Alphadawg7

We need corners so bad we probably should take 2 in the first four rounds. Thats how bare our cupboard is at CB right now. If we dont take one in the first, then I its practically 100% we take one in the 2nd. And if we shockingly pass on a CB again, I bet we take 2 in a row in 3rd and 4th. Beane does love taking the BPA, so when we take one I am sure has a lot to do with how the draft falls too. But I think the most likely pick in the first is a CB for obvious reasons. And I do expect at least 2 taken in the draft. Now if we sign someone or trade for someone ahead of the draft, that would obviously change things.

So to be clear...there is no confirmation yet of more freed up cap space, just the assumption or speculation that it did? And definitely no details about how much yet if it did lower the cap hit?

Its not about the Bills, its what he specifically said about Davis. And he gushed about Davis in multiple segments. I don't know why you aren't sold on Davis, he has produced when called upon and seems poised for a breakout. Either way, this obsessive need by some people to take a WR first round is puzzling to me. Most the best WR's in the game now and many in the past were not first round picks. I mean, lets make a list of arguably the top 10 in no particular order: Adams Diggs Hill AJ Brown Deebo Kupp Hopkins Jefferson Chase Metcalf Only 3 of them were first round picks. Then you have lots of other guys too after that like Lockett, McLaurin, Keenan Allen, etc. So I wouldn't get your hopes up, I will say its highly unlikely we take a WR in the first round, nor do we need to. While you are worried about who is going to give Diggs and Davis breaks, we literally don't have enough corners to start week 1 on the roster. And lets say we get lucky and Tre is available to start week 1, its going to take a while before he finds his form again. And in the loaded AFC, we are going to need more speed and depth at CB. Not to mention all the speed we have to contend with just in our division now with the likes of the Dolphins who might have the fastest offense in the NFL now.

I did not say we wouldnt draft one. I said we won’t take one in the first. Look around the league, most the top 10 WRs were not drafted in the first round. There is this obsession as if we have to get one in the first, but that’s just not the case. Diggs, Adam’s, , Kupp, Deebo, AJ, DK, Hill, Thomas, etc were all not first round picks. We can wait and get another WR in round 2,3, or 4 And watch Sanders talk about Davis:

I like Watson a lot. But...now that Diggs is extended and hearing the way Emmanuel Sanders GUSHED about Davis, I think its very unlikely we take a WR round 1 unless there was just nothing else on the board that Beane felt good about. In which case, I think he trades back if that happened. If anyone hasn't yet seen it, Sanders gushed about Davis talking about all the greats hes been around like AB, D. Thomas, M. Thomas, etc and said Davis is just built different and hes a pro bowl level WR he expects to break out big time this year. Thats high praise coming from a great pro like Sanders whose played with a ton of talented QB's and WR's. So for me, I think first round is not likely to be WR post Diggs extension.

Too be fair...Whaley was just asked a question about it. He had no insight or knowledge other than what we all knew that our cap was tight. And after seeing Chiefs trade Hill, Packers trade Adams, and Cowboys trade Cooper all for cap reasons due to large QB contracts, it wasn't really wrong to think its possible we may have to trade Diggs if he wants money similar to Hill or Adams. Whaley just taking heat here because of the timing and he is a former Bills GM. Truth be told, Whaley was not a bad GM here, his major downfall was being forced to find a QB in an awful draft and then having the Pegulas over rule him to hire the train wreck that was Rex. I mean most of Whaley did wrong was almost out of his control. Cant find a franchise QB when none are available and he never wanted to hire Rex. The one critical thing he did was trade up to get Sammy, but at the time it wasn't that crazy considering he was considered the best WR in the draft and Whaley needed to do something to help EJ if he was going to have a chance to develop. Hindsight shows he should have taken Mack or stayed put and drafted one of the other WR's who had better careers out of that draft. But none of that is known on draft night either. But I am enjoying the funny memes mocking his comment, the internet never fails to capitalize on poorly timed comments haha.

hahaha, hey I deserve it, pile on. Cant believe I am even suggesting a kicker before the 6th round. I deserve to be slapped by Will Smith. But I still think the logic is sound haha.

I deserve all the ridicule...I mean I get it...and I am the last person that I thought would ever say something so insane like using a 3rd on a punter and on draft night, I guarantee you I wont be yelling at the TV to draft a punter either. BUT - In our quest for a SB this year, there is no other player who will make as big of an immediate impact likely as much as Araiza. And I want a SB more than anything, so sadly my vote here in this poll went Araiza. But also, its safe to do here, its just a hypothetical poll and on draft night, I swear no one will hear me pounding the table to take a punter in the 3rd. But logically, none of the guys in this poll likely become a full year starter for this team this season and their respective impact will be minimal in comparison. I should also add that I think Haack is terrible and the worst starter on this team by a significant gap.

Yeah I never get tired of seeing that route...there are not many people who can run that route, if any, the way Diggs did.

I did something I never thought I would do, nor am I proud of it. But I picked the one player I think makes the biggest immediate impact day 1 and that was a freaking punter. Someone shoot me, never thought I would ever advocate for a punter in the 3rd round. But...we NEED a punter. This kid has the potential to be the best punter in the NFL at some point. I wanted him later, but I surprisingly think he has a good chance of being drafted in the first 4 rounds, so late picks probably not gonna get it done. I am not proud of this vote...but I think this pick, in a year we are the SB favorites, is the one pick we can make here that will make a significant improvement at one of our weakest positions this season. A Tyler Bass level impact.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Gem

My absolute favorite tweet response to the Diggs contract news:

And with that last pick (Pick #82) The Falcons and its GM Alphadawg7 have concluded their 3 round draft. Quick Draft recap: We entered the draft with needs just about everywhere as we begin this rebuild process. Accustomed to a high flying offense here in Atlanta with the likes of Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez, and so many more greats...we saw some opportunities to really improve our offense in the post Ryan and Julio era while also nabbing some defensive help along the way. 1st - Pick 8: Garret Wilson WR, Ohio St 2nd - Pick 11: Sam Howell QB, UNC 2nd - Pick 26: Trey Smith, OL, Tulsa 3rd - Pick 10: Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M 3rd - Pick 18: Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama We are quite pleased getting what we feel was great value in both our 2nd round picks and both our 3rd round picks. Howell will be given a chance to compete, but with Mariota here, there is no need to rush him along. We look forward to getting Wilson and Spiller on the field with our other weapons like Pitts and Patterson. And feel really good about starting to rebuild our trenches with Smith and Mathis, both guys we felt we got great value on where we got them and will come in and immediately help our team and compete to start.

With the 82nd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select: Phidarian Mathis, DT Alabama We are excited to add one of the underrated DL players in the draft. Mathis really broke out as a senior as he recorded 53 tackles, 12 TFL and 9 sacks in 2021. He has the ability to get to the passer and is both quick and athletic for a man his size. With his wide body, long arms, and powerful hands he can be a dense anchor in the middle and his play reminds us of Daquan Jones, recently signed by the Buffalo Bills. We love his scheme versatility and look forward to seeing him come in and complete to start. @MrEpsYtownand the Eagles are now on the clock.

Personally, I love the player, but not a fan of giving up this much to trade up. Any rookie is a gamble, and when you are going to have a cap strapped team with big contract decisions looming (Diggs, Edmunds, Poyer, Oliver, Devin, Knox, etc) and lots of guys on 1 year deals (Saffold, Crowder, Howard, etc) then I am less inclined to spend a ton of draft assets to get one prospect. With Allens deal hitting the cap next year, Von's new big deal for next 3 seasons, etc we are not going to be able to keep everyone. And that means we need to hit on as many draft picks as we can these next few years. And to do that, you need draft capital. I am not against trading up for the right player, just this particular trade up is rich where it not only includes next years first, but this years 3rd. So if we were to move next years first, then I would not want to give up this years 2nd, 3rd, or 4th with it in that same trade. This is a good draft at positions of need like CB, WR, and IOL in those rounds.

While I don't expect them to take Hall or Walker, it would not surprise me one bit. The main reason I think its unlikely is simply based on 2 things. Both will go in the first 2 rounds, and in those 2 rounds Bills (unless we trade or sign a CB who is starer worthy before the draft) one of them is 100% a lock to be a CB IMHO. And the other I think is more likely to be one of the following: WR - There are going to be some very exciting playmakers in the first and 2nd on the board for us. And with only Diggs and Davis here more than this year, plus Diggs contract situation, taking a WR this year would make a lot of sense. IOL - Giving Josh more protection and our run game better blocking is never a bad thing. LB - Beane has literally mentioned LB in interviews this offseason, and with Edmunds future looming, if there is a guy they covet there they could easily go out and take a LB early. I think a guy like Troy Anderson in the 2nd is right up Beanes and McD's alley...fastest LB in the draft, player QB and RB as well, only one year at LB. This Swiss army knife fits their love for versatility and he is fast too. Plus, they seem to really like Devin, I think they are comfortable with him helming the backfield as the lead runner this year under the new OC and with our new OL Coach Kromer to see how he does over a whole season as a primary ball carrier like he was down the stretch last year. I think they are more interested maybe in finding a receiving threat complement to him out of the backfield then out right drafting a replacement this year.

I don't disagree that Spiller would not be the ideal fit here, although I do think Spiller is a good pick for other teams. I think he can be a Singletary type back for other teams with his good vision and tough running style, but we already have those types of backs here with Devin and Moss. So I don't think there is any chance Spiller becomes a Bill this draft. But, just saying, those other RB's should not even be mentioned on Beane's resume of "finding RB's" because those guys were not brought in to be significant contributors or were just a place holder during rebuild. His resume really is Devin and Moss, and considering the minimal amount he invested, his return has been solid on that. Devin is a full time starter and has a great career YPC and really shined once we started featuring him as the main runner and actually gave him 15 carries a game down the stretch last year. Moss I think has potential to be a guy similar to Devin, which is his main problem is that he can't supplant Devin here. But if he was to land somewhere else where he gets more touches and has a decent OL, I think he could be similar still to what Devin is for us.

Jordan Stout - P Andrew Booth - CB

Come on, those guys were mostly signed as role players and guys like Gore and Ivory were just to hold down roster spots for a season. Even NFL team and GM signs these kinds of guys every year for depth, ST, etc. You can't hold those against Beane as part of his grade on RB's. The only 2 RB's he actually went out and got to be major contributors were Devin and Moss. And Devin has been pretty good for us, it wasn't his fault our OC had an allergy to running the ball up until the 2nd half of the Bucs game last year. Moss has shown some moments, but has been behind Devin his whole career too. So I wouldn't say he can't find RB's, he hasn't invested heavy at RB thus far and I would say he has gotten a pretty good return in terms of what he invested.

With the 74th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons select: Isaiah Spiller, RB Texas A&M With his great vision and tough running, we are excited to add Spiller to our revamped offense. There were some defensive positions we had looked at here, but with our targets off the board, we stayed true to our board and went BPA and took what we feel was a great value here. Pairing him with Patterson this year will be a tremendous combo to help our young offense not only stay on the field, but finish drives. @BarleyNY and the Denver Broncos are now on the clock.

I am all for Watson, even in the first. Ive been high on him all off season. I was hoping he would be there in the 2nd for us, a while back, but now that feels like a pipe dream. If the Bills want him, its likely going to have to happen in the first or a trade up from our 2nd.

Thats just it, I think everyone knows and understands its them as a pair that makes them great. I just don't think that is overlooked or misunderstood about the pair of dynamic safeties we have. I still think its possible Poyer returns on a 2 year deal to play out Hyde's contract. He had arguably his best season of his career last year and shows no signs of slowing down. Like I said before though, I think his odds of returning are directly tied to what ultimately happens with Edmunds.

This won't be very popular...but I would note that AB did help the Bucs win the SB and was arguably their best offensive receiving weapon. NOW CALM DOWN...I am not saying to "sign him", he is a bat **** crazy to say the least. But just giving credit where credit is due...on the field he is still a great player and will make any offense in the NFL better if they get AB the player. The issue is obvious, can he hold it together mentally...and that is a BIG question and answer is really no, but can he at least hold it together long enough to complete a SB push for one year? Bucs got enough out of him to win a SB before it imploded, so their gamble paid off. So it won't surprise me at all to see some team who is a legit threat to win the SB this year sign him hoping they get a similar return that the Bucs get...that motivated and good behavior first year before he inevitably implodes after. And while I think there is almost no chance Beane would ever sign him, I wouldn't hate it if we brought him in on a 1 year deal and short leash where we just cut him the moment he becomes an issue. Just for the record, I personally think he is a fool and laugh at what a clown he has become on social media with his stupid construction workers glove, gigantic moon boots hes obsessed with, stupid finger sleeve thing he is trying to make a thing, and his constant ball washing of Kanye and Mayweather. BUT my desire for a Super Bowl is greater than my low opinion of him, so I would put that aside for a SB win hahaha.

BELIEVE ME...I knew the risks when I wrote that. Hahahaha, but sadly, it had to be said as I think it will have a direct impact on retaining guys like Poyer now that we signed Von Miller. Yes totally agree that part of what makes them so great is just how close they are, how well they play off each other, etc. They are a dynamic duo in that way, so bringing Poyer back to match Hydes time here is ideally what I think Beane would look to do regardless.