mjt328

I agree. In all my years following this team, I've ever seen such a high consensus on who the Bills should pick... and then the Bills actually do it. People were actually pushing for us to trade into the Top 3-4 to get Oliver. And we got him sitting still at #9. Perfect blend of talent, value and need. If I recall correctly, fans were pretty happy about Marcel Dareus too. But there were also quite a few who preferred AJ Green or Patrick Peterson.

The experts have been saying it for months. The 2nd Round of this draft is going to produce the most value of the entire class. Over the next 20-25 picks, there will still be several players available who could have gone in the 1st Round. After that is when the drop in talent will occur. Our best move was not trading back up into the 1st Round. Our best move will likely be to trade back up into the middle/end of the 2nd Round. That's the beauty of what Brandon Beane accomplished in free agency, and us being fortunate to land Ed Oliver at #9. We don't have ANY desperate needs anywhere on the roster. Sure there are positions we all would like to add another body. Some may prefer one position over another (and you can see the arguments all over this board). But nothing we should be sweating about addressing immediately. We can stay put and land one of the better WRs in this draft. Or a very good O-Lineman. Or one of the Top 3 TEs. Or possibly the best CB in this class. Don't get desperate. Just let someone fall to you.

I fully anticipate at least two, and maybe even three QBs going in the Top 10. Either the teams already in those spots (Arizona, Oakland, NY Giants) will take them, or there will be trade-ups (Denver, Miami, Washington). QB is too important of a position and GMs/coaches get fired too quickly to waste away full seasons banking on mediocre veterans. I think teams are trying somewhat to hide their interest in the QBs, because they are fearing another team trading ahead. Either way, I anticipate the Bills being in pretty good position tomorrow evening. Either someone really good will fall to #9 they can't pass up, or they will be presented with a strong offer to move down a handful of slots and pickup another Day 2 pick.

Jonah Williams would be a good draft pick at #9... as long as this staff sees him as a franchise Left Tackle. I think it would also signal the end of Dion Dawkins on this football team. If we draft Williams, don't be surprised if Dawkins is packaged in a trade shortly after. Don't get me wrong. I'm a big believer in drafting BPA. I'm just hoping that BPA matches up with our current needs a little better.

Lots of injuries on the D-Line front. It could make for some really big steals at the back-end of the 1st Round/top of the 2nd. Jeffery Simmons was probably a Top 5 pick before the ACL injury. Montez Sweat was a Top 10 lock. Now he's got a heart condition. Jerry Tillery was an early 1st Rounder, then needed shoulder surgery. Until this, Rashan Gary was generally considered a Top 10 pick as well.

Trade down from #9 to #16 and target Christian Wilkins or TJ Hockinson. Trade up from #40 and target Jerry Tillery/Jeffery Simmons or Noah Fant.

If they are worried about "secrecy" - they are worried about someone trading ahead of them and taking their target player. That would almost certainly be a QB.

Linebacker is a position where the starters are rarely subbed out (unlike the D-Line). Barring injury, the starting LBs will play 90% or more of the defensive snaps. That's why backup LBs are primarily judged by their special team skills, as opposed to how well they can slide into the starting lineup. Since the league is very pass-heavy, defenses also spend around half of their time (sometimes more) in Nickel. Our primary guys in Nickel are Milano and Edmunds, while Alexander comes off the field or becomes a pass rushing specialist in this formation. Milano's injury is not expected to be a long-term issue. And Edmunds was drafted to be a key leader on this defense for the next decade. I'm certainly not against drafting another LB in the mid-rounds for depth. But it's not a position we desperately need. It's a luxury. If we use a high pick one, he will play less than 25 percent of snaps his rookie season, and will basically be fighting for reps against Milano/Edmunds/D-Line going forward.

This regime has been very stingy at leaking information. I doubt anyone outside the front office's inner circle knows more than 2-3 weeks ago. I'm a believer that actions speak louder than words. And what I've been seeing from One Bills Drive makes me doubt OL or WR at #9. When free agency started last month, Brandon Beane already knew what this draft class looked like. He and the scouts had been studying it for over 12 months. He knew which positions were deep. He knew which positions were strong. He knew which positions were weak. And yes, he already had a pretty good idea which 4-5 guys may be BPA at the #9 slot. With that in mind, he signed a whopping SIX offensive linemen - any of whom could end up in the starting lineup. He signed FOUR wide receivers, including two who are expected to get significant offensive snaps. He signed TWO potential starting corners to play opposite Tre White. At the same time, he made absolutely no effort to address the 3-Tech position despite losing Kyle Williams to retirement. Although he showed clear interest in upgrading the pass rush (specifically Ezekiel Ansah), he never actually signed anyone. And after releasing Charles Clay, neither of his tight end signings can be considered dependable starters. All signs point to us targeting a DT, TE and Edge rusher in the early rounds.

But what do we need with another $6.4 million in cap space for this year? We currently have over $30 million left. And once the draft is over, the roster is pretty much full. At this point, Yeldon didn't have much choice. He obviously wasn't a priority free agent. He wasn't going to get a starting job from anyone. And in less than a week, the league will be overloaded with dozens of shiny-new rookie RBs. If he waited too long, he may have been without a job until August or September. Just two years ago, Shady was still one of the league's best RBs. Maybe he lost a step. But I don't know how anyone could make that assessment, considering how bad our blocking was. We don't need another Day 3 pick. We don't need more cap space. It makes more sense to keep him and cross our fingers that 2018 was an anomaly, due to our poor O-Line.

It's mid-April. Nobody was signing TJ Yeldon as anything more than a backup. The staff has made it pretty clear, both in the way they talk about Shady and with their actions regarding the roster. They believe the O-Line was the problem last year, and he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Besides, Shady's trade value is virtually nothing at this point. We would be lucky to fetch a 4th-5th Rounder. It would be better to gamble on him rebounding, and then addressing the RB position next year.

It will be interesting to see the numbers on this contract. That will tell us a better idea if Yeldon is a roster lock for Week 1, or if he will be fighting for a position. I previously figured RB was going to be a Round 3-5 priority. But now they may not draft one at all. It's been said many times already, but the Bills are quickly running out of spots in the lineup. Unless Beane is planning to trade away some veteran players in the coming months, a heavy chunk of the players we draft are going to be buried on the depth chart or sent to the practice squad. I would be shocked if Beane doesn't try packaging some of those Day 3 picks to climb up the draft board. All ten guys are not making this roster.

I've listened to numerous GMs over the years. All have a similar system. Prospects are not ranked from 1-500. They are generally divided and ranked by position, and then divided into TIERS. So when the Bills pick at #9, they may have 5-6 guys at various positions in the SAME tier, all considered worthy of being selected in that spot. They may have Jonah Williams (OT), DK Metcalf (WR), TJ Hockinson (TE), Ed Oliver (DT), Rashan Gary (DE) and Devon White (LB) all ranked within the same tier. They could select ANY of these guys and still claim they have taken the BPA, even if they are ultimately making a preference based on need. When teams say they are drafting BPA... what they really mean is they WILL NOT be reaching (taking a player in a lower tier) just to fill a need.

Mock drafts are fun, but nobody is remotely close to accurate anymore. One trade at the top completely destroys everything after. And the last few years, pretty much every draft has seen multiple trades within the Top 10.

There will be defensive playmakers outside of the Top 5. You probably can't say the same for a potential franchise QB. If the Giants don't take a QB, there could still be another team that trades up and does. It's also possible the Raiders decide to take a QB.

I was going to say the same thing. Pretty much everyone that didn't reach for a QB ended up with a regular Pro-Bowl talent.

The 2013 draft class was possibly the worst in my lifetime.

If you have time over the next week, I would recommend doing some research on the prospects. The more you know about the players getting picked, the more fun and interesting the draft will be. If you are just watching to see whether the Bills take a DE, DT, WR, OT or TE, it's probably going to be boring. Especially because we don't have any glaring holes on the roster this year. I usually try to get a basic understanding of the Top 100 guys, which roughly covers the Top 3 rounds. You can get some good write-ups on NFL.com, ESPN, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Focus and Draft Breakdown, among others. YouTube is also a great place to watch game film and highlights.

Roster limitations are definitely a consideration. And at this point, it's hard seeing 10 picks sticking - unless a good portion end up on the practice squad. However, don't discount the ability for Beane to trade away current players as well. If we add an OT at #9, it's very possible we end up trading away Dion Dawkins. If we add a WR at #9, I wouldn't be surprised if Zay Jones is moved. Depending on how things shake out with the D-Line, I could see us shopping Shaq Lawson or even Jerry Hughes.

Almost all of Beane's trades last year were related to getting a QB. Each move was part of a strategy to get more picks, or to gradually move up the board. This year, I think teams (not just Buffalo) will be waiting to see how the draft unfolds. I could see us moving up or down from #9. Same with our Day 2-3 selections. I could see us making a trade for a big-name player. I could see us trading away someone, especially if whoever we pick makes them expendable.

I see this as two up-and-coming teams with young franchise QBs, ready to take the next step forward. I'm curious to see what happens in the draft, and how Josh Allen/Sam Darnold progress during training camp and preseason. It's a real toss-up. But right now, I prefer our overall roster and the fact we have an established coaching staff. 1-0 It's strange to play two back-to-back road games in the same stadium. And in both cases, we are a couple hours from Buffalo. In my opinion, the Giants have one of the worst teams in the NFL. And that was before losing their star WR. Failing to draft Eli Manning's replacement would be a huge mistake for the second year in a row. 2-0 Despite the strong start last year, I don't think the Bengals are very good. It's really time for them to rebuild and start over. It will be interesting to see if they draft Andy Dalton's replacement next week, or if they are content with another mediocre season. Either way, we win the home opener. 3-0 One of these days, the tide will turn against the Patriots. Hopefully it happens this season. New England also has a history of starting slow in the first month of the season. But until their collapse actually happens before my eyes, I just can't pick us to win. 3-1 The Titans are a solid team, which has finished 9-7 three years in a row. Before the season is over, I also think Marcus Mariota will prove to be a failed pick. In a really close matchup, I'm picking the home team. 3-2 The Dolphins are not tanking. But they also aren't very good. Maybe we get Fitzpatrick. But it's highly possible they are starting a rookie QB by this point of the season. We win this one in a blowout. 4-2 Philadelphia isn't the powerhouse that some people think they are. We are going to be heavy underdogs, but I still like our chances to pull out an upset here. I'll say Eagles in a close one. 4-3 The Redskins are another team who could be starting a rookie QB. Their overall roster is below average. I see this one as a potential blowout for us at home. 5-3 I think it's crazy how the Browns became media darlings, almost overnight. The idea they are suddenly an AFC favorite is a joke. With that said, Baker Mayfield does look to be a good one. This will be a very close matchup (similar to the Jets), so I'm giving it to the home team. 5-4 Our second matchup against what is possibly the NFL's worst team. 6-4 Strong defense. Terrible offense. Another team with a possible rookie QB under center. I think we win this one at home. 7-4 We don't do well on a national stage. And this may be our toughest road matchup. 7-5 I don't think Lamar Jackson develops into what the Ravens are hoping this year. 8-5 A road game against Pittsburgh used to be an automatic loss. But now I see a team with an aging QB, a depleted roster and an absolute mess in the locker room. My bold prediction is the Steelers are drafting Top 5 next season. 9-5 Will this game be for the AFC East title? It's possible. 9-6 I think we wrap up a playoff spot by beating the Jets at home. 10-6

Not saying it's a smokescreen, but many teams throw out bad information to hide interest in their true target. Teams trade up to grab position players all the time.

I wouldn't be a huge fan of us drafting DK Metcalf either... but where in the world are these mocks where he isn't a 1st Round Pick? Are you talking about legitimate media sites, or just a group of regular fans making picks? I follow pretty much every major draft site and haven't seen anyone mocking him outside the first round. He's most definitely the consensus #1 WR and is going between about #8-25 in just about every mock draft I've seen.

Glad we are doing our homework. I certainly don't expect Quinnen Williams to slip to #9. But it's definitely possible he gets within "striking distance" of a worthwhile trade. Consider this: 1. Kyler Murray is fully expected to go #1. 2. Nick Bosa and Williams are considered the only elite/can't-miss picks of this draft. But Josh Allen isn't far behind those two, and may be preferred by teams who run a 3-4 defense and really need an edge rusher (Jets/Giants). 3. John Gruden has made several comments about Derek Carr, causing many to believe the Raiders are considering a QB at #4. Even if it's a smokescreen by Oakland, the Jets have publicly talked about trading down. The #3 or #4 spots could be key on anyone eager to land Dwayne Haskins. 4. This particular draft class is very deep at Defensive Tackle, but only average at Offensive Tackle and very thin at Linebacker. That may cause some GMs desperate at OL or LB to consider Devon White or even Jawaan Taylor a premium. Don't get me wrong. It's very possible Williams is gone at #2. But if any of these (very possible) scenarios come true, he could easily slide to the #4-7 range. At that point, we are only talking moving up a few spots.

Depending on the discussion, I think you hear about both. The point about Clay's drop in the Miami game is a legit one. We aren't just talking about a close game, where a few plays could have made the difference. We are talking about one play, where Clay's inability to make a pretty routine catch was the obvious difference between 6-10 and 7-9.