OldTimer1960

Hope at least 1 of them is available when Bills pick comes. 27 players will be picked before Bills’ selection.

I thought going in, he was the best receiver in the draft. Don’t obsess over TE “position”, he is a big receiver with excellent hands and toughness after the catch. Not a traditional TE.

You really think so?

The draft debate has been very fun for the past several months. I enjoy reading everyone’s opinions. Tonight the Bills make their first pick (or not!). The pick will make some happy and some will be apoplectic that who they picked is clearly inferior to another player/isn’t a player at a premium position/has an average RAS score, etc… Whatever your view, let’s remember that: 1. We are not privy to any player’s medical evaluation. This is very important. 2. We don’t have an opportunity to evaluate a player by interviewing him, his coaches, teammates, etc. 3. We don’t have a sense for the work ethic of most prospects 4. It is hard for us to evaluate any players aptitude to learn 5. Most of us can’t tell how a player fits the Bills’ current scheme and none of us know what scheme changes they are considering. 5. It is very hard for us to know what room any prospect has to improve strength/skills (are they maxed out or just need NFL strength training?) All of the above are very important considerations when evaluating any player. Looking forward to the excitement and debates!

I think Trenton Simpson is the best athlete on that list and fits a big need. He’s not perfect and you’d be betting that experience at MLB improves his recognition. At worst, I think you end up with a very good OLB, but still a hole at MLB. Simpson looks like a LB and moves like a DB.

I think you’re being too harsh, but it is your prerogative. I agree it is risky to not bring in competition, but he still has a chance.

I don’t agree that Brown is a complete proven bum. Last year was poor, but I hold hope given the problems he overcame just to get on the field last year. I’m not guaranteeing that Brown will be good, but there is a pretty reasonable chance he will, in my opinion.

It’s not the draft pick compensation, it is the salary cap implications for Bills and Hopkins’ age and recent roid suspension.

Awesome stuff, sincere thanks for all your efforts!

It isn’t impossible. The question is whether the cap mess you have to create to fit a 31 y.o., recently injured, recently suspended receiver under the cap is the right move. I don’t think it is, even if they could get him for a 4th or later.

Would you play Smith at DE or LB?

No dispute with your point.

They might because getting Hopkins likely means Davis is gone after this year. ? The FA WRs they signed are not guaranteed to make the team.

There was concern about his weight after he refused to be weighed at his pro day. How much concern and by whom, we don’t know.

No argument that they want a WR for the reasons you stated, but I hope that they don’t reach for a prospect there just to fill that need. WR is now a premium position, but picking a question mark prospect would be a mistake, in my opinion. I don’t particularly like Johnston and Flowers, Addison, Downs are all so small. And Hyatt would be a big gamble. Of course, all picks are gambles to some extent.

Kincaid may be the best pass catching weapon in this draft, including the WRs. I think it is quite possible that the Bills would take Kincaid over Johnston. Kincaid’s hands are considerably better than Johnston’s, imho. Simpson might be available that late, but I’d be willing to go up a little in round 2 to get one of the LBs, depending on cost.

I think Wright, Flowers, Kincaid and Addison could be in play on offense. None of them transform this offense to a much higher level (in my opinion). They would all help. I think defensive players should be under consideration here, including CB and S. My reasoning is that you have to stop the opposition as well as score on a them. I’m not a big fan of any of the ILBs in this draft. Ironically, Campbell seems like the high floor safe choice and that IS what I’m looking for, but he seems like a real stretch at 27.

Well, a liter of water weighs 2.2 lbs, so yes. However, it doesn’t change the fact that Addison (and several other WR in this draft are well below NFL size standards. There are always exceptions to the rule, but you have to look very closely at those situations to avoid making big mistakes. That being said, I am pretty confident that Addison’s floor is a pretty good slot receiver which ain’t bad, except round 1 is pretty steep for that.

I’m looking at this draft thinking that it is weak, but there are players who can contribute and be decent to good starters in the coming years when the Bills NEED cheap players to offset huge contracts for Allen, Diggs, Miller and White. I think that while Allen is healthy, he is good enough to give them a championship chance every year, unless they get into cap hell. I think that consistently being in contention gives you a better chance for a championship than 1 “all-in” season does. For me, I want to find a decent to good contributor, preferably to help Allen on OL or WR or TE. Doesn’t have to be - and likely isn’t- a superstar. When I watch Quentin Johnston, my view is of an unrefined athlete who happens to play WR. His size is not exceptional, speed is fine, but route running doesn’t look NFL-caliber and his catch technique is really sub-standard. Now, he has some good-sized hands that flash ability, but I don’t want to bet on him improving (by a lot) his hands. None of this means that I am right, but I’d shy away from Johnston.

DBs are people too.

I don’t even think I’d be willing to trade up for Addison. If he is available at 27, then OK, but trading extra assts to get a 170lb WR would not be smart, in my view.

This thread is very long, so don’t know if this was posted, but I heard on SeriusXM NFL radio that Jordan Addison was even lighter at his pro day than the 173 he weighed at the combine. Supposedly weighed an even 170 at his pro day. I love Addison’s route running, but 170 is super small for an NFL WR. As much as I want them to get help at WR, I’m not sure if I’d have the nerve to draft Addison or Flowers in round 1 and I just don’t like Quentin Johnston. I think Campbell’s intangibles are top notch and he is experienced. I understand that at 27 in this draft they will be doing well to find a decent to above average eventual starter, but Campbell just feels like a consolation prize. Problem is, I’m not crazy about Simpson or Sanders, either.

Hopkins will be 31 before training camp, has bee recently injured, recently suspended for steroids, and carries a big cap value. If it was just a late 2nd in this weaker draft, fine, but the cap $ would have a ripple effect. For those reasons, I am not interested unless he comes very cheaply (pay cut - not interested in extending a 31 year old WR beyond the 2 years already on his contract).

Apparently he couldn’t beat out Brenton Strange. Strange is a decent prospect in his own right. Sometimes a change of scenery opens up opportunities, but you have to look with some skepticism at guys who transfer to lower levels of competition.

Would be nice, but I don’t think there is any chance that Bergeron makes it to the Bills’ 2nd pick, let alone pick 91. I like Kincaid and think he might be the best receiver in this draft - including the WRs. If Hyatt were there at Bills’ 2nd pick, I would consider him, but he would not be a certainty in my mind. I’m in awe of Washington’s size, power and speed for his size, but I have real doubts that he can be more than an extra OL who can make some possession catches. His routes look pretty clunky when I watch him. Now, maybe I’m wrong about him, certainly his physical skill set is enticing.