Brandon

I don't really think McCardell adds much value to the roster at this point in his career. He'd be just another depth player at position that is loaded with guys who shouldn't be starting. Bryant has worn out his welcome with every team he has played for. With the exception of an occasional bargain basement signing, I think they're done in FA, anyway.

I wouldn't mind seeing them pick up a top receiving TE, but I don't think there's much chance of it. I believe they view the TE more as a blocker in this offense than a receiver and would prefer to use their RBs in that role instead.

The only problem with the whole scenario is that I actually don't think Patrick Willis is going to be available at 12. Then what? I believe we're in first round RB/WR territory if that happens, and in fact, I believe that Lynch, Meachem or Bowe will ultimately be our pick at 12. That could throw the whole thing back into a defensive concentration if the Bills feel that they must use their remaining first day picks on that side to maximize the odds of finding a couple of immediate contributors. I think it all depends on that first pick.

I've been considering that possibility of a suprise day 1 concentration on offense as well. I think it could very well happen if they are able to draft Willis at 12. They'd have the MLB hole presumably filled and with Youboty and McCargo likely to see much more action this year (and no reason to believe they aren't still high on either of them), both DT and CB might be pushed lower than we think. Its not as crazy as some will try to tell you it is.

No arguments. I've been harping on what I believe is a major need for a 2nd credible threat offensively for a couple of months now. RB, WR, TE...I don't care which it is.

I agree that the Bills should not take a 1st round RB just out of need, but by the same token, they also should not take a 1st round LB, DT or CB out of pure need, either. It comes down to not only the grades of the players available in R1, but also the players likely to be available in the following rounds as well. In my opinion, the Bills are better off coming away with a very good RB prospect and a good MLB prospect than they are an excellent MLB and an average RB. This is ultimately why I would go with the Lynch/Harris combination. It sacrificies somewhat at MLB, but I believe yields a much better RB prospect and that both should develop into, at the very least, solid every-down players. I don't think we'll get that every-down RB otherwise. Your mileage, and your opinions of the particular players, may vary.

On paper, it may look like a good idea, but in practice I think its problematic. The old saying of 'don't count your chickens before they hatch' applies. Yes, the RB class in 2008 looks good (IMO, not quite as good as some believe), but its a good bet that among the top junior and senior prospects, one or two won't declare, a couple will have bad seasons, and one will blow out a knee. The point is, that 2008 draft class could also look like absolute crap by this time next year.

I agree and if the Bills wait to select a RB, Jackson and Pittman would be among my choices. Suprisingly, so would Irons. That's really the problem with these 2nd tier RBs this year. There are a lot of good change-of-pace, 3rd down types, but there's not much to choose from otherwise.

Of that group, only Darren McFadden is a definite first round talent, and he's likely to be a top 3 selection in 2008 or 2009. Rice, Slaton and Hart are all very undersized as pro RBs and all are listed at around 5'9" 195lbs. Even if one assumes that these guys can be 'franchise' Rbs in the NFL (and I think that's a stretch), you also have to consider that Rice, Slaton and McFadden still have two years of eligibility left. While it seems likely that they will, its not a given that any of them will declare.

I would rather have the combination of Marshawn Lynch and David Harris. Willis is an excellent prospect, but like most of the 2nd tier RBs, I worry that Irons is nothing more than a good change of pace RB in the NFL due to his size.

I would not at all be suprised if the Bills selected a WR at 12. I see their need as not being so much for a RB, but for a quality complimentary threat to Lee Evans. That could certainly be a RB, but could also be a WR or TE as well. If its not Lynch, I believe that they'll choose either Dwayne Bowe or Robert Meachem.

Boldin had blown out a knee the previous year. I believe he was still having problems with it during the draft process and later managed to post a time in the high 4.5s, but its impossible to prove at this point.

I can't remember for sure, but I don't think Anquan Boldin was completely healthy at the time. He did, however, run a much better time at his Pro Day workout. I think your point about football players vs workout warriors is a partially valid one, but only within reasonable confines. Abnormal times should be considered a sign of a potential problem. Tony Hunt could defy the odds, but there's no question that a 4.7+ 40 time is unusually slow for an NFL RB.

That does not suprise me at all with Tony Hunt. When he chose not to run at the combine, with all of the other top RBs choosing to do so, it certainly raised the question of why. Now we know. If all of the other Penn State players improved their times at the Pro Day workouts, then one has to wonder if Hunt's time would have been even slower at the combine.

While I would normally be against it, in this particular draft I think its worth considering. Its a relatively weak draft at most of the Bills primary need positions and could represent a much better chance of filling two of those needs with immediate contributors than would otherwise be possible.

They have some significant needs, but none that are so critical that they require an investment of a #1 pick. I think they've set themselves up well so that they can simply take their highest ranked player at those need positions without feeling the pressure to reach somewhat as if they had a gaping hole in the roster. I think the only way they can screw it up is if they try to get too cute with all of it, but I believe that this staff takes a much more practical approach than the last.

Its just the Marshawn Lynch Bash-of-the-Day.

"I like his hands," said Buffalo coach Dick Jauron, whose team selects 12th and also needs a running back after trading Willis McGahee last week. "He can really catch the ball, so he'll be an every-down back for somebody. I like that." http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=576983

That may be true on the first day of the draft, but I'd be shocked if its true for the rest of the draft. That would give the Bills 13 defenders with 1 year of experience or less.

This draft is practically devoid of the prototypical 330lb run stuffer type DTs. As one of the few who seemingly fit that description, when the dust settles, I think someone will probably reach out of desperation and select him in the latter half of R2. I hope its not the Bills.

I've read that the Bills have had or are planning private workouts with Marshawn Lynch, Leon Hall, and Robert Meachem. I don't know whether its actually true or not.

I agree. Speaking of Lynch, after doing a little more research on the issue, I think the reports of a back injury may have mistakenly confused him with his Cal teammate, Daymeion Hughes. Hughes suffered a back injury at the Senior Bowl (although reports are conflicting here as well; a few say it was a hamstring) and, of course, had a very disappointing combine performance. That's just speculation on my part, admittedly, but the longer this goes without picking up any steam, the more I think its an erroneous report. Considering that he's a potential top 15 pick, it should have spread all over the internet in the last couple of days. It hasn't.

I think they're partially lying about their willingness to go with RB by committee. As others have stated, I believe that Marv wants to build a dominating ground attack and I just don't see him being satisfied putting average RBs behind such an expensive OL. They'll go with average RBs if they have to, but it'll only be a short term, 1 year stopgap. The 2nd area is at WR. I think they're totally full of BS on this one. I believe they'll probably take one on the first day and that it may even be a suprise candidate for the 12th pick. They desperately need another consistent, reliable, high quality threat on offense and while RB would seem more obvious at 12, if they don't like Lynch and Peterson, their attention may turn to WR to fill that need. Dwayne Bowe and Robert Meachem would be the likely targets if they did so.

If Brown signs that is significantly larger than that of Anthony Thomas, I think Thomas again finds himself in a battle for the #2 role, but this time with a rookie drafted in the first three rounds.

McGahee is the only one that was in a comparable position. That said, he was also far ahead of Bush in his recovery and was in fact actually recovered to the point that he was jogging for scouts just before the draft. I also believe that he was taken far too early. Gore actually proves my point about how medical concerns can drop a player. He had suffered a couple of past knee injuries, but had recovered and played his final season and was injury free going into the draft. There were still enough concerns about that knee that he fell all the way to the 3rd, despite proving he could still play. Clarett's drop was largely due to off-the-field incidents.