GunnerBill

I disagree on the trading future picks thing. I see your point but I want four of the top 100 players next year rather than 2 of the top 50 this year. On the linebacker thing I wasn't seeking to suggest that only one guy fits each scheme. It was just who I think best fits each style. I think any of the 3 could play in the Bills defense. They are just all gonna have their own strengths and weaknesses in doing so.

I do not want to give up a single pick in future drafts to move up in this bad draft. I'm happy to use this year's picks.... move back, move up, move around until your heart is content... but do not spend 2024 capital in this draft that would be a major, major error for me. As for the question - it is true at any position I think. Different teams have different schemes and different things that they want to prioritise. I suppose for the three linebackers at the top of this year's linebacking class though it is particularly true. If I was running a coverage defense that wants to play a lot of nickel and dime and confuse you with different coverage looks I think I'd take Simpson - the teams that come to mind here are Buffalo, Dallas, Philadelphia If I was playing a simpler scheme with more base defense that is just about everyone playing fast downhill I think I'd take Campbell - the teams that come to mind here are Seattle, Detroit, Baltimore If I was playing a heavy blitz scheme I think I'd take Sanders - the teams that come to mind here are the Tampa, Kansas City and the Giants

Well that's something at least.

I think he is a day 3 talent. He might have a round 3 heart but day 3 talent.

Late day 3. Needs to transition to safety.

Not comparatively, no. I think you might have some growing pains year 1... but I think he could long term.

I think it is if you are drafting a big money position. If you are moving back 4 or 5 spots and still planning to take a linebacker at 34 or 35 or wherever not sure it makes that much difference.

No I don't think in this class it would be fair to call him a reach at the end of round 1. N a lot of other classes he would be. But you can only draft the players who are in this class. I think the issue some are pondering is whether there is a lot of difference between the 27th player and the 40th player and whether you might maximise your value trading back a few spots.

Sorry, of course you are correct. Will change.

With the Bills pick coming into view I have 17 3rd round grades remaining. The positional breakdown is: 5 safeties 4 wide receviers 3 linebackers 2 guards 1 offensive tackle 1 defensive tackle 1 corner And I should be clear Henley (who has a 2nd/3rd borderline) is the only one that isn't a pure 3rd round grade. There are no 2nd round graded guys left by my board. @Motorin' cleared the last of those out when he snagged Darius Rush.

Nah he is a 4-3 guy. Formation wise it will be very similar to what Frazier did. When he was DC in Carolina he preferred to use a linebacker as a "big nickel" Shaq Thompson primarily, rather than a traditional nickel corner but in terms of actual alignment he played a similar role to Taron. Some maybe think we will see Taylor Rapp do a bit of that big nickel type stuff, but he was mainly a deep safety for the Rams so personally that feels like a projection. I think he is here rather to provide some better vet depth for Jordan and Micah. I think it is fair to say McDermott is a more aggressive playcaller than Leslie, but on terms of overall scheme, formation, alignment, change ups I expect it to look similar.

Home now checked board: #16 Simpson #27 Sanders #30 Campbell

With the 80th pick in the 2023 Virgil Mock Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select: Byron Young, Defensive Line, Tennessee I had been trying to get up higher in the 3rd to select Felix Anudike-Uzomah who was sticking out on my board (well he and Clark Phillips but I'd already addressed corner). I wasn't able to make that happen, nor was I quite able to make a smaller move to get up a couple of spots to ensure I secured Young. As it happened, I didn't need to. He fell to me here. He is the 2nd best player left on my board behind Daiyan Henley, but again, we have addressed linebacker, and while we don't have an immediate need on the edge we do lack depth behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. I think Young could reduce down and play some 5 tech inside too. The downside of Young is obvious - he just turned 25. He is likely a 1 contract player. The positives are his explosiveness, athleticism and heart. This is a kid who spent a year after high school working a job before finding his way back to football and he plays every down like it might be his last. He has some Steeler in him. That concludes our selections in this draft and it could not have gone a lot better for us. I think we have three guys who will start straight off Doug Whaley's bus and an explosive versatile role player who adds depth to our defense. #17 Broderick Jones, Offensive Tackle, Georgia #32 Trenton Simpson, Linebacker, Clemson #49 Emmanuel Forbes, Cornerback, Mississippi State #80 Byron Young, Defensive Line, Tennessee The Detroit Lions and @mannc are now on the clock.

That is an excellent pick sir. He should have gone sooner.

Yep. And the fact is there isn't an obvious true #1 in this class. I understand those who say "Johnston could be" and I get that. But for reasons you and I have rehearsed a lot he isn't right now and his bust factor is very high too. I think Addison and Hyatt have the ceiling of good #2s - Hyatt as a vertical threat lower volume high return guy and Addison as more of a volume, move around the formation guy. I think JSN could be a high end slot with some outside flex but you have to factor in the positional value there. Downs can be a good slot but I can't see him giving you anything at all outside. Flowers is more of a high end Isaiah McKenzie / Devin Duvernay or low end Deebo Samuel type. He can play in the slot but really he wants to be used in a gadget package that is about getting him free releases and the ball in space. A bit of slot, a bit of wideout that comes inside and catches bubble screens, some end arounds and pop passes, a bit lining up as a back and leaking out. If Kyle Shanahan drafted him he might be a star. But otherwise I think you have to use him too unconventionally to be certain about what you are getting. So all of those guys have a value. But if you were hoping to find a guy who could come in as the #2 and then eventually tale over for Diggs as the #1 that guy isn't in this class IMO.

I have a 4th/5th borderline on Bradford. Not sure if he is a Bills fit (he feels like a less refined O'Cyrus Torrence) he really wants to be in a full on gap scheme rather than the hybrid zone scheme the Bills keep trying to run.

Pretty much all of this. Hated the Bernard pick. Elam I got and I wasn't surprised but he wasn't my ideal pick. I didn't have a 1st on him and while I agree with you he was decent as a rookie (and I think they underplayed him) he is still an incomplete at this stage. I was also shocked by the trade up for Sammy. I think possibly even more so because of who we were and had been as an organisation to that point. We had not been a swing for the fences, make the big move, organisation in my fandom to that point then suddenly here we were going all in on a receiver when we didnt know if our QB could play (and I had Evans as my clear WR1 as well which didn't help me love the Sammy move). I remain convinced that was driven in part by the ownership situation at the time.

I'd try him at RT first. But if he has to end up inside I am comfortable with him there. The arm length is a concern for a tackle, but on the right side and with his instincts and intelligence he might get away with it.

Of course. And in a year like this one there will be significant differences between boards. I have talked before about everything that goes into making boards up and the difference between some teams who have c.200 players on a board and others who have roughly half that.

Was sticking out as BPA by my board once FAU had gone. I think he can be a Chris Harris Jnr who is good enough to start outside in base and is elite when he goes inside in nickel. Great pick.

Nope. I did not discount his combine. Not at all. Indeed I gave him credit for it. You took it as a diss. I told you it wasn't. You continued to interpret it as such. I can't do anything about that.

I like Steen. I have a 4th on him but I think he has a chance to develop into a starter.

No. Then combine does not show that. If you think the combine trumps the tape, all power to you. I didn't assume he was slow or had poor lateral movements. What I did was assess what I saw on tape. I have no axe to grind with Jack Campbell at all. But when the combine doesn't match the tape I'd trust the tape.

I'm not right in front of my board so number rankings not sure... but Simpson is a 1st/2nd borderline grade and I have Sanders and Campbell as upper / mid 2nds.

That isn't what "can't miss" means to me. To me "can't miss" are guys with high ceiling, high floor. Jack Campbell is high floor. He isn't high ceiling. I think he is very unlikely to be a total bust, not sure he is very likely to be a superstar either. I could actually see him being a pro bowler as a rookie. That wouldn't surprise me. LVE is the right comparison. You just saw everything he had his rookie year and that is who he was.