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Focus On The Defense Draft


H2o

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The premise of this mock draft is if we address all of our needs on offense in FA. :thumbsup: Assuming we get some vet OL help, a vet WR, another TE possibly, and a 3rd RB. This would be a draft I would want to see that focuses strictly on the defensive side of the ball. 

 

 

Round 1 - #25. Ahmad Gardner / CB / Cincinnati - Ahmad Gardner went to Cincy as a 3-Star recruit out of Martin Luther King HS in Detroit, Michigan. He arrived weighing just under 160lbs. Started as a TRUE Freshman for the Bearcats and went on to NOT ALLOW A SINGLE TD by opposing receivers in his 3 years of time there. He's also 6'2" and a 190lbs now. He has the speed and fluidity to keep up in Man coverage, but his best fit is in a Zone system where he gets to read/react to the play as it unfolds. Welcome to the Buffalo Bills son. 

 

Round 2 - #57. Chad Muma / LB / Wyoming - The Bills go to the Wyoming well again for a possible future Captain of the defense. Edmunds is in a contract year and I honestly believe we get our contingency plan together in 2022. If you have never seen Muma play then go check out some YouTube videos. He's not going to run a sub-4.5 40 at the Combine, but he is smart, takes good angles, has enough athleticism to cover, and he is a sure tackler. He led all of the NCAA this year in solo tackles with 85. I could see him being groomed in 2022 for a starting role in 2023 in this defense. 

 

Round 3  - #89. Travis Jones / DT / UConn - Jones is a perfect fit for the 1-Tech in our defense. He stands 6'4", almost 330lbs, and is a stout run defender. He also has some decent lateral agility, the strength to push the pocket, and uses his hands well to create leverage when attempting to push the pocket. We get younger and more talented at the position here.  

 

Round 4 - #126. Michael Clemons / DE / Texas A&M - Clemons is not much of a "WOW" type of prospect at the DE position, but he is solid, does some things well, and improved every year. We are not re-signing Hughes or Addison so depth will need to be added. Clemons had 11 TFL's and 7 sacks this past season, though 3.5 of those sacks came against Louisiana State in their 11/27/21 contest. He still showed well enough against Alabama, Arkansas, and Miss St. to be worthy of a 4th. 

 

Round 5 - #166. Isaiah Thomas / DE / Oklahoma - DE's in back to back rounds of the draft 2 years in a row? Yep. Isaiah Thomas is another solid prospect at the position. Not a Hutchinson or a Thibodeaux, but a guy who plays the run well and gets after the QB. He only had 7 sacks, but he had 21 hurries this year which means he was around the QB a lot more than you think just looking at the normal stats. 

 

Round 6 - #184. Jayden Peevy / DT / Texas A&M - The fourth DL'man in a row? Yep. The 2nd one from Texas A&M? Yep.  Peevy is another large, strong human being who can anchor in the middle of this defense. He plays the run well, but doesn't offer much in the way of pass rush. With the possibility of Star, Butler, Addison, Hughes, Phillips, and Obada all being gone this DL is getting a lot of necessary attention in the draft. 

 

Round 6 - #203. Decobie Durant / CB / South Carolina St. - Durant is a bit undersized at this point, about 5'11" and 175lbs. An NFL Strength and Conditioning program can take care of that in an offseason. He has athletic ability that can't be taught though. He has some nice short area quickness and fluidity to his game. He also has speed to stay with NFL WR's down the sidelines. The only problem is he can be too aggressive at times making him susceptible to double moves. It's nothing that coaching can't correct and it's a nice get here in the 6th.

 

Round 7 - #228. Zakoby McClain / LB / Auburn - McClain is a developmental backup LB best suited to play the WILL. He has good speed and puts himself in position to make plays, but sometimes does not because of his angles. He is really solid in coverage and can also attack off of the edge showing a decent bend to get around OT's on the blitz. The athleticism is there and I think with some coaching he could be a valuable depth piece to the defense, as well as a good ST's player. 

 

Round 7 - #243. Yusuf Corker / S / Kentucky - Corker is a developmental S prospect who can immediately contribute on ST's due to his tackling ability. He will need to be coached up in his technique and coverage skills though. He's a little easy to commit and get turned in coverage, sometimes comes off of his assignment too early allowing the QB to make a play when scanning back to his Zone, and his footwork needs work. Poyer and Hyde are two quality options to learn from. 

Edited by H2o
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Imo, you should select a corner that has more than a 1% chance of being available when we pick.  I’d be surprised if he’s not top 3 Corner off the board, more than likely #2 imo.  

I like Muma a lot.  Dunno if I’d be happy if he were our 2nd rd pick unless we had already secured at least a 4th for edmunds. 
 

Would love Travis Jones in rd 3.  Doubt he’s there 

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14 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Imo, you should select a corner that has more than a 1% chance of being available when we pick.  I’d be surprised if he’s not top 3 Corner off the board, more than likely #2 imo.  

I like Muma a lot.  Dunno if I’d be happy if he were our 2nd rd pick unless we had already secured at least a 4th for edmunds. 
 

Would love Travis Jones in rd 3.  Doubt he’s there 

It's hard to tell how the CB's will be slotted until we get combine results and a bad 40 time could cause any of the top guys to fall to our spot. Andrew Booth is also a possibility at 25. 

 

LB depth is a sneaky need for us and would give us options if Edmunds' asking price is too high. I thought Andre Smith looked pretty solid in preseason, though.

 

I think Travis Jones is a great fit for us if we move on from Star and Butler. I'm not sure if he makes it to the end of the 3rd and I would be happy with taking him in the 2nd. 

7 minutes ago, ProcessAccepted said:

Not sure this mock is in line with Beane's comments about priority 1 - protecting Josh Allen. 

Pre-draft talk is mostly smokescreens. Beane's too smart to blab about our draft plans.

Edited by Allen2Diggs
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27 minutes ago, ProcessAccepted said:

Not sure this mock is in line with Beane's comments about priority 1 - protecting Josh Allen. 

 

48 minutes ago, H2o said:

The premise of this mock draft is if we address all of our needs on offense in FA. :thumbsup: Assuming we get some vet OL help, a vet WR, another TE possibly, and a 3rd RB.

 

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Just watched a Muma 2021 highlight vid. Noy only is a he a playmaker, he tackles guys low & drives them back nearly every time, something I've only seen Edmunds do a handful of times in 4 years. Sign me up.

 

That said, I'm not sure a LB from Wyoming who isn't particularly fast is going in the 2nd round. He's also diabetic, that may drop him to round 3-4.

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3 hours ago, H2o said:

The premise of this mock draft is if we address all of our needs on offense in FA. :thumbsup: Assuming we get some vet OL help, a vet WR, another TE possibly, and a 3rd RB. This would be a draft I would want to see that focuses strictly on the defensive side of the ball. 

 

 

Round 1 - #25. Ahmad Gardner / CB / Cincinnati - Ahmad Gardner went to Cincy as a 3-Star recruit out of Martin Luther King HS in Detroit, Michigan. He arrived weighing just under 160lbs. Started as a TRUE Freshman for the Bearcats and went on to NOT ALLOW A SINGLE TD by opposing receivers in his 3 years of time there. He's also 6'2" and a 190lbs now. He has the speed and fluidity to keep up in Man coverage, but his best fit is in a Zone system where he gets to read/react to the play as it unfolds. Welcome to the Buffalo Bills son. 

 

Round 2 - #57. Chad Muma / LB / Wyoming - The Bills go to the Wyoming well again for a possible future Captain of the defense. Edmunds is in a contract year and I honestly believe we get our contingency plan together in 2022. If you have never seen Muma play then go check out some YouTube videos. He's not going to run a sub-4.5 40 at the Combine, but he is smart, takes good angles, has enough athleticism to cover, and he is a sure tackler. He led all of the NCAA this year in solo tackles with 85. I could see him being groomed in 2022 for a starting role in 2023 in this defense. 

 

Round 3  - #89. Travis Jones / DT / UConn - Jones is a perfect fit for the 1-Tech in our defense. He stands 6'4", almost 330lbs, and is a stout run defender. He also has some decent lateral agility, the strength to push the pocket, and uses his hands well to create leverage when attempting to push the pocket. We get younger and more talented at the position here.  

 

Round 4 - #126. Michael Clemons / DE / Texas A&M - Clemons is not much of a "WOW" type of prospect at the DE position, but he is solid, does some things well, and improved every year. We are not re-signing Hughes or Addison so depth will need to be added. Clemons had 11 TFL's and 7 sacks this past season, though 3.5 of those sacks came against Louisiana State in their 11/27/21 contest. He still showed well enough against Alabama, Arkansas, and Miss St. to be worthy of a 4th. 

 

Round 5 - #166. Isaiah Thomas / DE / Oklahoma - DE's in back to back rounds of the draft 2 years in a row? Yep. Isaiah Thomas is another solid prospect at the position. Not a Hutchinson or a Thibodeaux, but a guy who plays the run well and gets after the QB. He only had 7 sacks, but he had 21 hurries this year which means he was around the QB a lot more than you think just looking at the normal stats. 

 

Round 6 - #184. Jayden Peevy / DT / Texas A&M - The fourth DL'man in a row? Yep. The 2nd one from Texas A&M? Yep.  Peevy is another large, strong human being who can anchor in the middle of this defense. He plays the run well, but doesn't offer much in the way of pass rush. With the possibility of Star, Butler, Addison, Hughes, Phillips, and Obada all being gone this DL is getting a lot of necessary attention in the draft. 

 

Round 6 - #203. Decobie Durant / CB / South Carolina St. - Durant is a bit undersized at this point, about 5'11" and 175lbs. An NFL Strength and Conditioning program can take care of that in an offseason. He has athletic ability that can't be taught though. He has some nice short area quickness and fluidity to his game. He also has speed to stay with NFL WR's down the sidelines. The only problem is he can be too aggressive at times making him susceptible to double moves. It's nothing that coaching can't correct and it's a nice get here in the 6th.

 

Round 7 - #228. Zakoby McClain / LB / Auburn - McClain is a developmental backup LB best suited to play the WILL. He has good speed and puts himself in position to make plays, but sometimes does not because of his angles. He is really solid in coverage and can also attack off of the edge showing a decent bend to get around OT's on the blitz. The athleticism is there and I think with some coaching he could be a valuable depth piece to the defense, as well as a good ST's player. 

 

Round 7 - #243. Yusuf Corker / S / Kentucky - Corker is a developmental S prospect who can immediately contribute on ST's due to his tackling ability. He will need to be coached up in his technique and coverage skills though. He's a little easy to commit and get turned in coverage, sometimes comes off of his assignment too early allowing the QB to make a play when scanning back to his Zone, and his footwork needs work. Poyer and Hyde are two quality options to learn from. 


While I like the idea, I have concerns about this regime’s ability to draft defensive players.  Their biggest hit to date is probably Ed Oliver.  
 

The rest of the picks on defense have either been meh, flops or undeveloped.  Yes I’m including Edmunds in “meh.”

 

They’ve invested a lot in defense in the draft and have gotten nothing. 

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1 hour ago, JohnNord said:


While I like the idea, I have concerns about this regime’s ability to draft defensive players.  Their biggest hit to date is probably Ed Oliver.  
 

The rest of the picks on defense have either been meh, flops or undeveloped.  Yes I’m including Edmunds in “meh.”

 

They’ve invested a lot in defense in the draft and have gotten nothing. 

I would say Malino is pretty good...wouldn't you.  Taron Johnson is pretty good...Harry is pretty good too when not hurt....and Tre White yeah he sucks....kidding. 

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2 hours ago, JohnNord said:


While I like the idea, I have concerns about this regime’s ability to draft defensive players.  Their biggest hit to date is probably Ed Oliver.  
 

The rest of the picks on defense have either been meh, flops or undeveloped.  Yes I’m including Edmunds in “meh.”

 

They’ve invested a lot in defense in the draft and have gotten nothing. 

Tre'Davious is pretty good.  Milano too.  And Taron Johnson.  Phillips did well this year.

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I’ve said this many times…why on earth would we take a corner in round 1?  McD and his staff is probably the best staff in the league at getting the most out of defensive backs. We can take an offensive weapon or lineman in 1 and still get an upgrade at CB in round 3 or 4. McD has nothing but success with undrafted guys and late round CB picks. Why reach for one in 1?

6 minutes ago, TailgateChef said:

Tre'Davious is pretty good.  Milano too.  And Taron Johnson.  Phillips did well this year.

Tre and Milano were pre-Beane. 

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2 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

I’ve said this many times…why on earth would we take a corner in round 1?  McD and his staff is probably the best staff in the league at getting the most out of defensive backs. We can take an offensive weapon or lineman in 1 and still get an upgrade at CB in round 3 or 4. McD has nothing but success with undrafted guys and late round CB picks. Why reach for one in 1?

  Because Wallace is a free agent and White is hurt 

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For the past three season now we've had a FA vet as our #3 RB, how's that worked out?  Hard pass on that idea.  Get OL help and another TE via FA, I'm OK with that.  Think I'd look for a rookie WR, assuming Morse returns for this season I'd also draft a rookie G/C to take over for him in 2023 as the starter

 

This team has SB aspirations, to me having 9 rookies on the defense doesn't sound like a very good idea.  Plus not sure there's even close to that many roster spots on the defense, granted some of the late round pick will likely be cut.  Think I'd try to package the 2 7ths and a 6th and try and move up to the 5th with those.  Then use my other 6th on a rookie punter who also holds very well and call it a day.

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7 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

So tired of our defense failing in the playoffs. Couldn't hold on to a 16-0 lead in Houston. Gave up 80 points to KC. I'm all for spending all of our cap money on PROVEN defensive players. Not mediocre guys like Murphy, Obada and Addison. Draft all offense. Sign all defense. 

First of all…it’s funny that you got the eye roll emoji from a guy that says he’s a 1959 bills fan. It’s like they don’t realize that defense isn’t what it was back in the “old days”.

 

Second…I TOTALLY agree. Give me a free agency period where we fill needs on defense and get some proven talent to teach and mentor all the picks we’ve made on that side of the ball. I hate the idea of spending high picks on defense for the millionth year in a row. At some point, you have to trust your development program and surround the young guys with proven vets. 
 

Third…I also want an offense heavy draft. Beasley is on his last year (if they dont cut him), McKenzie might be gone, and Sanders is almost assuredly gone. We need a WR in the wings to take over that slot role and take the top off the defense. Diggs might get a raise. Davis might command big money in two years and price himself out if he keeps ascending. We need a top guy on the cheap since that is our greatest strength. 
 

We also could use a more dynamic running back. Singletary is on his last year and Beane might not wanna pay a running back that has no speed and hasnt shown up as much as he has. 
 

This doesn’t even account for the fact that Beane has said many times the most important thing is to protect Allen. We could easily go get more offensive line help. 
 

 

8 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

I think you do the opposite…. Focus on defense in FA with some offensive line help sprinkled in and get younger on offense through the draft. 

This, this, THIS!!!!

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9 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

First of all…it’s funny that you got the eye roll emoji from a guy that says he’s a 1959 bills fan. It’s like they don’t realize that defense isn’t what it was back in the “old days”.

 

Second…I TOTALLY agree. Give me a free agency period where we fill needs on defense and get some proven talent to teach and mentor all the picks we’ve made on that side of the ball. I hate the idea of spending high picks on defense for the millionth year in a row. At some point, you have to trust your development program and surround the young guys with proven vets. 
 

Third…I also want an offense heavy draft. Beasley is on his last year (if they dont cut him), McKenzie might be gone, and Sanders is almost assuredly gone. We need a WR in the wings to take over that slot role and take the top off the defense. Diggs might get a raise. Davis might command big money in two years and price himself out if he keeps ascending. We need a top guy on the cheap since that is our greatest strength. 
 

We also could use a more dynamic running back. Singletary is on his last year and Beane might not wanna pay a running back that has no speed and hasnt shown up as much as he has. 
 

This doesn’t even account for the fact that Beane has said many times the most important thing is to protect Allen. We could easily go get more offensive line help. 
 

 

This, this, THIS!!!!

Whorl, we've been around a long time. I could care less what 1959 says. Ironically I was born in 59 when the Bills began. I watched in 90 when Bruce & Co just couldn't get off the field to save their lives. Then they proceeded to give up 119 points in the next 3 SB's.  The strength of those 90's teams was the offense. And fast forward 30 years later and again our offense is the strength.  I never for one second bought into the #1 defense narrative considering the qbs we faced and losing our best defender. We hit a HR with Diggs. We (Beane) have to continue that strategy by giving up top picks for defensive studs. Keep you 3-7 picks and find offensive diamonds.  Cooper Kupp was a 3rd rounder.  We can no longer settle for "bend dont break" defenses that have come to expect. 

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2 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Whorl, we've been around a long time. I could care less what 1959 says. Ironically I was born in 59 when the Bills began. I watched in 90 when Bruce & Co just couldn't get off the field to save their lives. Then they proceeded to give up 119 points in the next 3 SB's.  The strength of those 90's teams was the offense. And fast forward 30 years later and again our offense is the strength.  I never for one second bought into the #1 defense narrative considering the qbs we faced and losing our best defender. We hit a HR with Diggs. We (Beane) have to continue that strategy by giving up top picks for defensive studs. Keep you 3-7 picks and find offensive diamonds.  Cooper Kupp was a 3rd rounder.  We can no longer settle for "bend dont break" defenses that have come to expect. 

That’s the problem. All the top assets that we continue to use on defense haven’t yielded the results when we need them the most. We have so many high picks on defense but not one dawg. They are all just very good, but no alpha outside of White. 
 

I want to see us get younger and faster on offense. I’m sick of watching Beasley get open and then fall down. I want a guy that does that and keeps running. I want a running back that can hit a hole and take it to the house. Is that too much to ask?

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5 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

That’s the problem. All the top assets that we continue to use on defense haven’t yielded the results when we need them the most. We have so many high picks on defense but not one dawg. They are all just very good, but no alpha outside of White. 
 

I want to see us get younger and faster on offense. I’m sick of watching Beasley get open and then fall down. I want a guy that does that and keeps running. I want a running back that can hit a hole and take it to the house. Is that too much to ask?

In order to consistently beat KC and put ourselves in a position to win SB's, we absolutely have to get more speed on offense. We need a comparable player to Tyreek. Finishing dead last in YAC is unacceptable. Yes, watching Beas get Immediately tackled is frustrating. We need a speed wr (Jameson Williams?). Or at least a faster RB who can run wheel routes or screens. There's a TE from UCLA named Dulcich who would make a great TE2 compliment to Knox. Probably available 4-5th round. Obviously the combine will reshuffle everything but I agree with all your points. 

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2 hours ago, TailgateChef said:

Tre'Davious is pretty good.  Milano too.  And Taron Johnson.  Phillips did well this year.


Beane did not draft White or Milano… I forgot about Johnson, he was a nice find.  
 

Phillips played well for about half a season, but otherwise his career has been mediocre.  Still, even if he’s back with the team, he’s probably playing a rotational role.  Bills will still look to upgrade 

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15 hours ago, NewEra said:

Imo, you should select a corner that has more than a 1% chance of being available when we pick.  I’d be surprised if he’s not top 3 Corner off the board, more than likely #2 imo.  

I like Muma a lot.  Dunno if I’d be happy if he were our 2nd rd pick unless we had already secured at least a 4th for edmunds. 
 

Would love Travis Jones in rd 3.  Doubt he’s there 

 

Agree with this. None of the top 3 corners are getting to us IMO. And Jones won't last until the bottom of the third. Not watched a lot of Muma yet. He is likely a day 2 guy. Whether that is round 2 or round 3 not yet sure.

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Mock drafts are always a crap shoot.  They are never totally right nor are they completely wrong. When a GM has a roster as good as the Bills, they don't artificially restrict themselves to just one side of the ball.  But given the starting assumption on free agency, I understand the this exercise.  Beane will likely address CB, DL, IOL, QB, and WR.  The only real immediate need is at CB and just like in this mock draft, I believe two will be selected.  Beane will have some flexibility to pick values off the board and avoid reaching for a specific position.  Having 9 picks will give the Bills the ability to move up in the middle and later rounds to grab some players that may slip down for some reason.  

 

Teams that are consistently competitive don't allow an entire position group to get old at the same time nor do they create a large concentration of cap expense in a group.  Once Beane put out the roster fires that he inherited, he has worked to establish a balance.  I don't expect him to throw out that approach this season.

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This might be a close approximation, but we'll address several positions in FA with average players and then pick BPA. I say that tongue in cheek because by the time we pick, there will be more than one player available at or near the same grade so we'll choose the one that addresses the greatest need.

 

That said, clearly RT and G are big needs for us. I hope Spencer Brown will become a solid RT in a couple of years and we'll have to find a way to work him into the starting lineup, but if you think he's ready now, you aren't being realistic. I love his potential, but he still has a long way to go. Give me 2 big upgrades on the OL at RT and LG, then address NT, Edge Rusher and CB2 (Finally!). We could also use help in the form of better depth at TE2 and RB2. Upgrading the Punter position should be easy enough.

 

I don't know what they'll do for WR2 and the slot, but I'll be severely disappointed if we use a #1 pick on a WR before the OL is addressed.

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On 2/17/2022 at 3:47 PM, JohnNord said:


While I like the idea, I have concerns about this regime’s ability to draft defensive players.  Their biggest hit to date is probably Ed Oliver.  
 

The rest of the picks on defense have either been meh, flops or undeveloped.  Yes I’m including Edmunds in “meh.”

 

They’ve invested a lot in defense in the draft and have gotten nothing. 

That have had one of the top defensives in the league for several years, to say  “Nothing” is a bit over the top, but you likely know that, name me a defense that couldn’t stand to be better.., or a STs or an offense for that matter, blanket statements are lame on a good day,

 

Go Bills!!!

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

That have had one of the top defensives in the league for several years, to say  “Nothing” is a bit over the top, but you likely know that, name me a defense that couldn’t stand to be better.., or a STs or an offense for that matter, blanket statements are lame on a good day,

 

Go Bills!!!

 

 


It was an exaggeration…but the point stands.  Over the past two drafts they have spent 3 out of 4 first and second round draft picks on defensive line and netted Epinesa, Rosseau, and Basham.  I think AJ is a busted pick.  I don’t think he’s be anything more than a JAG.  The other two deserve more time, but still, I think the Bills could have drafted better than what they go in these 3.

 

Also I’m not a fan of Edmunds.  I don’t think he was a hit for a mid 1st rounder either.  

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