Why Boogie Basham was Brandon Beane’s worst draft pick

[LeGOATski]

I think we need to point the finger at coaching and development, not the drafting. Beane's picks have generally aligned with the consensus on where a player should be taken and they all seem to have the necessary talent (outside of the weird Bernard pick last year). But once they get to the team, coaches are having trouble bringing these players to their full potential. This issue is especially prevalent in the trenches. I'd say development of skill players has been good, but development of the lines as individual players and units as a whole has been terrible.

[MrEpsYtown]

2 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Prediction: Spencer Brown will be good (as in “acceptable starter at RT”) in the same year he becomes expensive and we don’t resign him. He was kind of a project, and a lot of projects don’t pay dividends on their cheap rookie contracts. 

Yeah I mentioned a little while ago that he is on the Kaleb McGary-Mike McGlinchey path…those guys were terrible for years and now about to cash in…long athletic baby deer raw types just take a while and he will inevitably put it all together in his walk year. Book it. 

[billsbackto81]

8 hours ago, DJB said:

We need to stick to BPA and stop trying to get cute or draft for need. Loser teams do that

Even if it's another defensive player?

[MrEpsYtown]

On the BPA thing…they should be plugging holes in free agency and drafting BPA. That’s what Beane alleges they do, but they don’t always follow that plan.
 

An argument can be made that sure teams draft for need. An argument can also be made that all teams have needs at all positions in reality. 
 

Most teams have many needs at many positions. An argument can be made this year for the Bills having needs at RB, #2 TE, WR, IOL, RT, DL, LB, CB, Safety, and punter as needs on this team. An argument can be made for LT as well really. So if any of those positions are picked we are drafting for need? It’s a silly argument. They will choose BPA from those variety of needs. 

 

When they drafted AJ Epenesa, was it really a need? They had Hughes, Addison, Murphy, Quintin Jefferson and Daryl Johnson. It seemed they wanted Kyle Dugger despite having a pretty loaded secondary. Was Zach Moss a need? Absolutely not. 
 

When they drafted Rousseau was it really a need? They had Hughes, Addison, Epenesa on the roster. Rumors were they wanted CB Eric Stokes. Was RT Brown really a need? They had Williams coming off a really good year. He only kicked inside because Cody Ford sucks and Brown was better. I think they went BPA in that draft. 
 

When they drafted Elam, CB was clearly a need. 
 

So its a mix of both. All these definitive claims are kind of silly. 

[NastyNateSoldiers]

8 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Every GM in the NFL misses on draft picks but IMO Brandon Beane’s biggest failure was whiffing on Boogie Basham.  Not just because he didn’t hit but because of the ripple effects which followed.

 

The Bills had a succession plan at DE.  Despite drafting Epinesa (2020) and Rosseau (2021) as high round pick, The Bills drafted Basham immediately after in Round 2.  The thinking was that Basham could have flexibility to play inside or outside on the DL.  The thinking was that 1 or 2 of those players would be good enough to allow high paid vets like Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison to walk - providing the Bills with cap space to make more moves - It never happened 

 

By selecting Basham, they bypassed sneaky needs we knew were approaching - specifically at IOL.  The next two prospects in Josh Meyers and Creed Humphrey immediately could start at guard and switch to center when the Bills move on from Morse.  Instead they Bills had to rely on bums like Cody Ford and John Feliciano -  both players who failed as starter resulting in reshuffling.  
 

Basham was inactive for the majority of his rookie season and could not crack the starting lineup.  Because the return on EDGE from Epinesa, Basham, and even Rosseau to an extent was not good enough the Bills couldn’t get a high paid DE contract off the books.  Instead they had to sign Von Miller to one of the largest DE contracts in the NFL.

 

So rather than a cap saving at DE, they ended up paying significantly more.

 

Finally, the addition of Miller was supposed to elevate the games of the entire DL.  We saw this happen with Rosseau and even Ed Oliver.  It didn’t happen with Boogie.  By the end of the season he was soundly beat out by veteran Shaq Lawson who had been cut two times the season prior.  Now he is going to be challenged by UDFA Kingsley Jonathan who very well might beat him out as a reserve DE.  
 

This is not the same as trading up and whiffing on Cody Ford in 2019.  OL was a major need that season and the Bills had to make some big moves to address it.  This was not the case with DE in 2021. 
 

The domino effect from the Basham signing looms large.  It was a luxury pick that the Bills probably should have never made.   Like Ford, I hope that Beane will look into trading him for a 5th/6th pick and roll with Jonathan at DE.  

All bad pks have very costly repercussions and chain affects. We’re about to start really feeling these bad drafts in the coming yrs with the cap getting tight. 

[Don Otreply]

8 hours ago, DJB said:

We need to stick to BPA and stop trying to get cute or draft for need. Loser teams do that

Every team drafts for need, it’s almost comical that some folk think otherwise.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Orlando Tim]

2 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

Every team drafts for need, it’s almost comical that some folk think otherwise.

 

GO BILLS!!!

I agree that the first round picks are almost exclusively for need, otherwise your first pick is likely  wasting a year but smart teams from 3rd round on pick BPA. 

[Aussie Joe]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

I like the pick, should have been in round 4

 

There were 2-3 here at the time that were pushing for Beane to take Boogie in the first round at Pick 30…

 

They seem quiet about that now…

[Governor]

9 hours ago, DJB said:

We need to stick to BPA and stop trying to get cute or draft for need. Loser teams do that

Beane has never drafted BPA.

[John from Riverside]

17 minutes ago, Governor said:

Beane has never drafted BPA.

Really

 

according to who

[JohnNord]

2 hours ago, LeGOATski said:

I think we need to point the finger at coaching and development, not the drafting. Beane's picks have generally aligned with the consensus on where a player should be taken and they all seem to have the necessary talent (outside of the weird Bernard pick last year). But once they get to the team, coaches are having trouble bringing these players to their full potential. This issue is especially prevalent in the trenches. I'd say development of skill players has been good, but development of the lines as individual players and units as a whole has been terrible.

It’s both GM and coaching.  It’s nearly impossible to say which one is more responsible.

 

In any event, the pick was terrible and I don’t think it’s anymore on coaching than it is on drafting

1 hour ago, Governor said:

Beane has never drafted BPA.

He has… that’s how you end up with Boogie Basham

1 hour ago, Orlando Tim said:

I agree that the first round picks are almost exclusively for need, otherwise your first pick is likely  wasting a year but smart teams from 3rd round on pick BPA. 

I think it’s lower than 3rd round.  Maybe 5th and under

1 hour ago, MrEpsYtown said:

On the BPA thing…they should be plugging holes in free agency and drafting BPA. That’s what Beane alleges they do, but they don’t always follow that plan.
 

An argument can be made that sure teams draft for need. An argument can also be made that all teams have needs at all positions in reality. 
 

Most teams have many needs at many positions. An argument can be made this year for the Bills having needs at RB, #2 TE, WR, IOL, RT, DL, LB, CB, Safety, and punter as needs on this team. An argument can be made for LT as well really. So if any of those positions are picked we are drafting for need? It’s a silly argument. They will choose BPA from those variety of needs. 

 

When they drafted AJ Epenesa, was it really a need? They had Hughes, Addison, Murphy, Quintin Jefferson and Daryl Johnson. It seemed they wanted Kyle Dugger despite having a pretty loaded secondary. Was Zach Moss a need? Absolutely not. 
 

When they drafted Rousseau was it really a need? They had Hughes, Addison, Epenesa on the roster. Rumors were they wanted CB Eric Stokes. Was RT Brown really a need? They had Williams coming off a really good year. He only kicked inside because Cody Ford sucks and Brown was better. I think they went BPA in that draft. 
 

When they drafted Elam, CB was clearly a need. 
 

So its a mix of both. All these definitive claims are kind of silly. 

The BPA argument is such a fallacy.  Every team drafts for need 

[JohnNord]

3 hours ago, LabattBlue said:

Did a quick scan of this thread and only saw a couple mentions of McD.  His say on FA and draft day should not be underestimated. Do not lay all the blame at BB’s feet for every poor draft pick. 
 

In fact if I had to guess, I would say the wasted pick of Bernard was all McD. 

Both are responsible but usually the GM gets credit or blame for draft picks.   That’s how it works.

 

Most people give Brandon Beane credit for the Josh Allen draft pick…not Sean McDermott.  You can’t say it’s a “Beane pick” when a player is good and it’s a “McDermott pick” when a player turns out to be bad 

Edited February 19 by JohnNord

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Ford/thread

 

 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

I would say the reason why he is the worst is because he sucks the most. That dude is at best a rotational player. Kingsley Jonathan was way better than him and he was probably working at Subway the week before the Bears game. 

[joemac1114]

10 hours ago, DJB said:

Historically the Ravens have drafted BPA over the past decade or more and it’s served them well. Other than that recent 1st round WR they took 

Do the Rams have any draft picks they haven't traded for veterans?

[BADOLBILZ]

22 minutes ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

I would say the reason why he is the worst is because he sucks the most. That dude is at best a rotational player. Kingsley Jonathan was way better than him and he was probably working at Subway the week before the Bears game. 

 

 

 

Boogie Basham is JAG.

 

But Cody Ford is literally one of the worst players in the entire NFL.

 

Beane deserves credit for getting a draft pick for him..........but it doesn't help the overall equation much because Beane actually traded UP to get him. 

[JohnNord]

Just now, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

 

Boogie Basham is JAG.

 

But Cody Ford is literally one of the worst players in the entire NFL.

 

Beane deserves credit for getting a draft pick for him..........but it doesn't help the overall equation much because Beane actually traded UP to get him. 

Cody Ford is nowhere near the worst player in the NFL.  

[Doc Brown]

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I genuinely do think Boogie was a talent evaluation whiff. The Bills were heavy into that edge class. They'd spent a lot of time on those guys. They would have considered Boogie in the 1st if the board fell a different way. They were very wrong on him but I don't think he was a draft for need. I think he was sticking out on their board. He just shouldn't have been.

Were you the one that predicted he'd be JAG and called him a thicker Manny Lawson before we even drafted him?  If it was you can you put in a job application to OBD.

[BADOLBILZ]

23 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Cody Ford is nowhere near the worst player in the NFL.  

 

 

Oh he's very near that, alright.😂

 

Beyond the eye test of watching him suck and make crucial mental errors........this season out of 77 guards........PFF had him 74th.

 

Interior OL is the least athletic position group in the NFL...........so he's definitely on the very short list of worst players in the league.

 

 

[Doc Brown]

1 minute ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Oh he's very near that, alright.😂

 

Beyond the eye test of watching him suck and make crucial mental errors........this season out of 77 guards........PFF had him 74th.

 

Interior OL is the least athletic position group in the NFL...........so he's definitely on the very short list of worst players in the league.

 

 

Yeah.  That's pretty bad.  How many active interior lineman played enough snaps to qualify though if we're going worst player in the league territory?