2010 Mock Draft

[Astrobot]

Astro - Thanks for posting. I like reading your mocks. They are very entertaining. But, I personally think that not having the Bills pick a QB with a very high pick(rd1 or 2) really lessens the validity of your mock.

 

If we draft in the top 10 and do not atleast attempt to address our lack of a franchise QB, I will be pretty disappointed.

Every year, this board lights up with the names of all of these great DTs who you people guarantee as future hall of famers who would turn the Bills into perennial SuperBowl contenders. Correct me if I am wrong, but the only one who has come close to expectations is Ngata. Dorsey seems like a bust. Harrell and Okoye have done nothing.

 

Stop with the round 1 DTs. You are better of picking up an older vet like we did with Sam Adams or Ted Washington.

 

We need a Franchise QB. It would seem more likely that a QB taken at the top of the draft would have a much higher chance of success than some late round prospect. I know Tom Brady was a 6th rounder. But he's the only one I can think of who has gone on to be an elite QB.

 

We need to hire personnel people to identify which of the prospects this year are the franchise QB and then do whatever we have to to pick him.

 

Hopefully we won't be picking near the top of the draft again for a very long time.

 

Ralph Wilson isn't going to pay a rookie QB, likely 1st or 2nd off the board, millions of dollars. None is a sure fire bet, not Tebow, Bradford, Colt McCoy, or Pike. Prepare to be disappointed if you're expecting the Bills to go QB in Round 1. They will take a Free Agent with experience for less money. Highly-touted Mark Sanchez is the latest poster boy for drafting a franchise QB.

 

DraftTek picked more first rounders than any draft service. The DraftTek picks for the Bills are doing just fine in the NFL. Cushing last year and Patrick Willis the year before. BTW, we're still looking for a linebacker.

 

Agree that personnel men are at the heart of a successful organization. See Polian. However, great players on IR don't help you, and changing offensive coordinators 6 days before the season starts doesn't help either. Modrak is fine; the changes this organization needs to make to get to the playoffs are named Jauron, Brandon, and Wilson.

[Wilson from Gamehendge]

I've done lots of fooling around with our DraftTek 2010 Draft Simulator, and it seems to

make the most sense to pick a DT early in this draft based on the relative strengths of each position.

 

There is a cluster of very good DT's and WR's right where we'll likely pick (#5 to #12) in Round 1. I notified DraftTek

that we wanted DT Ndamukong Suh if he was still available at our Mock's pick (he was).

 

In the second round, we'll likely find a cluster of OT's (Ciron Black and Charles Brown, and Maryland's Bruce Campbell) plus some very good QB's (Bradford, Tebow, Locker) and DE's (Selvie, Odrick, Woodden, Oghobaase). I'm of the school that would pick an OT here; the computer picked OT Charles Brown since Black was just picked.

 

The third round has OLB's galore going early (#65-#77). These will include Bruce Carter (likely gone by our pick), Travis Lewis (Oklahoma), A.J. Edds (Iowa), and Justin Cole (more of a 3-4 backer). Sure enough, the simulator picked Travis Lewis OLB for the Bills.

 

Early RD#4 looks like a hodgepodge right now, with teams picking by need. The simulator picked Dan LeFevour QB out of Central Michigan, but QB Clausen was still on the board, as was Dennis Pitta, the TE from BYU (watch him on Saturday), and Cameron Heyward, DE from Ohio State. An emotional pick would be Mike Williams WR Syracuse, picked by Dallas at #112.

 

If you use the Simulator (link) let me know what you think, and how we can improve it for general use.

 

Astro

 

Ummm...you and your people are not very intelligent if you think that Bradford, Tebow AND Locker will make it out of the 1st round. THEN you have Clausen in the 4th??? Clausen will go in round 1...he is projected as the #1 overall pick on this guy's mock right now, with Locker going #2...

http://walterfootball.com/draft2010.php

 

Has the Bills taking DT Gerald McCoy and QB Tony Pike.

 

(Has the Dolphins landing OLB Brandon Spikes and DE/OLB Sergio Kindle...that would not be good for Bills' QB's and the way the Dolphins blitz. Especially since they already have Porter, Taylor, Roth, Merling and Cameron Wake.)

[Ball Coach]

I do not like the DT with the first pick. I want a LT we have to fix the O line first. It dose not matter who is at QB if he is on his back then we have done nothing to improve.

[H2o]

Has the Bills taking DT Gerald McCoy and QB Tony Pike.

IMO, that would be a solid first 2 picks for us. As good a first two rounds as we could ask for.

[bananathumb]

We need linebackers. Who are the best bets? DT and QB later.

[Bill from NYC]

We need linebackers. Who are the best bets? DT and QB later.

 

So you are feeling pretty good with Bell at LT?

[iinii]

I've done lots of fooling around with our DraftTek 2010 Draft Simulator, and it seems to

make the most sense to pick a DT early in this draft based on the relative strengths of each position.

 

There is a cluster of very good DT's and WR's right where we'll likely pick (#5 to #12) in Round 1. I notified DraftTek

that we wanted DT Ndamukong Suh if he was still available at our Mock's pick (he was).

 

In the second round, we'll likely find a cluster of OT's (Ciron Black and Charles Brown, and Maryland's Bruce Campbell) plus some very good QB's (Bradford, Tebow, Locker) and DE's (Selvie, Odrick, Woodden, Oghobaase). I'm of the school that would pick an OT here; the computer picked OT Charles Brown since Black was just picked.

 

The third round has OLB's galore going early (#65-#77). These will include Bruce Carter (likely gone by our pick), Travis Lewis (Oklahoma), A.J. Edds (Iowa), and Justin Cole (more of a 3-4 backer). Sure enough, the simulator picked Travis Lewis OLB for the Bills.

 

Early RD#4 looks like a hodgepodge right now, with teams picking by need. The simulator picked Dan LeFevour QB out of Central Michigan, but QB Clausen was still on the board, as was Dennis Pitta, the TE from BYU (watch him on Saturday), and Cameron Heyward, DE from Ohio State. An emotional pick would be Mike Williams WR Syracuse, picked by Dallas at #112.

 

If you use the Simulator (link) let me know what you think, and how we can improve it for general use.

 

Astro

Where is Mel Kiper's hair in all of this?

[H2o]

We need linebackers. Who are the best bets? DT and QB later.

The best LB's in this draft, IMO, are as follows:

 

1. Brandon Spikes / ILB / Florida / 6'3" / 256lb

2. Ricky Sapp / OLB /Clemson / 6'4" / 248lb

3. Sergio Kindle / OLB / Texas / 6'4" / 255lb

4. Sean Weatherspoon / OLB / Missouri / 6'1"/ 245lb

5. Jerry Hughes / OLB / TCU / 6'2" / 257lb

 

All of these LB's will likely go in the first round of the draft. Notice most of the LB's I listed weigh more than Schobel and Maybin. All of them are great against the run. There is no LB worthy of a top 5 pick this year and we'll likely be in the top 5 if things don't take a dramatic turn.

 

So you are feeling pretty good with Bell at LT?

Bell is very athletic and reminds me of a young Peters. If he continues to work on his core strength and technique he will be a good LT. Maybe not the best in the NFL, but he will be very respectable at the position. I think he'll get better with every snap he's on the field so I'll give a pass to see if he progresses throughout this year. We'll likely be able to draft an OT like Ciron Black from LSU, Jason Fox from Miami, or Sam Young from Notre Dame who all could be our RT of the future in the 2nd round if we choose to do so.

[Bill from NYC]

Bell is very athletic and reminds me of a young Peters. If he continues to work on his core strength and technique he will be a good LT. Maybe not the best in the NFL, but he will be very respectable at the position. I think he'll get better with every snap he's on the field so I'll give a pass to see if he progresses throughout this year. We'll likely be able to draft an OT like Ciron Black from LSU, Jason Fox from Miami, or Sam Young from Notre Dame who all could be our RT of the future in the 2nd round if we choose to do so.

 

Thanks for the early info on RTs.

 

This is what I have liked about this board for more than a decade. I totally disagree wrt Bell, but is sure is great to have a place to discuss these things with serious fans who care.

 

We both know that these predictions while fun, are premature. It really all depends where we pick, and whether or not Jauron is there to waste said picks on defensive backs. If we are top 5 and there is a LT that is considered to be top shelf, I have no idea how we could let him slip away.

If not, it would be great imo to be in a similar position that we were in 2006. I heard Levy say that there were multiple tradedown offers, and at least 1 team offered more than a 2nd (by the way I offer no proof, but I am stating that I heard him say this after the draft on Sirius).

 

With 2 picks in the second round, a team really could make a run at a linebacker, as well as a RT that you suggest. Maybe we could bring Terrance Cody to Buffalo too. Imo, it's all about building a tough team to play in the elements.

[The Senator]

Why would anyone want to give this coaching staff a chance to ruin yet another young QB?

 

BillfromNYC, Astrobot, et al are right - build both lines, ferchrissakes grab a DT and a LB that can shore up our run defense, and - most important - go get yourself an HC/OC like Mike Leach, and it probably won't matter what the QB's name is.

 

This from a recent piece by Matt Hayes in Sporting News...

 

As I watched the last two weeks play out for Texas Tech, I recalled a conversation I had with Mike Leach earlier this summer.

 

A simple question: Will his new quarterback this fall lead the nation in passing?

 

The classic Leach answer: "I don't know who the quarterback will be, but we will lead the nation in passing."

 

Wouldn't you know it, a guy Leach compares to Bart Starr (Taylor Potts) and a walk-on that worked his way up the depth chart (Steven Sheffield) have Tech at No. 2 in the nation in passing. And after this week's game against Texas A&M Sisters of the Poor – no matter who plays QB – the Red Raiders will be No.1.

 

Texas Tech scored 66 points on Kansas State; K-State score 62 points on Texas A&M. I don't usually like the transitive property because every game stands on its own, but things will get really ugly, really quickly in Lubbock.

 

link

 

Build the lines, strengthen the run defense, and Taylor Potts will be there in round 7 of the 2011 draft

[SouthernMan]

Why would anyone want to give this coaching staff a chance to ruin yet another young QB?

 

 

Which brings me to ask, what if our next head coach, identity unknown to us now, turns out to be a 3-4 guy? How does that effect the choice?

I gotta think that we need LBs, especially if we go 3-4. Convert Maybin to an outside LB and draft the next best DE or OLB.

[mousetrap08]

I've done lots of fooling around with our DraftTek 2010 Draft Simulator, and it seems to

make the most sense to pick a DT early in this draft based on the relative strengths of each position.

 

There is a cluster of very good DT's and WR's right where we'll likely pick (#5 to #12) in Round 1. I notified DraftTek

that we wanted DT Ndamukong Suh if he was still available at our Mock's pick (he was).

 

In the second round, we'll likely find a cluster of OT's (Ciron Black and Charles Brown, and Maryland's Bruce Campbell) plus some very good QB's (Bradford, Tebow, Locker) and DE's (Selvie, Odrick, Woodden, Oghobaase). I'm of the school that would pick an OT here; the computer picked OT Charles Brown since Black was just picked.

 

The third round has OLB's galore going early (#65-#77). These will include Bruce Carter (likely gone by our pick), Travis Lewis (Oklahoma), A.J. Edds (Iowa), and Justin Cole (more of a 3-4 backer). Sure enough, the simulator picked Travis Lewis OLB for the Bills.

 

Early RD#4 looks like a hodgepodge right now, with teams picking by need. The simulator picked Dan LeFevour QB out of Central Michigan, but QB Clausen was still on the board, as was Dennis Pitta, the TE from BYU (watch him on Saturday), and Cameron Heyward, DE from Ohio State. An emotional pick would be Mike Williams WR Syracuse, picked by Dallas at #112.

 

If you use the Simulator (link) let me know what you think, and how we can improve it for general use.

 

Astro

[papazoid]

this team has so many "needs" that it's laughable.........for me the biggest need without a doubt is a General Manager/talent evaluator.......as far as positional need goes, in order......Left Tackle, then QB, then DT, then LB. we are in good shape at DB, RB & WR.

[The Senator]

Which brings me to ask, what if our next head coach, identity unknown to us now, turns out to be a 3-4 guy? How does that effect the choice?

I gotta think that we need LBs, especially if we go 3-4. Convert Maybin to an outside LB and draft the next best DE or OLB.

Then moving Maybin to OLB makes a lot of sense, but I'd think we'd still want to draft a dominant nose tackle if we have a shot a Suh.

 

Now, if we should somehow be lucky enough to end up with a new HC like...

 

Mike Leach

 

...he'll tell you that it all starts with the O-line - the better they are, the more margin of error they can give you, and the more things you can do try offensively. We'll take a LT, and BillfromNYC will be in heaven!

 

 

OTOH, if Jauron's still around, we'll probably take Tennessee safety Eric Berry

[JohnC]

This mock draft has only 3 LTs being taken in the first round. One of them is projected at #30. Lately, 4 LTs seem to go in the top 10, let lone round 1.

 

This says to me that if the Bills have a top 5 pick (not an impossibility), they would need to use this pick on a LT, or so it would seem if the pickings are slim at this coveted position. This mock is littered with first round defensive backs, especially safeties. Hopefully Jauron won't be there to continue the Levy/Jauron blueprint for losing.

 

Btw, your work on the draft is always appreciated and I extend my deepest thanks for this.

 

If an objective analysis was made of the Bills roster one would conclude that the team is at an expansion team level. There are major needs at OT, DT, LB and most importantly at the QB position. As a Buffalo Bills beat reporter concluded the Bills are "at least" five years away from being a playoff team. The Pats organization is immensely superior than ours so it is very unlikely to be surpassed as long as the aged Ralph Wilson presides over his chickenshiiit operation. Is there any doubt that Bill Parcells is quickly moving his team into being a consistent playoff contender? Their record this year will be poorer than last year's record, but they will be a better team. The Jets have a quality defense and what they hope is their franchise qb (Sanchez) of the future. Without a doubt this organization has the resources and determination to become relevant in a tough NY market.

 

The only way the Bills can inch up is to draft quality players and not reach to fill needs. Work on the lines on both sides of the ball. Our interior line on defense is too small. It is constantly getting knocked back off the LOS when the play is initiated.

 

The most substative problem with the Bills is not the team, as much as the way the organization is constituted by the looney owner. The Bills need a real GM who can put together a quality scouting department and staff. Having a marketing specialist as the head of the football operations is not only laughable, it is sad. Only then will the front office be able to not only make good draft picks but give some rational direction to this floundering franchise. Overpaying for players such as Dockery, Walker and T.O. was nonsensical. Not only were they deficient on the field but their inflated salaries crowded out the ability to get more functional players in to bolster an anemic roster.

 

There are so many things that need to be done to become a competitive team again. There are no quick solutions to make up for nearly a generation of bad decisions by an inept organization. The only solution is to start making smart individual decisions in the draft and free agency. It is going to take time. The quick fix is a mirage for this hollow franchise. Atlanta and Miami were able to make quick turnarounds last year, but that was due to committed owners and the installation of superior GMs who completely overhauled the football operations. Those conditions don't exhist in western NY.

[JohnC]

this team has so many "needs" that it's laughable.........for me the biggest need without a doubt is a General Manager/talent evaluator.......as far as positional need goes, in order......Left Tackle, then QB, then DT, then LB. we are in good shape at DB, RB & WR.

 

Papazoid, You are right on target like a stinger missile.

[Fingon]

Do you really think Bradford, Locker or Tebow will be there in the 2nd? Not a chance IMO.

There is a good chance that Tebow will last to the 3rd round.