Trader Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Devin Thomas Certainly the Bills might reach some Devin Thomas at 11. In Defense of that move Devin Thomas ran a 2.5 sec 20 yard dash at the combine. Only one other WR ran that fast. There is no doubt that he is an explosive guy and I do think he will make a very good pro player. But probably not for a couple of years. He would start for us but he would struggle with routes and timing patterns. The mental part of our offense will cause him to blow up a lot of plays. He is a strong Returner who gives you a Special teams bonus. Truthfully I do not hate Thomas at 11 if need be. If we trade down we would have to get him before pick 20. he is a reach at 11 but not a huge reach. Thomas does have the long term potential to be a number 1 receiver. If we can't sign Evans he may be the guy. I think we have better options at 11 than Thomas but I do not hate the pick. Jordy Nelson Similar size strength and downfield speed. An outstanding route runner projects as a prosession receiver although he does not have the short explosion of Devin Thomas. Transition to the pro WR should be quicker than Thomas. Nelson had several huge games in his career against top competition. How about 10 catchs 135 yards against Talib in a victory last year? Nelson is moving fast up the boards. Very impressive week at the senior bowl coaches were very high on him. Caught the only pass thown to him during the game. He is not likely to make it to the third round. he is going somewhere past the middle or late second round. Jordy Nelson can be our number 2 receiver next year he is exactly what our passing game needs right now. Why not trade down and get Jordy Nelson somewhere in the mid to late second round? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Devin Thomas Certainly the Bills might reach some Devin Thomas at 11. In Defense of that move Devin Thomas ran a 2.5 sec 20 yard dash at the combine. Only one other WR ran that fast. There is no doubt that he is an explosive guy and I do think he will make a very good pro player. But probably not for a couple of years. He would start for us but he would struggle with routes and timing patterns. The mental part of our offense will cause him to blow up a lot of plays. He is a strong Returner who gives you a Special teams bonus. Truthfully I do not hate Thomas at 11 if need be. If we trade down we would have to get him before pick 20. he is a reach at 11 but not a huge reach. Thomas does have the long term potential to be a number 1 receiver. If we can't sign Evans he may be the guy. I think we have better options at 11 than Thomas but I do not hate the pick. Jordy Nelson Similar size strength and downfield speed. An outstanding route runner projects as a prosession receiver although he does not have the short explosion of Devin Thomas. Transition to the pro WR should be quicker than Thomas. Nelson had several huge games in his career against top competition. How about 10 catchs 135 yards against Talib in a victory last year. Nelson is moving fast up the boards. Very impressive week at the senior bowl coaches were very high on him. Caught the only pass thown to him during the game. He is not likely to make it to the third round. he is going somewhere past the middle or late second round. Jordy Nelson can be our number 2 receiver next year he is exactly what our passing game needs right now. Why not trade down and get Jordy Nelson somewhere in the mid to late second round? I agree, I think Nelson will be a great receiver in the NFL. I think he's undervalued right now. Some were saying he'd go in the third round if he did, IMO, he'd be a steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I really can't make up my mind if he's underrated or overrated at this point. The measurables and collegiate production would seem to indicate the former and just on that basis, I can see him even sneaking into the last few picks of round 1. Still, there's also something in the back of my mind that says 'situational possession receiver', and if that's the case, R3-5 is more likely. I'm not sure which he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderswr80 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ The way that I see it, is if the guy fits your system well you take him I dont care if its a top 10 pick and the player is projected to go near the bottom of the first, you pick who fits your team best, not who these draft experts think you should take. The past few years Buffalo has not draft household names, but they got guys who FIT the system.......Thats why the past 2 years have been solid drafts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsD#1in2008 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 IMPO i would hate drafting Jordy Nelson but i guess i could live with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marauderswr80 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I dont care for Jordy Nelson, im still a firm beleiver that drafting per your system is the way to go........ Im still not ruling out the chance of Buffalo taking Thomas and going after James Hardy after that, then I wouldnt be shocked to see Reed cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ The way that I see it, is if the guy fits your system well you take him I dont care if its a top 10 pick and the player is projected to go near the bottom of the first, you pick who fits your team best, not who these draft experts think you should take. The past few years Buffalo has not draft household names, but they got guys who FIT the system.......Thats why the past 2 years have been solid drafts. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ exactly what he said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebug Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ The way that I see it, is if the guy fits your system well you take him I dont care if its a top 10 pick and the player is projected to go near the bottom of the first, you pick who fits your team best, not who these draft experts think you should take. The past few years Buffalo has not draft household names, but they got guys who FIT the system.......Thats why the past 2 years have been solid drafts. I agree 100%.......I fhe fits at #11 you take him at #11, just because others have him rated at #15 or whatever, who cares...... Go Bills! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trader Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ The way that I see it, is if the guy fits your system well you take him I dont care if its a top 10 pick and the player is projected to go near the bottom of the first, you pick who fits your team best, not who these draft experts think you should take. The past few years Buffalo has not draft household names, but they got guys who FIT the system.......Thats why the past 2 years have been solid drafts. You are Exactly right Kelly, Sweed, Hardy and Thomas are a couple of years away from being a great help to us. Kelly, Sweed have already had injury issues. They are going to take some huge hits from NFL Safeties and Corners. Neither of them can get out of their own way and neither can Hardy who looks like a string bean. with Linebackers dropping in Coverage and even DE's back there. Those guys will spend more time on IR than on the field. Thomas is the best of the lot, He has the biggest upside, and even he is a year or two away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM57 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 You are Exactly right Kelly, Sweed, Hardy and Thomas are a couple of years away from being a great help to us. Kelly, Sweed have already had injury issues. They are going to take some huge hits from NFL Safeties and Corners. Neither of them can get out of their own way and neither can Hardy who looks like a string bean. with Linebackers dropping in Coverage and even DE's back there. Those guys will spend more time on IR than on the field. Thomas is the best of the lot, He has the biggest upside, and even he is a year or two away. Exactly how much homework have you done? Kelly has serious injury issues with his knees. Sweed played EVERY GAME until his senior season when he needed the wrist surgery. How does that become an injury issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ The way that I see it, is if the guy fits your system well you take him I dont care if its a top 10 pick and the player is projected to go near the bottom of the first, you pick who fits your team best, not who these draft experts think you should take. The past few years Buffalo has not draft household names, but they got guys who FIT the system.......Thats why the past 2 years have been solid drafts. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^exactly what he said I agree 100%.......I fhe fits at #11 you take him at #11, just because others have him rated at #15 or whatever, who cares...... Go Bills! What they said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FightClub Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Devin Thomas Certainly the Bills might reach some Devin Thomas at 11. In Defense of that move Devin Thomas ran a 2.5 sec 20 yard dash at the combine. Only one other WR ran that fast. There is no doubt that he is an explosive guy and I do think he will make a very good pro player. But probably not for a couple of years. He would start for us but he would struggle with routes and timing patterns. The mental part of our offense will cause him to blow up a lot of plays. He is a strong Returner who gives you a Special teams bonus. Truthfully I do not hate Thomas at 11 if need be. If we trade down we would have to get him before pick 20. he is a reach at 11 but not a huge reach. Thomas does have the long term potential to be a number 1 receiver. If we can't sign Evans he may be the guy. I think we have better options at 11 than Thomas but I do not hate the pick. Jordy Nelson Similar size strength and downfield speed. An outstanding route runner projects as a prosession receiver although he does not have the short explosion of Devin Thomas. Transition to the pro WR should be quicker than Thomas. Nelson had several huge games in his career against top competition. How about 10 catchs 135 yards against Talib in a victory last year? Nelson is moving fast up the boards. Very impressive week at the senior bowl coaches were very high on him. Caught the only pass thown to him during the game. He is not likely to make it to the third round. he is going somewhere past the middle or late second round. Jordy Nelson can be our number 2 receiver next year he is exactly what our passing game needs right now. Why not trade down and get Jordy Nelson somewhere in the mid to late second round? I don't post mock drafts but I do play around with possibilities and Jordy Nelson is part of my "all intangible / no busts" mock draft. It goes something like 1. Dan Connor 2. Jordy Nelson 3. John Carlson 4a. Chevis Jackson ...and so on... (yes I know I just contradicted myself by posting a mock draft) The idea is that the Bills need to be drafting players that fit the system (as other posters have said), but they also need to make sure there are no "Mike Williams" picks. The biggest thing with the Bills is we can't afford any busts in the draft. The last couple of years, we have not had any in the early rounds. We may not have hit on an Adrian Peterson, but we have a solid Safety, emerging DT, solid to great RB, solid MLB (possibly great later), solid QB, etc. from the early rounds of the last couple of years. The above guys were all looked up to on their teams for leadership. There might be less potential for greatness in this draft, but little to no risk of a bust with these picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I don't post mock drafts but I do play around with possibilities and Jordy Nelson is part of my "all intangible / no busts" mock draft. It goes something like 1. Dan Connor 2. Jordy Nelson 3. John Carlson 4a. Chevis Jackson ...and so on... (yes I know I just contradicted myself by posting a mock draft) The idea is that the Bills need to be drafting players that fit the system (as other posters have said), but they also need to make sure there are no "Mike Williams" picks. The biggest thing with the Bills is we can't afford any busts in the draft. The last couple of years, we have not had any in the early rounds. We may not have hit on an Adrian Peterson, but we have a solid Safety, emerging DT, solid to great RB, solid MLB (possibly great later), solid QB, etc. from the early rounds of the last couple of years. The above guys were all looked up to on their teams for leadership. There might be less potential for greatness in this draft, but little to no risk of a bust with these picks. The thing I dislike about that type of draft is that it could be called an 'all-overachiever' type draft. Its a double-edged sword. Having a few of those type players can be good, but too many and you become the early 90s Colts, a team of high effort, but slow and/or undersized players. Incidentally, that's part of the problem with this team. They have a lot of solid players, but the playmaker types are few and far between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trader Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 " he needed the wrist surgery. How does that become an injury issue?" The evidence is that he is injured. There is no evidence that he is completly recovered from his injury and surgery. I don't need to prove he is hurt he needs to prove he is ok and that he can fully participate in the off season activities. That has not happend yet. Some reports have him not ready until October. WR have a tough learning curve only QB's have it harder. You want to draft Sweed at 11? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JM57 Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 " he needed the wrist surgery. How does that become an injury issue?" The evidence is that he is injured. There is no evidence that he is completly recovered from his injury and surgery. I don't need to prove he is hurt he needs to prove he is ok and that he can fully participate in the off season activities. That has not happend yet. Some reports have him not ready until October. WR have a tough learning curve only QB's have it harder. You want to draft Sweed at 11? I don't want to draft ANY WR at 11, but if I had to choose, it would still be Limas Sweed because I think he's going to be a solid, above average pro WR. The only games he missed were those after the surgery in his college career. He produced for more than ONE season, which is my biggest knock on Devin Thomas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ No, it dont...as long as that player performs at a very high level. If he's mediocre (whoever he is) he was a reach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted April 14, 2008 Share Posted April 14, 2008 Who makes the call as to wether a player is a reach or not at certain draft positions? I mean if you have a guy rated high on your boards that fits your style of team play and you draft him at 11, its not a reach. Just cause other teams have him rated lower on their boards dont mean its a reach.........You draft players by the system that your team runs. So lets say Devin Thomas rates #1 on the Bills boards for the draft and # 5 on Dallas's draft boards, it dont mean its a reach cause Buffalo took him........ The way that I see it, is if the guy fits your system well you take him I dont care if its a top 10 pick and the player is projected to go near the bottom of the first, you pick who fits your team best, not who these draft experts think you should take. The past few years Buffalo has not draft household names, but they got guys who FIT the system.......Thats why the past 2 years have been solid drafts. The same people who say a guy is a steal BEFORE he is drafted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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