OldTimer1960

That is about where I come out on this. Fitz is surely not a great QB. IMHO, his quick decisions made the OL look better than it is. I think Fitz deserves a lot of credit for leadership and quick throws, especially because he likely had a bottom-25% of the league receiving group. SJ is an OK #1 WR, Nelson is an OK #3 WR, They really had no #2 or #4 receiver. Yes, Scott Chandler was a BIG upgrade over the recent TEs, but his reception total was average at best and WAY behind the top TEs in the league. Rest assured that no defensive coordinator is awake all night wondering how they will cover Chandler and Donald Jones... The entire offense is a system - QB, OL, RBs, WRs and TEs. Play calling masked some weaknesses last year. IMHO, I see a need at LT and WR. They could sure use another (better) TE and I wouldn't argue that they couldn't upgrade at QB. However, the question is: with limited draft picks and not a lot of cash in FA (among the lowest revenue in the league), what is the most important place to upgrade? I guess that I'd still have to come down on the side of pass rush for the defense - all things being equal. If there is no very good pass rusher (DE or OLB), then I'd turn my attention to LT as there will be no decent QB prospect available. Still, a very top WR prospect in round one could entice them and help immensely.

Don't forget that Gronkowski was playing on a very bad ankle. I don't think Blackburn would normally be able to keep up with him. Gronkowski is a very tough matchup as he is tall, extremely strong and is very athletic for his size (dancing ability not withstanding). Most Safeties aren't big enough to cover him and most linebackers aren't athletic enough. FWIW, Gronkowski was a big risk coming out of college. He had missed his entire last year with a back injury. Nothing says red-flag like a bad back for a football player. He also wasn't as prolific of a receiver in college - perhaps because his team's QB wasn't good.

I think what you described is the definition of a 3-4 OLB.

I don't think a team that is this far away from challenging for a Super Bowl can make a play for a guy who will be 31 during the next season and who benefited greatly from the other great players on the Giants' DL. IF he comes cheaply, OK, but I think he is much more valuable to a team that is very close to competing for a championship than he is to a team 1-2 years from championship contention.

I don't see the relationship here. I don't think that there is any chance that Ingram at 276 lbs can cover Gronkowski effectively. There is (a lot) more to coverage than straight line speed. I don't think anyone sees Ingram as a 4-3 OLB - *maybe* a 3-4 OLB. Now, I agree that Ingram looks to be a very good athlete for his size, but I doubt that coverage is his specialty. Besides, if he is truly as good an athlete as he appears, his best asset may well be pass rushing be it from 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE.

I don't think that there is any real correlation between how good a player was and how good a coach he'll make. Beyond that, I don't think ANY TE coach is going to make Scott Chandler into much more than he already is - an OK starter who has a little ability in the red-zone, but no ability to stretch the field. No coach is going to turn him into a top 10-15 in the NFL TE.

I disagree - a little. I think Nelson can be a good+ #3 WR - IF the OL is in tact and there is a legitimate #1 and #2 on the field also. Donald Jones and Roscoe Parrish are not #2 WRs. When TE Chandler was hurt along with several OL, then no Nelson wasn't a dominant get-open-on-his-own WR (I agree). However, with Johnson or another #1 WR and and at least a good starting #2, a healthy decent TE and a healthy OL, I think Nelson is a good #3 WR.

Where would he play? Is he going to beat out Levitre or Urbick? If so, how much of a real upgrade would he be?

Admittedly, I am not an NFL scout, but I have followed the draft for 20+ years. When I look at Upshaw, I don't see a dynamite pass rusher. I see a try-hard guy whose main asset is tenacity and strength. He will be a fairly effective bull-rusher, but he isn't going to remind anyone of Bruce Smith. I would guess that he will be a 6-7 sack/year DE in the NFL who also plays the run pretty well. If he is to play OLB in the 4-3, I see him as too unathletic and slow. Would I be very unhappy with Upshaw at the 10th spot? No, not necessarily. I am just saying that he isn't going to single-handedly improve the Bills' pass rush by an order of magnitude. BTW, I think Coples will be a better pass rusher, but I don't think he will be a 12 sack/year guy, either. Regarding Ingram, he looks like the quicker, faster athlete when compared to Upshaw and I think he'll be a bit better pass rusher. However, I am not sure that he will be as good against the run as Upshaw will be. I don't think he is a 4-3 OLB, either. I don't know enough about Mercilus to comment, but I haven't seen him touted as a remote consideration as high as the 10th pick.

I agree with the sentiment, but it is much harder in practice. Let's assume for a moment that all NFL teams rate the draft-eligibles exactly the same (a BIG stretch). If true, the draft order for players becomes (mostly) a matter of team need. I acknowledge that there may be plateaus where teams might rate players at positions of lesser need significantly higher than the players available at their positions of need. The idea of a trade down is also not straight forward. If we accept the premises above, then what a lower drafting team is willing to pay to move up is a function of their needs (and their player rankings). In any given draft, the 10th pick might be worth more or less. In one draft, team 19 might trade their 19th pick plus the 41st (or so) pick for pick 10. Whether that is a good deal or not depends on each team's player rankings, team needs and the needs and rankings of every team.

I agree, all things being equal, I'd rather re-sign Bell and get some pass rush help. I think the big question is whether there is any REAL pass rush help in this draft that will be available at the 10th pick. I love Upshaw's physicality and effort, but from my (admittedly limited) viewings of him, I don't see a tremendous athlete with dynamic pass rush ability. I see a very strong bull-rusher who will push the pocket, but won't be a great pass rusher. Whitney Mercilus might be an answer, but I haven't read/seen enough and I am scared of the one year of production. Ingram looks pretty athletic and strong, but is he a great answer at less that 6'2"? He might be, but I do wonder. The same questions might be asked of the LTs, but I haven't seen a ton of questions raised about them like I have with the "pass rushers". My take on Mercilus not-withstanding, there have been many one-year-wonders who have succeeded - Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants being the last example that I can think of. There have also been guys like Aaron Maybin who have not panned out. Lots of time to debate this, especially with the combine coming up.

Who were the big free agent signees on New England, the Giants, Baltimore and Pittsburgh? I think all of those teams have been very successful without signing many "big name" free agents.

How many career catches do Jones and Easley have between them? About 10, I think. One of the biggest problems with the Bills' offense last year was a lack of quality receiving options at WR (and TE). Don't get me wrong, *maybe* Jones and/or Easley will be pretty good, but there track record isn't enough to suggest that the "Bills are all set at WR".

I agree with you. I don't see a real difference-making pass rusher in the bunch, except *maybe* Coples. Coples, though, does have the work ethic questions and hasn't been seen as a real elite pass rusher, more of a set the edge good against the run with some pass rush ability guy. Is Coples a better pass rusher than anyone on the Bills' roster? Yes - but is he a better pass rusher than any of the top LTs are pass blockers? I don't know, but so far from what I've read - no. Ingram seems to be the most athletic of the remaining "pass rushers". I haven't seen Mercilus, but I worry about the single year of production. I like Upshaw as a good blue-chip try-hard guy, but from what I can tell he seems to be more Chris Kelsay than Bruce Smith. I'm not a super big fan of Malcolm Floyd or Alshon Jeffrey, that high in the draft. If by some miracle Morris Claiborne were available, I think they'd have to look very hard at him.

What's the basis of this? If they have other coaching opportunities, then they aren't coming here for less unless Chan is a VERY charismatic leader. If the implication is that they are hiring unqualified candidates, then well I can't argue with that. Metzelaars has coached in the NFL, though.

Just my opinions: Not a lot to get excited over on that list. The Bills won't realistically be able to compete for Mario Williams. Maybe one of the QBs is a small upgrade over Thigpen, but all are career backup types and I don't think any are worth significantly more money than Thigpen. The Bills are set at RB and while Michael Bush would be nice, he'll get good money to be a starter somewhere. Welker isn't leaving NE and none of the rest of the WRs really are that good. I'd be excited to get Greg Olsen paired with Scott Chandler. The Bills have already extended Pears at OT and I don't think any of the other Ts solve the Bills' problems at LT. **Maybe** one is **slightly** better than Bell, but certainly not by much. Ugh, no help available on that list of old DEs. Certainly not for the pass rush. Carter and Olshansky are way too old for a young, hopefully up and coming team, to consider. I don't see any LBs that will help with the pass rush and most wouldn't be good enough to start and solve any problem the Bills have. I think the Bills are OK at Safety. I'd be happy with Finnegan, but I wouldn't pay Carlos Rogers anything much.

I concur. Even if he exceeds those expectations, it does NOT imply that just picking a QB in round 2 yields a good starting QB in future years. Usually, that is not the case. Check out this article from last year discussing 2nd round QBs: http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/09000d5d81f83c9c/printable/dont-count-on-qbneedy-teams-finding-help-in-second-round In case the link doesn't work, they list Randall Cunningham, Drew Brees, Boomer Esiason and Brett Favre as the only franchise-level QBs drafted in round 1 in a decade. To be sure, Andy Dalton had a promising rookie year. He might develop into a top 1/3 of the league starter - but now that teams have his M.O. maybe he'll regress. He is supposed to be smart and athletic with an OK arm, so MAYBE he'll continue to progress. TJ Yates, is a good example of a qb that had a good rookie year that probably won't be a good long-term starter.

I can't imagine any team giving the Bills a 2nd round pick for 30 y.o. Fred Jackson. That isn't to say that Jackson is not a very good player - he is, but his trade value (and that of RBs in general) is not that high, especially at the age of 30. Jackson is a very good player and under contract for another year. I hope that the Bills can reward him for his productivity, but yet not over-pay him. He has been a good player and good team-guy, he should get some payday, just don't go overboard.

Claiborne is not the guy that they call Honey Badger, but he is the best CB in the draft. Honey Badger was his teammate Tyrone Mathieu.

I don't think Claiborne will be available at the Bills' pick, but if he is, I could not fault the Bills for taking him over ANY of the DE/OLBs in this draft. Claiborne is one of the very few elite players in this draft. While CB isn't as big of a need as a pass rush or LT, it still is a need. I am not sure that Upshaw or Ingram will be difference makers in the NFL, but I think that Claiborne will be.

One thing that I don't like regarding what I've read and heard about Coples is that he is being characterized as an underachiever. He reportedly didn't play anywhere near as well this year as he did the previous year. He clearly has a TON of talent and natural ability, the big question is whether he'll put forth enough effort to succeed in the NFL. Another concern is that he is reportedly not a dominant pass rusher, rather more a solid pass rusher who specializes in run defense. There don't seem to be any guys being touted as truly outstanding pass rushers this year. Of course, some of that depends on who is doing the evaluations and opinions can change as the process moves forward. If both Coples and Upshaw are gone, I think they'll consider Ingram, but likely opt for one of the OTs that could be available. Beyond Justin Blackmon, I am not sure that there is a WR worth the 10th overall pick. Maybe I am wrong, but I wasn't all that impressed with Malcom Floyd when I saw him a couple of times this year, plus he's already had at least one alcohol related problem.

Yes, but the Bills have said a number of times that they are looking for taller/bigger players. Upshaw does not fit the prototype of the player the Bills are after. Might he be the best player available? Yes, but this regime has shown that they very much value size. Look at the transformation of the OL since they got here and look at the selection of Dareus last year. I am not saying that they should not consider Upshaw (or Ingram for that matter), just that he doesn't exactly match the measurables that they seem to be after in an OLB or DE.

I think even more to support your point, I don't think many thought Aaron Curry was a pass rusher. He was supposed to be this fantastic all-around OLB, but not necessarily a dominant pass rusher.

The Big 10 is known for big strong OL, not necessarily elite athletic LTs. Yes, I know Jake Long was from the Big 10. Remember, Aaron Maybin put up a lot of sacks in one season of Big 10 play.

Ugh, I don't like ANY of the players that you listed in round 1. Floyd drops a lot of passes and has lots of off-field red-flags. Mike Adams would be a reach (based on what I know so far) and hasn't been characterized as a try-hard guy from what I've read. Brandon Weedon isn't good enough to be a 1st round pick, even ignoring that he is VERY over-aged for a rookie. Well, I guess I don't know anything about A.J. Jenkins, so MAYBE he is worth the 10th pick.