RD 3, Pick 91: LB Dorian Williams, Tulane

[MrEpsYtown]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saw Bernard at OTAs and he looked like he hasn’t lifted all offseason.

I’m betting Spector looks amazing since he spent his entire offseason here. There is something to be said for that. 

[bearcat]

2 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I’m betting Spector looks amazing since he spent his entire offseason here. There is something to be said for that. 

 

Hopefully. I'm nervous of a Dodson/Klein platoon.

[Ralonzo]

13 minutes ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I’m betting Spector looks amazing since he spent his entire offseason here. There is something to be said for that. 

 

Spector looked there were 3 of him on the field at times last preseason. He's still kind of an afterthough because of not getting a sniff in the regular season, but he was a definite factor against 2's and 3's last August. If he takes a step, he might get a look.

[MrEpsYtown]

7 minutes ago, bearcat said:

 

Hopefully. I'm nervous of a Dodson/Klein platoon.

I don’t think Klein is in the discussion. He is there as insurance if it all goes FUBAR. Dodson is going to start out as Beane said “leader of the clubhouse.” Spector and Williams are clearly better athletes, and it is going to come down to their knowledge of the scheme and ability to get everyone lined up. From all accounts Spector and Williams are very intelligent football players. Bernard is also, from all accounts highly intelligent. But I just don’t think he’s the guy. 

[BBFL]

1 hour ago, bearcat said:

 

Hopefully. I'm nervous of a Dodson/Klein platoon.

Well we are about to find out real quick if Dodson just hasn’t had his moment to shine in confidence going into his 4th year… There was no way Milano and Edmunds were going to be leapfrogged regardless of how much people disliked the latter. 

[SCBills]

Interesting to hear Beane say Dorian Williams size/skill-set absolutely lends itself to the MLB position in our Defense, but what is holding him back from potentially being a strong candidate to win the it out the gate is to not put too much on his plate.  
 

I mean.. if we drafted Campbell or Sanders, would he be saying the same thing?

 

 

[balln]

2 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saw Bernard at OTAs and he looked like he hasn’t lifted all offseason.

I thought Dorian Williams pick pretty much cemented to beane / coaches “yup bernard was a complete bust / special teams train until rookie deal over and then on the chopping block”

2 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Interesting to hear Beane say Dorian Williams size/skill-set absolutely lends itself to the MLB position in our Defense, but what is holding him back from potentially being a strong candidate to win the it out the gate is to not put too much on his plate.  
 

I mean.. if we drafted Campbell or Sanders, would he be saying the same thing?

 

 

Yea just beane blah blah blahhhhing to media 

[akm0404]

Linebackers are a crapshoot who knows if he will be any good. Either way we are going to get abused at the LOS and our path to victory will be scoring early and often and funneling opponents into our strength (the secondary). 
 

if teams keep it close enough to physically dominate our defense, we have lost. That just isn’t how this team intends to play defense, which is why we favor speedy/rangy linebackers that can cover. There is no inside thumper coming to save us. 

[AuntieEm]

5 hours ago, MrEpsYtown said:

I’m betting Spector looks amazing since he spent his entire offseason here. There is something to be said for that. 

 

  What are the rules of how much a player can have contact with coaches in off season?  I mean could the defensive coaches work with Spector in film room where they can get him better at maybe handling the play calls for a mlb in our system?  Maybe he needs more work in that aspect  and not sure how much work of that type is allowed ny league.

 

 

 

[John from Riverside]

3 hours ago, akm0404 said:

Linebackers are a crapshoot who knows if he will be any good. Either way we are going to get abused at the LOS and our path to victory will be scoring early and often and funneling opponents into our strength (the secondary). 
 

if teams keep it close enough to physically dominate our defense, we have lost. That just isn’t how this team intends to play defense, which is why we favor speedy/rangy linebackers that can cover. There is no inside thumper coming to save us. 

Let’s wait to see what they do in free agency at the defensive line. We’re not done yet.
 

You get Melvin, Ingram and Poona Ford in here and this defensive line looks a lot different

[VW82]

Our Dline isn't the problem. We have an abundance of talent there. Our issue is we don't have a back up 1-tech if DaQuan gets hurt and we don't have a classic Mike to shore up the run d. This is only a problem vs teams who can both run and pass (e.g. Bengals, historically Pats). You can't have everything. 

[QLBillsFan]

7 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saw Bernard at OTAs and he looked like he hasn’t lifted all offseason.

Really.. BB said he was impressed with his progress and will get a shot. Dodson looked solid at times. It will be interesting to see who starts and how much rotation takes place ? Do they approach like DL or let one guy get most snaps? 

4 hours ago, balln said:

I thought Dorian Williams pick pretty much cemented to beane / coaches “yup bernard was a complete bust / special teams train until rookie deal over and then on the chopping block”

Yea just beane blah blah blahhhhing to media 

Actually heard the same. Sounds like he will play MLB at some point in his career. 

[John from Riverside]

8 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saw Bernard at OTAs and he looked like he hasn’t lifted all offseason.

To be perfectly clear on this this is why Dorian was drafted. If Bernard does not work out, you’re going to see a quick switch.
 

Because clearly, Dorian has been working out that kid is yoked

[BringBackFlutie]

9 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Saw Bernard at OTAs and he looked like he hasn’t lifted all offseason.

 

How much do you think he's lifted until this year?

[Buffalo_Stampede]

38 minutes ago, BringBackFlutie said:

 

How much do you think he's lifted until this year?

I don’t know, Bernard just doesn’t look like an NFL LB.

I saw Williams at his press conference, he looked like he plays LB.

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[John from Riverside]

14 hours ago, Ralonzo said:

 

Spector looked there were 3 of him on the field at times last preseason. He's still kind of an afterthough because of not getting a sniff in the regular season, but he was a definite factor against 2's and 3's last August. If he takes a step, he might get a look.

I’m sure it would probably put people at ease due to him being a bigger player never going to count him out because I also thought that he looked good when he got his preseason opportunities
 

I’m telling you though I like Dorian Williams. The guy is 5 pounds lighter than Lavonte, David, and the same height. He’s not too small.

[bmur66]

DW appears to me to be a better fit in the Milano role. That is what I see from watching his highlights but what do I know?

[Kmart128]

8 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

I don’t know, Bernard just doesn’t look like an NFL LB.

I saw Williams at his press conference, he looked like he plays LB.

 

I think people are just witnessing the evolution of the game. Its a passing league. Its a spread out league. You now need Linebackers who can run and cover. The NFL is getting faster by putting more recievers onto the field at once. Its only natural to combat speed with speed. I think the more the league becomes a passing league the smaller LBers are getting.

 

I also think that many kids growing up see Von Miller success as an edge rusher. They see that he has been super successful at a smaller weight so now 240lbs and 250lbs high school and college players realize they can make more money as edge rushers tham ILBs.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

4 hours ago, bmur66 said:

DW appears to me to be a better fit in the Milano role. That is what I see from watching his highlights but what do I know?

2 Milano’s isn’t a bad thing.

[Mat68]

17 hours ago, SCBills said:

Interesting to hear Beane say Dorian Williams size/skill-set absolutely lends itself to the MLB position in our Defense, but what is holding him back from potentially being a strong candidate to win the it out the gate is to not put too much on his plate.  
 

I mean.. if we drafted Campbell or Sanders, would he be saying the same thing?

 

 

Maybe.  Beane is pretty quick to temper expectations for day 2 picks. 

[daz28]

You've got to billieve that BB expects a guy like Bernard or Williams to be able to be on the field at the same time as Milano, or he wouldn't be drafting them in the 3rd.  

[Augie]

15 minutes ago, daz28 said:

You've got to billieve that BB expects a guy like Bernard or Williams to be able to be on the field at the same time as Milano, or he wouldn't be drafting them in the 3rd.  

 

I definitely believe he expects that. The million dollar question is will he turn out to be correct? And the natural follow-up question is what is plan B?

 

I generally trust Beane, so this is a leap of faith. Things got rocky when Tremaine was out with injury. I hope to be pleasantly surprised. 

[Blank Stare]

I’m willing to admit I may have overreacted with my initial reaction to Williams. The more I learn about this guy, the more I like him. Taken out of context, that special teams comment from the reporters on Twitter sounded worse than it was. Sounds like if this guy can come pick things up quickly, he may be given a shot at the Mike. But he’s going to have to earn it. Which I can appreciate. Yeah, he’s small weight wise, but love his timed and game speed as well as his tackling. 

[balln]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

I definitely believe he expects that. The million dollar question is will he turn out to be correct? And the natural follow-up question is what is plan B?

 

I generally trust Beane, so this is a leap of faith. Things got rocky when Tremaine was out with injury. I hope to be pleasantly surprised. 

I think Williams is exhibit A on him realizing Bernard was a strike out 

[Augie]

Just now, balln said:

I think Williams is exhibit A on him realizing Bernard was a strike out 

 

Could be. We all make mistakes. The Cardinals took wrong Josh, but they owned it and moved on. Every team has their misses. 

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

 

 Greg Cosell really likes Williams. Says he plays bigger than his weight at the combine(228), where as Bernard he says, actually plays smaller than his weight. Says he's tough, physical, hard hitting LBer, with long arms to shed blockers.

 

 Also sounded shocked that Alex Austin didn't get drafted until the 7th. He said there's no difference in Austin's play vs any DB taken in the 4th round. Some good tidbits on the draft picks and some time also spent talking about Ford's signing. 

 

EDIT: This is the wrong video. This is the one from Friday discussing the Kincaid pick. I won't delete it, in case someone wants to watch it. See the very next post for the correct video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by LOVEMESOMEBILLS

[LOVEMESOMEBILLS]

1 hour ago, LOVEMESOMEBILLS said:

 

 Greg Cosell really likes Williams. Says he plays bigger than his weight at the combine(228), where as Bernard he says, actually plays smaller than his weight. Says he's tough, physical, hard hitting LBer, with long arms to shed blockers.

 

 Also sounded shocked that Alex Austin didn't get drafted until the 7th. He said there's no difference in Austin's play vs any DB taken in the 4th round. Some good tidbits on the draft picks and some time also spent talking about Ford's signing. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Crap. Posted the wrong video. Just a reminder....Don't do drugs.😂

 The video starts towards the end of the interview, so make sure you go back to the beginning before watching.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by LOVEMESOMEBILLS

[Buffalo_Stampede]

So I should’ve just accepted the pick and moved on but I had to know what we’re getting.

 

😬
 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Sierra Foothills]

1 minute ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

So I should’ve just accepted the pick and moved on. but I to know.
 

 

 

 Yes, as all intelligent people know you should always judge a player by a single play.

 

You are wise beyond description.

 

 

 

BTW, what does "but I to know" mean?

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

3 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

 Yes, as all intelligent people know you should always judge a player by a single play.

 

You are wise beyond description.

 

 

 

BTW, what does "but I to know" mean?

 

Actually just started watching him. This was on the first drive of the USC game I’m watching. Had to post it. People don’t like to post the negative, but it’s all part of it.

Edited May 3, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Sierra Foothills]

4 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Actually just started watching him. This was on the first drive of the USC game I’m watching. Had to post it. People don’t like to post the negative, but it’s all part of it.

 

Does that mean you're going to post 40 more individual plays to achieve a valid sample size?

 

And you still haven't answered the question... what does "but I to know" mean?

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 hour ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

Does that mean you're going to post 40 more individual plays to achieve a valid sample size?

 

And you still haven't answered the question... what does "but I to know" mean?

If the play stands out, sure. He made a nice open field tackle on the TE. Then was kind of caught in no man’s land on the TD run by the RB. I won’t put that on the LB. Could’ve drove a truck through that hole.

 

It was a typo, it happens. Just like the whiff on that video, it happens. Milano had a few whiffs last year. Don’t get triggered by my post. Obviously one play doesn’t form an opinion. 
 

One thing from the 1st half vs USC is he tends to get lost in traffic IMO, but USC OL was getting hands on him so understandable. If he hits you, you go down. Also he was going for the ball a lot, a few plays he was trying to rip it out in the scrum.

2nd half was more of the same, but had a nice stop for no gain when USC was pinned on their goal line. Next play was a huge safety. Seemed to play tentative, probably due to facing Caleb Williams. Similar stuff from Tremaine Edmunds in Buffalo. Kind of let the play come to him rather than instinctively attacking the play. USC OL was all over him 99% of the game. Thought he disengaged from the block better in the 2nd half on a couple plays.

It was only one game vs the best QB in college football. He played very under control, somewhat tentative. Like I mentioned similar to what we saw from  Tremaine Edmunds. Not much bad or good stands out other than the whiff on Caleb Williams and USC OL getting hands on him. 3 good stops, 2 in run game and 1 vs pass.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Here’s the TD run. Williams had no chance IMO. 
 

 

[RunTheBall]

How do you know its the month of May?

 

Birds are chirping

Grass is getting green

Leaves are sprouting

 

TBD Armchair GM Draft Gurus start rolling back their over reaction hot takes faster than a bank robber reversing out of the parking lot

 

[PrimeTime101]

12 hours ago, Augie said:

 

I definitely believe he expects that. The million dollar question is will he turn out to be correct? And the natural follow-up question is what is plan B?

 

I generally trust Beane, so this is a leap of faith. Things got rocky when Tremaine was out with injury. I hope to be pleasantly surprised. 

Didn't Klien fill in and they won those games?

[TheyCallMeAndy]

The amount of people on here who WANT this to be a bad pick “so they can be right” is really disappointing 

[gonzo1105]

9 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

The amount of people on here who WANT this to be a bad pick “so they can be right” is really disappointing 

 

He's a very good prospect. It just shows a lack of knowledge on the casual fans part to judge a guy based on twitter rants, media etc. without every seeing the guy take an actual snap. The snap judgement and comparison to Bernard is lazy because their measurables are a like but that's about the only thing they have in common. Williams is a much better prospect than Bernard. 

 

I loved Williams and in my day 2 mock actually had him going 83rd so I think the Bills got decent value on the pick and took him right around where I expected him to go. 

[MrEpsYtown]

Somewhere in this thread I broke down that USC film. It's a lot of up and down. But he makes more plays than not vs a team that should have wiped the floor with Tulane. He has a shot. 

[Warcodered]

6 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

So I should’ve just accepted the pick and moved on but I had to know what we’re getting.

 

😬
 

 

That is an interesting play, despite the RB getting past him with the spin move he recovers and looks to be in position to make the stop well short of the first down still, that's not bad.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 minute ago, Warcodered said:

That is an interesting play, despite the RB getting past him with the spin move he recovers and looks to be in position to make the stop well short of the first down still, that's not bad.

That’s the QB, not RB. It’s pretty bad. But it’s one play.  He was under control for the most part the rest of the game.