BarleyNY

We are in agreement. I was just laughing at their plan, not your post. They've spent themselves into a position where they've got little choice but to sign Fitz or acquire another at least semi-capable QB for 2016. How would they be able to justify spending so much and winding up with a terrible record if they don't? Unless they're tanking Indy style for the top pick in 2017? Wow. That actually could be their plan. But why take Hack in the 2nd if it is?

LMAO at the thought of Hack starting in 2017! Seriously, the Jest need a plan that involves an actual NFL caliber QB. Geno and Petty aren't that and Hack is a longshot. Fitzy is as close as they are going to get right now - and he's just a stopgap. I don't blame them for not wanting to pony up for him, but what choice do they have? I only hope Taylor improves or the Bills might be in a similar spot a year from now.

Me too. That's not good value. You could have made a case that 34, 67 & 101 was worth 19, but I wouldn't have taken that either. Those are moves you make if you want to bail out of a pick. I see no reason why I'd prefer that package over Lawson. He was definitely a target for me at 19 and I did not think he had a great chance of making it there. But I agree with Whaley's counter of 34 and next year's 1st. Another Romo injury and that would be another high pick. Lynch isn't going to change that dynamic in year 1. If Jerry was serious he'd have either made the Whaley trade or countered with another offer. He didn't because he was just looking for a deal.

Actually I see the Jones pick as solidifying EJ's presence as #2 for 2016. Unless a vet QB is acquired that comes in and pushes EJ off that's the QB roster. I'm a Buckeye alum and watch pretty much every OSU game (stomps of very low level competition sometimes excepted). Jones was a good pick and has a ton of raw talent, but he's years (plural) away from anyone even considering putting him on the field in a meaningful NFL game. No way do I consider him a #2 in 2016. I agree with the last line though and I think that point is going to be right away - especially where WR and OL are concerned.

Short answer: No, Ray Lewis is not a good comparison for Ragland. Honestly, how many ILBers coming out in a draft get THAT comparison? There's a lot of tape of both making plays when unblocked because Bama's front kept Ragland clean just like Lewis' front kept him clean in Baltimore. I'd love to see a Ragland stack and shed highlight. It's relatively easy for an ILBer to make plays when his front is dominating. They are of similar size and build, but Lewis was faster. Ragland won't have the speed advantage Lewis did even when unblocked. Lewis had great instincts and it looks like Ragland does too, but Lewis' speed helped him evade blockers and beat them to the spot. I like Ragland's downhill ability both against the run and rushing the passer, but he's going to have to show he can play the pass or it's going to be tough for him to stay on the field in those situations. The jury is out on every pick until they have had time to develop on the field. Watching Ragland will be particularly interesting to me since he was a player I liked a lot less than most. In fact, I had convos with my dad and best friend regarding him before before Day 2 and he was the one player we disagreed about. They thought he'd be a great selection for the Browns at 32. I wasn't nearly as high on him for them or the Bills because of his speed, pass coverage issues and Wonderlic. His Wonderlic score and possibility that he'll have to come off the field in passing downs makes me wary of his ability to make defensive calls. It's always a bad idea to change your opinion of a player from the one you had prior to the draft to a new one after a draft. The only additional aspect that can be addressed is schematic fit. Ragland looks to fit well so I have no issues there. I know I am in the minority so I certainly could be wrong. If the Bills got a quality inside linebacker that plays the run very well, pass rushes very well and is adequate in coverage, then they made a great pick. If he turns out to be even a very good 2 down backer, then they didn't. That would not be good value at 41. We shall see.......

Jax and Cleveland both had great drafts. Voted Jax. Getting Ramsey and Jack out of one draft is ridiculous. Cleveland's haul of 14 players this draft (incl Dolphins CB Jamar Taylor) plus a 1st and 2nd in 2017 and a 2nd in 2018 is crazy too.

To the OP: I agree with all of your points, but I really didn't find any of them surprising. I liked the draft from both value and need perspectives, but there's only so much that can be accomplished in any single draft. The 2016 draft was never going to fix all of the team's woes, but I think it will fix some.

No kidding. The best part of that for them is they might get a great QB with the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft.

It's very difficult not to really like this draft. Seriously. VERY solid. And I am not a Kool Aid drinker. Really liked it.

Well, I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you!

Problem is that he is athletic and looks like a pure LT for a zone scheme. He's not powerful at all so you're not getting much in the way of run blocking from him. Just not a fit here if the Bills are going to run a lot and with Glenn at LT.

Yeah. Got cash earnings from Spotrac. I'm sure he's got a minimum amount of money he will play for and it clearly isn't what the Jets are offering. $1M a year sure would support a pretty lavish lifestyle in my view. Maybe not as much for someone's who made his kind of money, but he's smart guy. He knows how to weigh the risks here. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/new-york-jets/ryan-fitzpatrick/cash-earnings/

$39M in career earnings and a degree from Harvard. He's gonna be okay if he doesn't play again. This sort of situation is important with players that have made big money. Most won't play for anything but a premium contract after awhile. That's why so many are retiring when their play drops off. I remember Urlacher talking about it. He was diplomatic, but the gist was that he wasn't going to play for $2M. It just wasn't worth it to him after what he had already made.

I'm torn on Ragland. I see a player with a lot of risks and only a moderately high ceiling. He'd certainly fill a big need though.

An OT would be nice, but there's no one left I'd want to spend a mid 2nd round pick on. Gotta get value.

Tumbling still. Out of top 20. Damn.

Good pick. Very happy with Shaq. Was on my short list along with Doctson when they were on the clock.

Yup. He's got talent. I've seen him play live. At times you can't help but to think "Wow! Most QBs can't do that!" But he's such a tease. Always dinged, chronically injured. It's easy to think "But if we could just keep him healthy for a full season the sky would be the limit!" But I can't imagine he ever will be. Plus there's his pay. He was the last quarterback chosen number one overall the year before the rookie pay scale was implemented. He's made so much money that he won't play for anything but a big contract - and teams keep giving them to him. He's going to go down as the best paid, longest tenured, most talented quarterback that never did anything.

Thanks for the heads up!

A team should be able to trade for his contract. That would give them his rights should he unretire. Probably not a lot of takers on that though.

Disagree. Huge need and should definitely be in play.

Yeah. Unbelievable. I honestly think they were in the right place at the right time for Manning and then took full advantage of his injury when Luck was coming out. They knew what a guy like Peyton Manning meant to the team and they made sure they were going to get Luck. The real difference is that their FO doesn't look up to building a team around their FQB this time around. At least not their current FO.

The Colts didn't get lucky when they got Andrew Luck. They tanked for him. They wouldn't have had that chance had Peyton Manning not gotten injured, but they made sure they had absolute garbage at QB that season. It was a lot like the Sabres trading away every decent goalie they came across to get Eichel.

Would be ecstatic with this draft. Used CBS's board. WR JOSH DOCTSON TCU 49: R2P18 OT GERMAIN IFEDI TEXAS A&M 80: R3P17 OLB JOSHUA PERRY OHIO STATE 117: R4P19 DT HASSAN RIDGEWAY TEXAS 139: R4P41 DT MALIEK COLLINS NEBRASKA 156: R5P17 TE TYLER HIGBEE WESTERN KENTUCKY 192: R6P17 QB JACOBY BRISSETT NC STATE 218: R6P43 G ANTHONY FABIANO

I agree. He's gone by 8. Probably by 6. All injuries are not created equal. He looks like he will be fine.