Richard Noggin

I totally agree with you on Dane Jackson. He was SOLID last season, all things considered. And I agree that Allen has repeatedly covered up for OL (and probably other) deficiencies. He's a cheat code. Especially if just one guy whiffs on a given play (like Cody Ford on almost every single snap against WFT last season, or, as you MIGHT have noticed, Spencer Brown in several games, most notably to my in-stadium memory, against the Panthers). So Bills fans are probably caught up in the traits and on-field flashes, as well as the demeanor and determination that we feed off. Thus, they're happy to ignore the bad reps. Maybe because Allen has shown us that raw potential can be realized.

Great play by D. Hill here, but also seems to reinforce his value in the slot, specifically. And I'm not sure he gets away with that against a top flight AFC QB. I'm still waiting to encounter (not that I've actually looked lol) analysis that projects him as a boundary guy in the NFL. I see his versatility, and obviously he's athletic as heck. So he's probably a great prospect no matter what. Just not sure his most impactful NFL position is outside CB.

Brown strikes me as a guy who knows he can be absolutely ELITE if he puts in the work (and stays healthy). He lives with (I think?) and trains with Joe Staley in the offseason (pretty sure he's repeating his program from last year; I'm not much for quick google searches but I do have a decent memory). Feels like a player who is going to maximize his talents.

Isn't Mitch Morse 29 and freshly re-signed? The concussions and his composure and bald, burly look during interviews, might have most of us fooled (thinking he's old). Mitch Morse is potentially in the prime of his career. His movement skills might even flourish further under Aaron Kromer.

I'd like to read through this thread if I lived in an alternate universe where my life was...different. Quieter. But to lead with Center, when the Bills just made an unexpected, and telling, reinvestment in Mitch Morse, who played really well last season and presumably fits the new scheme, is...questionable. It doesn't get a LOT better after that. But you hit on some valid points.

That bit about loving DBs who played baseball is what I latched onto. Not unlike favoring former wrestlers for the lines. Transferrable skillsets.

Pretty sure Scott was reacting to the bolded nugget about OT not being a need. He, as you may be aware, is not sold on Spencer Brown. I think his skepticism is reasonably warranted, while his insistence on reiterating that skepticism is...less so. Such is the fate of a selective contrarian.

It's dishonest/inaccurate to say the Pegulas' portion of the funding "won't be from their pockets" (because they will be reimbursed over time via PSLs), and at the same time ignore that the state and county will get reimbursed, over time, by tax revenues generated by the Bills franchise (and of course the reported allocation of Seneca funds). All these entities can illustrate where the money is coming from and how it will supposedly be paid back/forward. So I take issue with the bolded in your post. Personally, however, I agree with the spirit of your post.

At the very least, this is an interesting glimpse at the interconnected jungle of football coaching trees. Thanks for the effort.

I'll bet Beane is equally puzzled by reports he had serious interest in paying starter money to a guy who, while talented, is not a great scheme or culture fit, and, now in his 30s, has recently battled injuries.

I honestly don't get what you're implying here. Sincerely.

This is what you're going with AFTER an edit?

I don't know much about Hill. Feel like elaborating on why you like him? I've seen and heard many outlets listing him generally as a DB, rather than strictly a S. That usually suggests the player can come down and fill a kind of "big nickel" role. I don't think the Bills have much need there in the foreseeable future, with Taron Johnson, Siran Neal, and Matt Milano all signed up. So do you value him primarily as an actual safety/potential Poyer replacement? Hill doesn't project to have boundary flex, does he? For what it's worth, I think Booth would be an absolute home run at 25. Great scheme and need fit.

S RB CB WR OL OL

Likely story.

You don't really want people to answer that.

The former all-pro who played with the 49ers...Joe Staley? Is that his name?

Sounds a lot like the reasons for downgrading Allen as a draft prospect for completion percentage/accuracy issues. Stats tell us a very limited story about projecting future production. Small school freaks require more in-depth scouting.

While your concern is duly noted, as culture is an intangible quality that is difficult to predict, I need to ask: if Edmunds IS actually traded, then don't you think some of his teammates (in addition to the scouts, coaches, and administrators) would have privately and even quietly assessed that his on-field performance does NOT demonstrably argue IN FAVOR of a big contract extension? Players know that good teams have to make difficult roster decisions. It's a good problem to have. And players know who is worthy and who is not. It's like any workplace. And they know that even some worthy players won't fit into the cap allocations of their team's longterm plans. So my point is that trading away either Edmunds OR Poyer is to be expected and easy to move on from. Trading away BOTH players is less expected and less easy to simply move on from for their teammates. But that could be why brining in "juice" guys like Philips and Lawson is so smart.

What would be really cool is for someone to tally up the trends displayed here in 24 pages of Bills mock drafts. It ain't gonna be me, of course. But I'd love to see the frequency of specific players and positions being targeted and in which rounds. I'll bet it's an easy lift for someone with sheets fluency. Again, that ain't me. Unfortunately. (I'll never transcend commission without more demonstrable spreadsheet fluency.) Examples for why I'm bringing up tallies is the frequency with which I see Troy Anderson and Kalon Barnes, for example, selected on Days 2 and 3. I agree with the posters who see those players as fits in the Bills defense and especially as fits with respect to draft value. Although Anderson could be overdrafted based on ELITE RAS.

You don't think Doyle, with his ELITE measurables/traits and his admirable/ effective performance as the 6th man, is a strong and fiscally responsible candidate for that role? I know it's not a direct reflection on Tommy Doyle's execution of his assignments, but a contingent of fans in our section of the stadium began to cheer for his declarations of receiver-eligibility in the back half of the season. At first the cheers were mostly ironic, given the sudden frequency of such an obscure on-field announcement, but eventually the cheers became louder with actual anticipation of the given play's success. Those alignments actually seemed to work. Maybe that is a condemnation of Tommy Sweeney, or maybe even of Spencer Brown, but whatever the verifiable reality...Tommy Doyle on the field meant, to us in attendance, that points were about to be scored.

Sports cards are just NFTs that actually exist.

There's noticeable progression of your claim from even the first bolded statement in this argument to the second, without ANY supporting evidence. No one can dispute that it's POSSIBLE the Bills move on from Edmunds, because none of us actually KNOWS what will happen, but it is even more likely that the team moves a beloved player like Jordan Poyer, considering the actual evidence of his initial maneuvers designed to land him a new deal sooner rather than later. Edmunds has shown no reported signs of seeking a new contract. I think trading Edmunds, if the Bills receive compelling value for him, is smart. I know about the perceived "window" we're in. But any moves that recoup value for high-end players who the team is not planning to retain, while unpleasant, are smart. Keep that window open perpetually, if possible.

What are the realistic chances Lloyd falls even out of the top-15? Top-20? Seems like pick 25 is just NOT on the table for this discussion. But yeah, the player projects to be an all-around contributor at the second level of whichever defense adds him.

I'm on board with the first half here. Hard to imagine Ford being more successful in a zone scheme, given his limited lateral athleticism. Kromer's a heck of a coach, no doubt, but he ain't a miracle worker. Spencer Brown, with his ELITE traits and his ELITE off-season training regimen (working with an elite tackle who had similar traits)...and his ELITE physical joy for the game (see also: almost any replay)...that's a guy who is more likely to PROgress rather than REgress. It ain't guaranteed, but it's likely. Especially given the new coaching and new scheme that emphasizes movement.