, DT                      One of our best All Time players
 

5          143       Brad Butler, OT                         Solid Starter – injuries cut career short
 

6          178       Keith Ellison, LB                        Solid player, backup ,and ST
 

7          16         Terrance Pennington, OT            Backup for a short period
 

7          248       Aaron Merz, OG            No impact

 

 

 

 

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18 hours ago, Mango said:

  
Fair point if we are casually discussing players and drafts. But to make the point about a possible HOF player and a pro bowler on a WORST DRAFT PICKS OF ALL TIME thread is so far out in left field. 

 

Your right they were very good football players!!  Not busts by any means...  Just a sore spot for me because I dont think they made the team better where as a first round OL could have.  

 

We had Henry when Willis was drafted

We had Jackson when Lynch was drafted 

We had Jackson and Lynch when Spiller was drafted

 

So WORST DRAFT PICKS OF ALL TIME  to me is not just bad players that were drafted, but players who were drafted that did little to improve the team.  

 

Many of the bad players have been talked about already. Except for Derrick Burroughs,  Ronnie Harmon, James Williams who were all 1st round picks.  

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1 hour ago, Bob in STL said:

 

I think the Bills have had many drafts worse than 2006.  Beside Whitner, we drafted Kyle Williams and Brad Butler.  All solid starters.  Whitner had a better career than a whole bunch of the first rounders drafted after him that year.   I admit the first round was not good but unfortunately, the Bills have done worse. 

 

 

Bob, the thing is that the 2006 draft was absolutely loaded with talent, and at positions of need for the Bills. Whitner was an ok player. He also cost the Bills approx. 36 million real cap dollars. How many games did he win for us?

 

Whitner doesn't belong on the list because of the title of the thread, but an undersized "good" safety should not be drafted at #8. In that sense, picking Whitner was stupid and amateurish. They lucked into Kyle Williams in the 5th. Other than that the entire draft was a disgrace.

 

Jmo.

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4 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Forgot Troup.

 

I can't hate the Mike Williams pick other than Bryant McKinnie should have been the choice. Mike Williams was considered a can't miss top 10 prospect.

Yes he was. He was also a RT (as opposed to McKinnie being a LT) who had weight issues and a chronic ankle problem. When you weigh 360 or more pounds (which I think MW did despite his listed weight), it is hard to fix a bad ankle.

 

I was screaming for months for the Bills to draft McKinnie. I am not supposed to know more than the Bills GM, scouting staff, and coaches.

 

I am just so happy that times have changed.

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2006 was only the 3rd draft after I started following the NFL and before I had more than a passing interest in the draft and it certainly wasn't broadcast over here. I confess I did think when I read on the internet we had taken a safety in the 1st "oh well we did need a safey". I think with the knowledge I have now I would have hated that pick. 

 

Put Whitner in the conversation with my two least favourite picks - McKelvin and Spiller - because he could play a bit (was the best of those 3) but strategically just the wrong move. 

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5 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Bob, the thing is that the 2006 draft was absolutely loaded with talent, and at positions of need for the Bills. Whitner was an ok player. He also cost the Bills approx. 36 million real cap dollars. How many games did he win for us?

 

Whitner doesn't belong on the list because of the title of the thread, but an undersized "good" safety should not be drafted at #8. In that sense, picking Whitner was stupid and amateurish. They lucked into Kyle Williams in the 5th. Other than that the entire draft was a disgrace.

 

Jmo.

Bill, i agree with you, Whitner was an Ok player - but at least a solid starter for several teams over 11 years. 

 

Look at the Bills First Round History.  57 picks and I count 30 picks that were the player is worse or similar to Whitner, and am being generous in a few cases.   It could be more.  I get there were better players on the board at the time, but you can look almost any Bills draft and find a first rounder picked after ours who was better -- with maybe the exceptions of OJ, and Bruce, and maybe the four years we picked 2nd last. 

 

the notion that he was a bust or one of the worst all time picks is not true.  We have done a lot worse many times over - which is why our lifetime record is poor. 

 

Year

Pick

Player name

Position

College

Notes

1966

8

Mike Dennis

RB

Ole Miss

 

Worse than Whitner

1967

22

John Pitts

S

Arizona State

Worse than Whitner

1968

9

Haven Moses

WR

San Diego State

Similar Contribution to Whitner

1969

1

O.J. Simpson  ^ 

RB

USC

 

1970

5

Al Cowlings

DT

USC

Worse than Whitner

1971

4

J. D. Hill

WR

Arizona State

 

1972

1

Walt Patulski

DE

Notre Dame

Worse than Whitner

1973

7

Paul Seymour

TE

Michigan

 

1973

26

Joe DeLamielleure  ^ 

G

Michigan State

 

1974

18

Reuben Gant

TE

Oklahoma State

Worse than Whitner

 

1975

19

Tom Ruud

LB

Nebraska

Worse than Whitner

1976

18

Mario Clark

DB

Oregon

 

1977

12

Phil Dokes

DT

Oklahoma State

Worse than Whitner

1978

5

Terry Miller

RB

Oklahoma State

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

1979

1

Tom Cousineau

LB

Ohio State

Worse than Whitner

1979

5

Jerry Butler

WR

Clemson

 

1980

16

Jim Ritcher

C

North Carolina State

 

1981

28

Booker Moore

RB

Penn State

Worse than Whitner

1982

19

Perry Tuttle

WR

Clemson

Worse than Whitner

1983

12

Tony Hunter

TE

Notre Dame

Worse than Whitner

1983

14

Jim Kelly  ^ 

QB

Miami (FL)

 

1984

26

Greg Bell

RB

Notre Dame

Worse than Whitner

1985

1

Bruce Smith  ^ 

DE

Virginia Tech

 

1985

14

Derrick Burroughs

DB

Memphis State

Better but injuries cut him short

1986

16

Ronnie Harmon

RB

Iowa

Worse than Whitner

1986

20

Will Wolford

OT

Vanderbilt

 

1987

8

Shane Conlan

LB

Penn State

 

1988

No pick

 

1989

No pick

 

1990

16

James Williams

DB

Fresno State

Worse than Whitner

1991

26

Henry Jones

DB

Illinois

 

1992

27

John Fina

OT

Arizona

 

1993

28

Thomas Smith

DB

North Carolina

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

1994

27

Jeff Burris

DB

Notre Dame

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

1995

14

Ruben Brown

G

Pittsburgh

 

1996

24

Eric Moulds

WR

Mississippi State

 

1997

23

Antowain Smith

RB

Houston

 

1998

No pick

 

1999

23

Antoine Winfield

DB

Ohio State

 

2000

26

Erik Flowers

DE

Arizona State

Worse than Whitner

2001

21

Nate Clements

DB

Ohio State

 

2002

4

Mike Williams

OT

Texas

Worse than Whitner

2003

23

Willis McGahee

RB

Miami (FL)

Worse than Whitner

2004

13

Lee Evans

WR

Wisconsin

 

2004

22

J. P. Losman

QB

Tulane

Worse than Whitner

2005

No pick

 

2006

8

Donte Whitner

S

Ohio State

 

2006

26

John McCargo

DT

North Carolina State

Worse than Whitner

2007

12

Marshawn Lynch

RB

California

 

2008

11

Leodis McKelvin

DB

Troy

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

2009

11

Aaron Maybin

DE

Penn State

Worse than Whitner

2009

28

Eric Wood

C

Louisville

 

2010

9

C.J. Spiller

RB

Clemson

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

2011

3

Marcell Dareus

DT

Alabama

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

2012

10

Stephon Gilmore

CB

South Carolina

 

2013

16

EJ Manuel

QB

Florida State

Worse than Whitner

2014

4

Sammy Watkins

WR

Clemson

 

2015

No pick

[3]

2016

19

Shaq Lawson

DE

Clemson

Similar Contribution to Whitner

 

2017

27

Tre'Davious White

CB

LSU

 

2018

7

Josh Allen

QB

Wyoming

 

2018

16

Tremaine Edmunds

LB

Virginia Tech

 

2019

9

Ed Oliver

DT

Houston

 

 

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1 hour ago, BUFFALOBART said:

EJ was a nice kid, but he was gutless.


How much of that was the coaching? Marrone and Hackett were awful. Specifically Hackett. That scheme was predictable and did nothing to help any QB. We had to watch a basically retired Kyle Orton run whatever he could put together on the field. There was no preparation, no game plan, and zero in game adjustments. When the coach says “don’t make mistakes, or you’ll ride the pine” but gives him nothing to work with, it’s not really on the kid. 
 

EJ was raw and did himself no favors in the long run. Like I said, I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if he had been coached by Gailey. Quick short passing concepts could have helped him gain confidence and open up the middle of the field that he was terrified to throw too. 
 

Anyway... that’s old history and EJ is out of the league by now. 

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14 minutes ago, RobbRiddicksTDLeap said:


How much of that was the coaching? Marrone and Hackett were awful. Specifically Hackett. That scheme was predictable and did nothing to help any QB. We had to watch a basically retired Kyle Orton run whatever he could put together on the field. There was no preparation, no game plan, and zero in game adjustments. When the coach says “don’t make mistakes, or you’ll ride the pine” but gives him nothing to work with, it’s not really on the kid. 
 

EJ was raw and did himself no favors in the long run. Like I said, I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if he had been coached by Gailey. Quick short passing concepts could have helped him gain confidence and open up the middle of the field that he was terrified to throw too. 
 

Anyway... that’s old history and EJ is out of the league by now. 


I think a lot had to do with EJ.  Many people have pointed out here - EJ was probably had a 3rd or 4th round grade.  The QB’s in the 2013 class were horrible.  He might have been the best option but the Bills put themselves in a position where did they had to draft a QB so they wanted to take the one they liked best even if it meant reaching.  Bad decision but a bad administration.

 

EJ’s ceiling was a backup QB and you can debate whether he realized that.  He was out of the league pretty quick after his time in Buffalo
 

 

On 4/7/2020 at 6:32 AM, BuffaloBills1998 said:

With the draft coming up I wanted to know some of  your guys lists on the worst players we ever drafted here.

 

mine starts off with Aaron Maybin, Mike Williams, Willis McGahee, CJ spiller, JP Losman, Trent Edwards, Dante Whitner, Erik Flowers, James Hardy, and John McCargo, EJ Manuel etc


I will defend the selection of Mike Williams. Not definitely was a huge miss, but the pick was very safe at the time.  If the Bills didn’t take Williams at #4 another team would have selected him shortly after.  
 

Williams was projected to be a franchise tackle.  Donahoe thought he was getting a 10-15 staple on the OL.  
 

He’s definitely a bust but it’s not like there were red flags like there were with other players that are on this list.  It was a good pick at the time and a horrid  return

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53 minutes ago, Phil The Thrill said:

Williams was projected to be a franchise tackle.  Donahoe thought he was getting a 10-15 staple on the OL. 

 

Talk about busts, Donahoe takes the cake.  As the Steelers GM, year after year he lost key players to free agency yet continued to win.  With the Bills, the magic totally disappeared.

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On 4/7/2020 at 8:41 PM, MassHog said:

I find it crazy that people can have McGahee, Spiller and Whitner on the same list as Maybin, Williams or Losman

Agreed but I wouldn't put Losman with Maybin and Williams.  Losman was a bust but at least he showed some flashes with a few 300 yard games and multiple touchdowns etc. Maybin and Williams did absolutely nothing.

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