envirojeff Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 (Walters Football Site) Buffalo Bills A- Good Moves: Taking RB Willis McGahee might seem foolish because they already have Travis Henry and Olandis Gary, but running backs are prone to injury, so if Henry goes down, Buffalo will still have a strong running game. DE Chris Kelsay was a good pick in the second round. OLB Angelo Crowell was also a good pick in round 3. The Bills might have found their third wide receiver with fourth round pick WR Sam Aiken. Seventh rounder MLB Mario Haggan will probably make the team. Bad Moves: They wasted one of their fourth round picks on CB Terrence McGee. The Bills did not address their need at safety. New Starters: None (BTG Sports service) BUFFALO BILLS C– The Bills made the most controversial pick of the draft, selecting RB Willis McGahee at No. 23 overall. Not only was McGahee a risky pick because he had major knee surgery just four months ago, but also the team was well stocked at running back with Pro Bowler Travis Henry, former 1,000-yard rusher Olandis Gary, and Sammy Morris. The Bills did get good value and fill a need with the second-round selection of DE Chris Kelsay, who was considered a first-round prospect by many. They also added some needed youth to their receiving corps by selecting sleeper WR Sam Aiken (4-127), but their needs at tight end and safety were overlooked. KAC Sports.com Buffalo Bills C- The drafting of Willis McGahee was strange on a couple of fronts. The obvious point being that the Bills already have RB depth with Travis Henry and Olandis Gary. If McGahee continues to rehabilitate, that would relegate Henry to lame duck status no matter how well he does this season. The team can release Henry after the ’03 season, with only a cap hit of $445,000. But even then, no one will have an idea of how McGahee stacks up compared to Henry until sometime during the ’04 season. It was a gamble Buffalo did not have to really make. Not to mention the team currently plays on rock-hard artificial turf. Hopefully for McGahee’s sake, the team will invest in the newer ‘Field-Turf within the next year. I think the team made good moves with DE Chris Kelsey (48th pick) along with LB Angelo Crowell (94th pick). Fourth-round WR Sam Aiken should give the team a solid third receiver to help take pressure off Eric Moulds. CBS Sports Line Buffalo Bills C Best pick: They love effort players, and Nebraska defensive end Chris Kelsay is just that. He is a good value coming in the second round. Worst pick: Taking injured Miami running back Willis McGahee in the first round was a luxury this team couldn't afford. They should have gone defense. Reach: McGahee. He will ultimately decide the success of this draft. Comment: General manager Tom Donahoe is one of the best in the business, but taking McGahee will be a decision that might haunt him. They regrouped nicely to take Kelsay in the second round to help the pass rush. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarthur31 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Walter's Football Site gave the best assessment but they were dead wrong about McGee. Are the folks at CBS smoking Ricky's stash? Idiots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortured Soul Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Yeah, I could see the low grade because taking a running back, no matter how good, when you already have a Pro Bowl running back on the roster (remember, 2002 was Henry's best year) is a very questionable move. So, McGahee has worked out so far. But would I rather have Henry and another first round pick? Yeah, there's a good chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrLocke Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 2003 was an incredible draft that I give Donahoe much credit for. Usually teams are happy with 2 starters per draft and Donahoe got 3 McGahee, Kelsay and Mcgee. If by some odd chance Aiken becomes a #3 receiver (unlikely with Roscoe) and Crowell who apparently has been great on special teams becomes a starter say by beating out Posey it will just be a bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark VI Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 We don't know anything either. Yet it doesn't stop us from blathering our unfiltered, uneducated opinions on a daily basis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 2003 was an incredible draft that I give Donahoe much credit for. Usually teams are happy with 2 starters per draft and Donahoe got 3 McGahee, Kelsay and Mcgee. If by some odd chance Aiken becomes a #3 receiver (unlikely with Roscoe) and Crowell who apparently has been great on special teams becomes a starter say by beating out Posey it will just be a bonus. 318911[/snapback] Aiken also makes many plays on ST coverage. Yes, that was an amazing draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TigerJ Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Instant assessments of the draft are worthless, but pundits do them because the public demands it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRH Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 My favorite line: (Walters Football Site) Bad Moves: They wasted one of their fourth round picks on CB Terrence McGee. 318889[/snapback] And two years later, he's the first (but not the last) Pro Bowler from that draft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodnarb Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 none of this should come as news. grading drafts before any of the players have played a single down is the single most ridiculous practice in sports journalism. the draft the pats just had would be getting straight Fs if ANY OTHER team had selected the exact same players in those spots. It's a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie68 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 I remember the bills took some heat after the 2003 draft because they "should have bolstered the defense". well, they had one of the best D's the next two seasons I think too many of the draft anaylsis is based on whether a team drafts to fill a "need" (as perceived by the media). How often does a draft pick fill a need? By the time most draft picks are contributing, the teams needs have changed. So in 2003, the Bills "need" was Defense (I believe pass rusher and seconday were the hyped needs at the time), but they took a RB. So in 2005, the BIlls "need" is a LT - would they find someone in round 2 or 3 that would be ready to start opening day at LT? It may be interesting to see if we look back in 2 years, if all this criticism about not drafting a LT is as forgotten as the criticism that the Bills did not draft Defense in round 1 of 2003. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundy249 Posted April 26, 2005 Share Posted April 26, 2005 Yeah, I could see the low grade because taking a running back, no matter how good, when you already have a Pro Bowl running back on the roster (remember, 2002 was Henry's best year) is a very questionable move. So, McGahee has worked out so far. But would I rather have Henry and another first round pick? Yeah, there's a good chance. 318894[/snapback] If they did not pick Mcgahee they would have taken Chris kelsay with that pick. He was rated first round. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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