NFL Draft Rumors

[1ManRaid]

14 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

We have to be quiet, or Santa Goodell won't deliver our presents tomorrow.

 

Ah crap, it's already after midnight it's too late!  We're gonna get Aaron Maybin in our stocking again...

[947]

The 1st round RB thing comes down to this:

 

Would you rather have Breece Hall & a late 2nd round CB, or Booth & the 2nd best RB in this draft?

[Milanos Milano]

46 minutes ago, 1ManRaid said:

 

Ah crap, it's already after midnight it's too late!  We're gonna get Aaron Maybin in our stocking again...

Santa’s sack is about the only sack Maybin could get. 

39 minutes ago, 947 said:

The 1st round RB thing comes down to this:

 

Would you rather have Breece Hall & a late 2nd round CB, or Booth & the 2nd best RB in this draft?

Breece and Woolen no doubt. 

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

55 minutes ago, 947 said:

The 1st round RB thing comes down to this:

 

Would you rather have Breece Hall & a late 2nd round CB, or Booth & the 2nd best RB in this draft?

I wouldn’t take a rb until round 4

 

 

 

Reading the draft network’s staff final predictive mock drafts. Most of them have sauce going 7th to NYG, and Kyle Hamilton falling all the way to 18. Booth is mocked to the Bills in a lot of them with Hall only once. 
 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by Rock-A-Bye Beasley

[GunnerBill]

14 hours ago, glazeduck said:

It's one thing to list "really good players" (debatable), it's another thing to identify a player that would fit what we're needing at WR... We already have 3 intermediate/separation types, so Phillips and Bell don't seem to make a ton of sense, at some point you can only have so many players running routes in the short/intermediate area. Gray is interesting, but to me, there's a sizeable gap in talent between him and the guys in the first 2 rounds. 

 

I honestly think he, Doubs, Melton have had their stock inflated because there's so many good WRs at the top -- that gap in talent is pulling their stocks up. The guys I'd want if we're taking at WR in the 3rd would be Tolbert and Ross.

 

If Tolbert is there for the Bills in round 3 the entire NFL should be shamed. I'd sprint to the podium, kiss Roger, and call out 32 teams who let the guy slide to pick #89. Then I'd turn in the card. 

 

Agree that Justyn Ross is a guy we should consider who could more legitimately be there at #89 if we haven't taken a receiver at that point. 

 

Bo Melton is one of my guys. Loved him at the Senior Bowl and wasn't surprised when the buzz came for him. But he is a day 3, slot, gimmick package and return guy. A team like the Bills in a championship window isn't drafting Bo and calling that an upgrade. He'd just be competing with Stevenson for a roster spot. There are teams more in a rebuild mode where Bo could have an earlier more substantial impact and maybe they push him up the board a bit. I doubt he'd be there for the Bills at the point he makes sense for the Bills which for me is 6th round.

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, Virgil said:

Is it me or is it strangely quiet the night before this draft?  I mean, I'm not really hearing anything besides Travon going first overall

 

 

So there is some buzz in Lions circles about KT being their guy at #2 and having been that the whole way and they have never wavered. Not sure I buy it. I think Walker will go at #1 and Hutch will go #2, but a Lions fan whose judgment I trust thinks KT is going to be the pick.

7 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Well if either are there at 8 they are BPA over any WR imo and Atlanta needs both so, pass rusher it is 

 

If KT gets to Atlanta he is the pick. Johnson or a receiver I think is more of a conversation but my gut all draft season has been that they go edge at #8. 

[No_Matter_What]

17 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

They were serious on Etienne. I can believe that Rousseau was ahead of him, but Chris Brown admitted he was aware of serious interest in Etienne, Etienne himself said he thought he was going to be a Bill, and Beane in his press conference last week admitted they had been high on 1st round running backs before but that it hadn't worked out to take him - which I think was a tacit admission on Etienne. 

Granted I have no inside information but I can imagine that all those talk about possibly taking Ettiene was just smoke and mirrors from Beane (and yes it includes luring Ettiene into thinking he could be drafted by the Bills). That allows other teams to consistently think we are high on RBs and that we want to draft one high, and then do something completely else like we always do.

 

I think we will see it this year. Hall will be there when we pick, and we will not choose him. Instead, we will (in absence of better options) choose someone like Gordon or Hill. I am not saying that we will never draft a RB high, but Beane is NOT drafting a RB who is around 40-45 on most boards at 25. There is a great chart in another thread how in general overdrafting players in the first round usually pans out. Beane is just too smart for that.

 

We will see.

[4merper4mer]

6 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Yep.

 

There are RB's who could go late in the draft and be as good or better than Hall.

 

Taking Hall early actually puts you in position to miss good value at RB later.........and it's a deep draft of RB's.

 

Get the traits at premium positions while they are there.

 

Breece Hall reminds me so much of Antowain Smith.........a near perfect score RAS superstar..........who didn't really pan out by the expectations of the day.

 

The Bills badly needed a DE for their 3-4 and Trevor Pryce was commonly mocked to the Bills as the solution.

 

Bills chose to go Antowain Smith first instead of Pryce........thinking they could get better value at both positions if they went RB in 1 and DE in round 2.......where they took Marcellus Wiley.

 

They got decent players........but Pryce ended up with almost 100 career sacks. 

 

Lesser RAS RB's that went in round 2 were Tiki Barber and Corey Dillon.........who combined for around 25,000 rushing yards.

 

 

Although I agree in general and prefer other players to Hall, your argument is something that can be twisted in any direction.  In 2016 the Bills waited until later to  pick RB Jonathan Williams because they “needed” DE and took Shaq Lawson.  Had they prioritized RB they could have taken Derrick Henry and “settled” for Yannick Ngakoue.  We wouldn’t even have had to pass over the great Reggie Ragland.

 

The point is you can do this comparison for any two positions in either direction all day long.  Five years from now fans of 31 teams will be complaining they passed 4 times on some guy drafted this Saturday in round 5.  That guy might be a QB, RB, DE or maybe even one of each.  It’s Beane’s job to discern which PLAYERS are more likely to help the Bills short and long term.  Shirley this takes into account what position they play but cannot be reliant on only that. 
 

With all that said I am also guilty of positional bias as I want the Bills to draft corner at all costs tonight, possibly even trading up.  I make no claims about how the pick will work out beyond its impact on @Bill from NYC That alone makes it a steal.

Edited April 28, 2022 by 4merper4mer

[BarleyNY]

Albert Breer SI article from today about draft rumors he’s hearing.  Bills notes are below. 

 

https://www.si.com/.amp/nfl/2022/04/27/2022-nfl-draft-player-grades-trades-corner-projections
 

• I have corner penciled in for the Bills at 25, but their flexibility reflects the job they’ve done building the roster. Someone mentioned to me Wednesday how the Bills are in a spot now where they have to take a more targeted approach just to make sure they’ll have the right job open for the guy they take in the first round. Which is actually what could wind up leading them to consider a running back if, say, the right corner isn’t there.

[BuffaloRebound]

9 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Albert Breer SI article from today about draft rumors he’s hearing.  Bills notes are below. 

 

https://www.si.com/.amp/nfl/2022/04/27/2022-nfl-draft-player-grades-trades-corner-projections
 

• I have corner penciled in for the Bills at 25, but their flexibility reflects the job they’ve done building the roster. Someone mentioned to me Wednesday how the Bills are in a spot now where they have to take a more targeted approach just to make sure they’ll have the right job open for the guy they take in the first round. Which is actually what could wind up leading them to consider a running back if, say, the right corner isn’t there.

This is shortsighted thinking by Breer.  Thankfully Beane said 1st round pick would be more about the long term.  If there are no 1st round grades left at 25, trade down for pennies on the dollar.  Nobody but the Bills is threat to take Hall before the early-mid 2nd round.  

[BarleyNY]

3 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

This is shortsighted thinking by Breer.  Thankfully Beane said 1st round pick would be more about the long term.  If there are no 1st round grades left at 25, trade down for pennies on the dollar.  Nobody but the Bills is threat to take Hall before the early-mid 2nd round.  

Gotta have a trade partner to move back.  You’re acting like the Bills are the only team that realizes the pool of first round talent is small.  

[BuffaloRebound]

2 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

Gotta have a trade partner to move back.  You’re acting like the Bills are the only team that realizes the pool of first round talent is small.  

Then take Ojabo or reach for a position group like CB or WR or even OT.  

[GunnerBill]

2 hours ago, No_Matter_What said:

Granted I have no inside information but I can imagine that all those talk about possibly taking Ettiene was just smoke and mirrors from Beane (and yes it includes luring Ettiene into thinking he could be drafted by the Bills). That allows other teams to consistently think we are high on RBs and that we want to draft one high, and then do something completely else like we always do.

 

I think we will see it this year. Hall will be there when we pick, and we will not choose him. Instead, we will (in absence of better options) choose someone like Gordon or Hill. I am not saying that we will never draft a RB high, but Beane is NOT drafting a RB who is around 40-45 on most boards at 25. There is a great chart in another thread how in general overdrafting players in the first round usually pans out. Beane is just too smart for that.

 

We will see.

 

I don't think them passing on Hall would be a signal that they would have passed on Etienne had Greg been gone and Travis still been there. I think they really liked Etienne and not just thought they should take a running back.

[N.Y. Orangeman]

4 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think them passing on Hall would be a signal that they would have passed on Etienne had Greg been gone and Travis still been there. I think they really liked Etienne and not just thought they should take a running back.

I appreciate your takes.

 

Question:  which players would you be adamant about realistically trading up for tonight?  

 

 

[Magox]

6 hours ago, Logic said:

Personally, I think the "never, ever take a running back in the first round" thing has become ridiculously overblown. I get it: positional value, short shelf life, blah blah blah. But people saying they'd rather reach for a corner just because it's a need, or who would rather take WR6 or CB5 instead of RB1, even if RB1 is rated higher on the draft board, just because spreadsheet Twitter says so...it's gotten out of hand.

 

RB is not my preferred choice at 25, but if Beanie feels like adding a dynamic running back will help the team more than reaching to fill a need at corner or WR, I'm not gonna throw my TV out the window.

 

I watched our running game for the majority of last year. I watched Allen be our red zone running back for four years straight. Having a legit running back for six years (fifth year option plus franchise tag) to balance our offense and reduce the amount of hits our QB takes won't be the worst thing, even if it makes the analytics twerps scream and cry.

 

 

It is, it's a rigid way of thinking.  Every situation is different and it all depends on the quality of the back, what that back brings to the table and how far along you are as an organization.  If you are an organization that is building to become a relevant team then a RB probably wouldn't probably be the best choice as there are other positions that are deemed more important to building the foundation of a successful organization.   However, if you are a team that is contending for the Super Bowl and a RB can provide a large delta to what you already have, then it makes a lot more sense.   Elite RB's touch the ball 20+ times a game, elite WR's touch the ball 6+ times a game, granted the average touch gains considerably more yardage for a WR than it does for a RB, but a top end RB can not only help the ground game but also keeps defenses honest and can help open up the pass game.   This is not an inaccurate characterization, there is a reason why many of the previous Super Bowl winners had a commitment to run the ball.

 

No one is saying that the Bills should become a ground and pound team or a team that should run the ball anywhere near 50/50, the Bills will always be a pass first team as long as Josh Allen is at the helm, but the Bills are extremely close to winning it all and having a RB that can run the ball very effectively, with homerun speed, great vision and well above average pass catching ability is something that would most likely show immediate results for this offense.  

 

I think for me when the Bills make their draft choice it has to meet certain criteria and as far as I'm concerned the "Will this pick help us win now" criteria would have to be met.  We are too close as an organization to make a draft choice that should potentially be "red shirted" or is competing for a starting job in a position that is already adequately filled at this time.

 

IF Hall can be a pro bowl calibur RB and having that quality level of services can only be had for 5-7 years while this is a contending team, then for me it would have all been well worth it.    

 

 

[GunnerBill]

15 minutes ago, N.Y. Orangeman said:

I appreciate your takes.

 

Question:  which players would you be adamant about realistically trading up for tonight?  

 

 

 

Not sure there is one I would be adamant about. Not in round 1 anyway. There are years I would but this year is a let the draft come to you year. There was a report I read yesterday claiming one team only has 13 true 1st round grades. It isn't a great class at the top but it does have decent depth rounds 2-5. 

[Canadian Bills Fan]

5 hours ago, 947 said:

The 1st round RB thing comes down to this:

 

Would you rather have Breece Hall & a late 2nd round CB, or Booth & the 2nd best RB in this draft?

 

What about CB and a WR?

[Rochesterfan]

58 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I don't think them passing on Hall would be a signal that they would have passed on Etienne had Greg been gone and Travis still been there. I think they really liked Etienne and not just thought they should take a running back.

 

Sal in discussion with several other media guys that spend a lot of time at OBD has repeatedly said - he believes ETN was a smokescreen to get someone to either move up or pick him - pushing down a solid player.  They believe his actions at handling RB speak louder than the smoke.

 

They reiterated that it sounds like they are thinking that again - pushing RB in the hopes that someone either moves up or picks him and it pushes a better value position down.

 

We will see - more and more national people are jumping on the Hall pick - I just feel like they all talk each other into things via group speak rather than actual knowledge.

 

Smoke versus Fire.

 

 

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

Sal in discussion with several other media guys that spend a lot of time at OBD has repeatedly said - he believes ETN was a smokescreen to get someone to either move up or pick him - pushing down a solid player.  They believe his actions at handling RB speak louder than the smoke.

 

They reiterated that it sounds like they are thinking that again - pushing RB in the hopes that someone either moves up or picks him and it pushes a better value position down.

 

We will see - more and more national people are jumping on the Hall pick - I just feel like they all talk each other into things via group speak rather than actual knowledge.

 

Smoke versus Fire.

 

 

 

I do not think the Bills will take Hall. But if Sal thinks Etienne was smoke I think that flies in the face of what evidence we do have. I have said it numerous times in the last week, swap Jacksonville's pick from Travis to Greg and keep everything else the same the Bills then draft Etienne IMO. I think they were really high on him as a dynamic score from anywhere playmaker who was gonna be half running back and half slot receiver. 

 

I think people equating the two scenarios - Breece this year and Travis last are mistaken.

[BarleyNY]

1 hour ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Then take Ojabo or reach for a position group like CB or WR or even OT.  

I’m not a fan of a RB in the first either, but I do understand the argument in favor of it - even if I don’t buy into it.  If there are nothing but second round prospects at 25, then it makes more sense.  Still, I think it’d be a mistake and I’d rather them go after a more premium position.  That would make more sense to me too.

[LEBills]

Final day of rumors from Charlie Campbell includes some “second hand” info

 

Quote

In following up with some second-hand rumors of where team interests lie, Philadelphia is said to like Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson. He could be a fit for the Eagles if he gets to pick No. 15. The Bills are said to be interested in Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth and view him as a good fit for their scheme.

https://walterfootball.com/nflhotpress/article/2022-NFL-Draft-Week-Rumors-Thursday

[nbbillsfan]

I have no issue whatsoever with the idea of a RB in the 1st (especially late 1st).

 

my hesitation comes from not seeing Breece Hall as a special talent. When I watch film, I don’t see much separation  from him and walker, spiller, cook ext.)

[Einstein's Dog]

1 hour ago, Magox said:

I think for me when the Bills make their draft choice it has to meet certain criteria and as far as I'm concerned the "Will this pick help us win now" criteria would have to be met.  We are too close as an organization to make a draft choice that should potentially be "red shirted" or is competing for a starting job in a position that is already adequately filled at this time.

 

IF Hall can be a pro bowl calibur RB and having that quality level of services can only be had for 5-7 years while this is a contending team, then for me it would have all been well worth it.    

 

The criteria of "Will this pick help us win now" is the epitome of short term thinking I hope our FO is not using in the draft.  The draft should be for the future benefit of the team.  Cap management through the draft is extremely important for maintaining long term success.

 

The draft should be done with an eye towards future finances- safety (Poyer $13M), LB (Edmunds $15M), even CB (Wallace $4M), WR (Sanders $6M) all make more financial sense than Hall ($3M) replacing Singletary ($2M).

[Shake_My_Head]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Not sure there is one I would be adamant about. Not in round 1 anyway. There are years I would but this year is a let the draft come to you year. There was a report I read yesterday claiming one team only has 13 true 1st round grades. It isn't a great class at the top but it does have decent depth rounds 2-5. 

There are only two guys I'd consider trading up for.   Jameson Williams and Kyle Hamilton, if either guy drops into the teens.   

 

Nobody else seems that 'special' to me in this draft.   Which probably makes it harder to trade up, since there seem to be fewer round 1 grades in this draft than in recent years.

[mjt328]

36 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I do not think the Bills will take Hall. But if Sal thinks Etienne was smoke I think that flies in the face of what evidence we do have. I have said it numerous times in the last week, swap Jacksonville's pick from Travis to Greg and keep everything else the same the Bills then draft Etienne IMO. I think they were really high on him as a dynamic score from anywhere playmaker who was gonna be half running back and half slot receiver. 

 

I think people equating the two scenarios - Breece this year and Travis last are mistaken.

 

You may be correct.

But in 4-5 years of following this regime, I can't think of ANY verifiable draft information that has slipped from One Bills Drive.  Same thing with our targets in free agency.  History shows that rumors surrounding this team never come true.  Which makes you wonder if "leaks" are done on purpose, to create a smokescreen for our true intentions.

 

Last year, all the pre-draft rumors were about Travis Etienne.  He was obviously taken before our pick, so we will never know for sure.  But I don't recall a single article or tweet before the draft suggesting we had heavy interest in Greg Rousseau.  But obviously we did.

 

Two years ago, Defensive Tackle was the most obvious need on the team.  Based on draft position and value, Ed Oliver should have been given to us in 99% of mocks.  But the week of the draft, we kept getting rumblings about the Bills wanting Quinnen Williams and trying to trade-up for him.  Nothing about Oliver.

 

Even in 2018... when EVERYBODY knew we were trading up for a Quarterback... nobody could put their finger on which one we wanted.  To this day, people speculate if Josh Allen was the #1 quarterback on our board.  The trade-up for Tremaine Edmunds came totally out of nowhere just a few picks later.

 

 

[BarleyNY]

20 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

The criteria of "Will this pick help us win now" is the epitome of short term thinking I hope our FO is not using in the draft.  The draft should be for the future benefit of the team.  Cap management through the draft is extremely important for maintaining long term success.

 

The draft should be done with an eye towards future finances- safety (Poyer $13M), LB (Edmunds $15M), even CB (Wallace $4M), WR (Sanders $6M) all make more financial sense than Hall ($3M) replacing Singletary ($2M).

Long term, there’s isn’t a strong case for RB I’m the first either as few will justify a second contract.  

[BeavercreekBillsFan]

22 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

The criteria of "Will this pick help us win now" is the epitome of short term thinking I hope our FO is not using in the draft.  The draft should be for the future benefit of the team.  Cap management through the draft is extremely important for maintaining long term success.

 

The draft should be done with an eye towards future finances- safety (Poyer $13M), LB (Edmunds $15M), even CB (Wallace $4M), WR (Sanders $6M) all make more financial sense than Hall ($3M) replacing Singletary ($2M).

I think this is how Beane views it too unfortunately. Most of us see this team as sooo close and want this to be a “cherry on top” draft and “increase our fastball” draft where we give josh weapons. Or at least address CB in the first. I would love that BUT I’m preparing myself to be disappointed as I think Beane sees exactly what you’re seeing. Big contracts coming up at LB and Safety and trying to find cheap replacements for those but that doesn’t help us short term. LB/S are the 2 positions I don’t want us to draft but feel like we will in the first 3 rounds. Our heads will explode but my money is on Lewis Cine in round 1. At which point we will all scream “please get a WR or CB!”

[BillsSbSoon]

Booth is written all over this team. I think tres injury plus losing levi when they didnt want to lose him pushed corners way up beanes board than he intended. So its not like he will be reaching for a corner, its that the corners in general changed his board. Just imo. Prolly will be way off.

Trade down doesnt make a lot of sense unless it involves future picks. 8 picks as it is arent making this roster. Its a trade up year

 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by BillsSbSoon

[Magox]

44 minutes ago, Einstein's Dog said:

The criteria of "Will this pick help us win now" is the epitome of short term thinking I hope our FO is not using in the draft.  The draft should be for the future benefit of the team.  Cap management through the draft is extremely important for maintaining long term success.

 

The draft should be done with an eye towards future finances- safety (Poyer $13M), LB (Edmunds $15M), even CB (Wallace $4M), WR (Sanders $6M) all make more financial sense than Hall ($3M) replacing Singletary ($2M).

I completely disagree.

 

Its not the only criteria but it has to be a part of the decision making.   The Bills are very close to winning it now, many other successful organizations have made “win now” decisions such as the Rams, Bucs and Saints.

 

When you are in that window, you have to seize the opportunity.

 

And let’s not pretend by selecting a RB that this somehow damages the long to mid-term outlook, that is preposterous.

[RichRiderBills]

26 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

You may be correct.

But in 4-5 years of following this regime, I can't think of ANY verifiable draft information that has slipped from One Bills Drive.  Same thing with our targets in free agency.  History shows that rumors surrounding this team never come true.  Which makes you wonder if "leaks" are done on purpose, to create a smokescreen for our true intentions.

 

Last year, all the pre-draft rumors were about Travis Etienne.  He was obviously taken before our pick, so we will never know for sure.  But I don't recall a single article or tweet before the draft suggesting we had heavy interest in Greg Rousseau.  But obviously we did.

 

Two years ago, Defensive Tackle was the most obvious need on the team.  Based on draft position and value, Ed Oliver should have been given to us in 99% of mocks.  But the week of the draft, we kept getting rumblings about the Bills wanting Quinnen Williams and trying to trade-up for him.  Nothing about Oliver.

 

Even in 2018... when EVERYBODY knew we were trading up for a Quarterback... nobody could put their finger on which one we wanted.  To this day, people speculate if Josh Allen was the #1 quarterback on our board.  The trade-up for Tremaine Edmunds came totally out of nowhere just a few picks later.

 

 

 

My own memory had plenty buzz about Groot to Buff in many mocks. Not sure much came from OBD.

 

I strongly doubt fake buzz came from OBD to get teams to reach or move up. That seems totally unsubstantiated.

 

But on that note, don't think we really had a ton of buzz on Etienne that he was a Bill for sure. Most of this came after or during the actual draft. 

 

A solid amount of RBs have been taken in round 1 the past 10 years. Teams will pull the trigger. Honestly the bust rate of RBs in round 1 vs positions like WR is probably even less.

Edited April 28, 2022 by RichRiderBills

[Alphadawg7]

50 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

You may be correct.

But in 4-5 years of following this regime, I can't think of ANY verifiable draft information that has slipped from One Bills Drive.  Same thing with our targets in free agency.  History shows that rumors surrounding this team never come true.  Which makes you wonder if "leaks" are done on purpose, to create a smokescreen for our true intentions.

 

Last year, all the pre-draft rumors were about Travis Etienne.  He was obviously taken before our pick, so we will never know for sure.  But I don't recall a single article or tweet before the draft suggesting we had heavy interest in Greg Rousseau.  But obviously we did.

 

Two years ago, Defensive Tackle was the most obvious need on the team.  Based on draft position and value, Ed Oliver should have been given to us in 99% of mocks.  But the week of the draft, we kept getting rumblings about the Bills wanting Quinnen Williams and trying to trade-up for him.  Nothing about Oliver.

 

Even in 2018... when EVERYBODY knew we were trading up for a Quarterback... nobody could put their finger on which one we wanted.  To this day, people speculate if Josh Allen was the #1 quarterback on our board.  The trade-up for Tremaine Edmunds came totally out of nowhere just a few picks later.

 

 

This.  I think people grossly over look the fact that our intentions are pretty much never known and what rumors do get out there never seem accurate. 
 

Everything I have seen and read suggests Greg was their number 1 target entering the draft and even considered moving up for him but it was determined to be too costly.

 

Beane said multiple times after the draft that they went him zeroed in on improving the pass rush.  Draft day footage of days 1 and 2 show them anxiously awaiting both Greg and Boogie to get to them.  
 

IMHO the interest in Etinenne definitely has a possibility to have been a smoke screen.  Smoke screen potentially could get a team to trade up in front of you to get said player, but also prevents a team behind you to try and get in front of you for the player you really want if they don’t think you’re interested.

 

Best way to disguise a smoke screen is to legit meet with and express interest directly to the player and let them leak that out.  
 

This year, Bills have met with all the top WR’s and Hall.  They have met with very little other first round potential targets.  Makes me wonder if our primary won’t be offense in the first and likely a defensive back such as Hamilton, Hill, Stingley, Booth, etc all depending on if we stand pat or move up.

 

That being said, the one known proven thing about Beane is that he will stay true to his board and go BPA.  So if the guys they hope will be there are gone, he won’t reach for another at the same position.  So obviously anything is in play at 25, especially given how hard to predict this years draft is given the lack of QB clarity on where they will go and how many will go ahead of our pick.  

 

 

Edited April 28, 2022 by Alphadawg7

[whorlnut]

The thing that makes me really believe that running back is NOT a smokescreen is that we made an actual play on JD McKissic. That can’t be faked. We literally offered him 4.5 million a year to be our pass catching specialist out of the backfield.

 

To those who are opposed to Hall in round 1 because he would take the ball out of Allen’s hands…really?  McKissic is a pass catching back that caught 100 balls in a season. Hall is a pass catching running back who also runs really well when needed. He’s also good in pass pro. To me, he’s exactly what the Bills have been looking for. 

[davefan66]

17 minutes ago, BillsSbSoon said:

Booth is written all over this team. I think tres injury plus losing levi when they didnt want to lose him pushed corners way up beanes board than he intended. So its not like he will be reaching for a corner, its that the corners in general changed his board. Just imo. Prolly will be way off.

Trade down doesnt make a lot of sense unless it involves future picks. 8 picks as it is arent making this roster. Its a trade up year

 

 

I don’t see them going RB, it will be the best CB available.  Unless there is run on that position and there isn’t a 1st round graded CB left.

 

Yes, Tre injury plays into it.  As far as Wallace, I don’t think the Bills tried too hard to keep him.  His play in the playoffs was not good.  And let’s not forget about Taron Johnson.  Got a nice pay bump last year and is scheduled to make 4.5 million this season and Levi’s on the Steelers books for 2.5 million.  I feel if Beane wanted to keep Wallace, that move would have happened early last season.  Instead they paid Taron.

[Einstein's Dog]

16 minutes ago, Magox said:

And let’s not pretend by selecting a RB that this somehow damages the long to mid-term outlook, that is preposterous.

It's not pretend.  Many (myself included) think that taking an RB in the first damages the mid to long term outlook.  You are ignoring the financial impact of the draft choice in hopes of a short term boost.

 

If the Bills could draft a WR, safety, CB, LB you can see the logical use from a mid term perspective - they will be groomed to replace expensive spots with a $3M player.

 

What if the RB is average?  You have an overpriced player occupying a spot on your roster.  If the WR is average at least they are occupying the Sanders spot of $6M.  It is risky picking an RB.  And contrary to many, I particularly don't like Hall, I thought from the interview I saw he came off pompous and arrogant.  Seems like our FO has a different view.

[Fan in Chicago]

20 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

 

My own memory had plenty buzz about Groot to Buff in many mocks. Not sure much came from OBD..

 

But on that note, don't think we really had a ton of buzz on Etienne that he was a Bill for sure. Most of this came after or during the actual draft. 

 

A solid amount of RBs have been taken in round 1 the past 10 years. Teams will pull the trigger. Honestly the bust rate of RBs in round 1 vs positions like WR is probably even less.

Let's think about this as an example - did Rousseau help the team more than Etienne would have? My answer is a "yes". The run game may have been somewhat better but blocking would have restricted Etienne's effectiveness anyway. Hence, even if we had the choice, Rousseau would still have been the better choice. 

Fast forward to today - in the first round, a lockdown corner, fast/YAC WR or even a stud OT would help the team this year a whole lot more than a RB would. 

[TOboy]

Just now, whorlnut said:

The thing that makes me really believe that running back is NOT a smokescreen is that we made an actual play on JD McKissic. That can’t be faked. We literally offered him 4.5 million a year to be our pass catching specialist out of the backfield.

 

To those who are opposed to Hall in round 1 because he would take the ball out of Allen’s hands…really?  McKissic is a pass catching back that caught 100 balls in a season. Hall is a pass catching running back who also runs really well when needed. He’s also good in pass pro. To me, he’s exactly what the Bills have been looking for. 

Maybe, but we also signed Duke Johnson presumably for that role. 
 

I wouldn’t be shocked if we DID take Hall given all the the talking heads seem to think we will, but Hall would be drafted as a lead back. That’s not the role they were signing either McIssic or Duke for. 

[whorlnut]

3 minutes ago, TOboy said:

Maybe, but we also signed Duke Johnson presumably for that role. 
 

I wouldn’t be shocked if we DID take Hall given all the the talking heads seem to think we will, but Hall would be drafted as a lead back. That’s not the role they were signing either McIssic or Duke for. 

Singletary and Johnson are on one year deals. Moss is basically a non factor at this point. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see Hall being added. 

[BillsSbSoon]

8 minutes ago, davefan66 said:

I don’t see them going RB, it will be the best CB available.  Unless there is run on that position and there isn’t a 1st round graded CB left.

 

Yes, Tre injury plays into it.  As far as Wallace, I don’t think the Bills tried too hard to keep him.  His play in the playoffs was not good.  And let’s not forget about Taron Johnson.  Got a nice pay bump last year and is scheduled to make 4.5 million this season and Levi’s on the Steelers books for 2.5 million.  I feel if Beane wanted to keep Wallace, that move would have happened early last season.  Instead they paid Taron.

About levi, thats fair but beane was clearly pissed talking about it during the mckissic deal. They wouldve kept him had that whole thing not happened the way it did. 

[mannc]

12 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

The thing that makes me really believe that running back is NOT a smokescreen is that we made an actual play on JD McKissic. That can’t be faked. We literally offered him 4.5 million a year to be our pass catching specialist out of the backfield.

 

To those who are opposed to Hall in round 1 because he would take the ball out of Allen’s hands…really?  McKissic is a pass catching back that caught 100 balls in a season. Hall is a pass catching running back who also runs really well when needed. He’s also good in pass pro. To me, he’s exactly what the Bills have been looking for. 

You’re overlooking the fact that a perfectly reasonable McKissic replacement can be found in rounds 2-5 in practically every draft, including this one…

[PonyBoy]

25 minutes ago, whorlnut said:

The thing that makes me really believe that running back is NOT a smokescreen is that we made an actual play on JD McKissic. That can’t be faked. We literally offered him 4.5 million a year to be our pass catching specialist out of the backfield.

 

To those who are opposed to Hall in round 1 because he would take the ball out of Allen’s hands…really?  McKissic is a pass catching back that caught 100 balls in a season. Hall is a pass catching running back who also runs really well when needed. He’s also good in pass pro. To me, he’s exactly what the Bills have been looking for. 

Didn't the Duke Johnson signing fill that void though??