TigerJ

Not his first time playing tight end. He played there in high school, but even then he was more of a blocking tight end. I imagine he'll play as a blocking TE in two tight end formations. I'm guessing he might have a handful of catches over a season - probably under 10.

That's not necessarily true. Tackles do generally need quicker feet because they are more likely to be playing in space down in and down out. However, some (not all) tackles have a tough time getting low enough to play guard. Guards are generally lined up across the biggest, strongest players on defense. They need to play low to get good leverage on defensive tackles, who often are not that tall. Dawkins, not being a real tall tackle does not have a problem at guard. He's plenty strong and plays with good leverage. Nsekhe, as has been pointed out, can play guard, but is better at tackle. The reason may will be his height and the associated leverage issues. I'm not really an advocate of moving Dawkins inside though. If he struggles again this year, as he did in 2018, I'll start thinking about it, but I think his problems at tackle this year had more to do with the unsettled situation at guard just to his right.

Alright! Anyone with a March birthday is alright by me.

Me too. There's no way a former offensive tackle is going to be able to run fast enough to gain separation as a receiver. Oh, you mean a WR to TE conversion. I don't know that I agree. I have no problem with Croom. He's not a great blocker, but he's improved on it. Looking ahead, Buffalo is going into the season with two tight ends that are good at catching the ball in Kroft and Croom. Kroft is also a solid blocker. If they sign Fisher, he'll almost certainly be more of a blocking tight end than a pass catcher. That would give them the ability to line up with two strong blockers at TE or two strong pass catchers. I think they will add a TE in the draft too. I don't think it will be Hockenson or Fant. I'm hoping for Josh Oliver. He's a pretty good receiver with a lot of athleticism, even though he's still raw. Moreover he's a decent blocker, though he's got room for improvement there too. He wouldn't get a lot of time on the field as a rookie, so he'll have time to work on his deficiencies.

Dillard is a pure tackle with the athleticism to be a left tackle. He's not a super physical guy, and could stand to get stronger. He's also not been much of a mauler in the run game. He's more of a finesse tackle if the truth be known. I think if you draft him, it's with the idea that you're going to plug him in at LT and move Dawkins to guard. Jonah Williams is an outstanding technician, but he's also not terribly physical . Unlike Dillard, he doesn't have really elite athleticism. Like Dillard he's not real strong. Taylor is a big mauler with enough athleticism for right tackle. Run blocking is his strength. I think Jonah Williams will be better at guard. Taylor can play guard or right tackle. I think there are other outstanding guards (Lindstrom, so I wouldn't use #9 to pick J Williams. Given the signing of Nsekhe and Waddle, I'm more inclined to go defense at #9, since the value might be better there anyway.

Buffalo has 3 quality DTs on the roster now, and they need four for the rotation they want to run. They have three quality defensive ends. Shaq Lawson is going into the fourth year of his rookie deal, and it's not guaranteed the Bills will pick up his fifth year option. Trent Murphy is in the middle of a three year deal, but given his health issues last season it's uncertain he'll survive to play out the last year of his deal. Jerry Hughes will be 31 in the upcoming season and his contract expires. While Eddie Yarbrough is a likeable player, that doesn't change the fact that he's a fringe guy. The bottom line is it's a no brainer to assume that Beane is not done addressing the defensive line this off season.

Of course Beane knows his positions of need, but if he's hell bent on picking a tackle at #9 and the value isn't very good, he'd be a fool to force the issue. In preparation for the draft, the personnel team on the Bills discuss all kinds of scenarios with respect to who might be available and what they would do if those scenarios actually happened. As far as the particular needs you mentioned (TE, edge, OT, and DT) I think all four will probably be addressed in the draft. With the signing of a couple quality OTs, and a quality tight end, I'm not positive those positions will be addressed in the top half of the draft.

I presume you mean in a trade down for Buffalo. Assuming that, I agree. Of course, the ongoing buzz has been that John Elway likes Lock for Denver at #10. If there is some GM of a team below Denver who likes him, he is being really quiet about it. Buffalo would be in a good spot to take advantage on draft day. That trade won't happen before, because that would give Denver the chance to trump that GM's move.

Silva's mock is unconventional for sure. I don't like 2 CBs. I've said elsewhere that while Ed Oliver is potentially more disruptive than Wilkins, Wilkins is a safer pick and fits the culture to a T. I'm kind of hoping for a big receiver, but Deebo Samuel can be a valuable piece in an offense. Ronheem Bingham is an interesting sleeper pick. I think he might be a player who could be groomed as a Lorax replacement . Overall, it probably wouldn't be the way I would draft if I were in Beane's shoes, but I've seen lots worse seven round mocks for the Bills.

Ed Oliver is potentially more disruptive, but Wilkins is probably a safer pick. He also happens to be a perfect fit for the Bills culture.

I think if he wants another chance he's going to have to take the scenic route: Arena League or AFF. Bill Polian is a mover and shaker in the AAF, he might put in a good word for Jim Kelly's nephew.

Murray, and possibly Haskins. If Lock goes top 10, I'll be pleasantly surprised. I just haven't heard that much buzz about Daniel Jones. I'd be shocked if he goes that high. I think it's likely 4 QBs go in round one, but last year was a unique combination of quality and need. this year, as almost every year, there is some need, but the quality is suspect.

I think that for a GM to decide a month ahead of time what positions he is going to address in each of the top three rounds si one of the quickest ways he can find himself out of a job. If doing so is evidence of a GMs stupidity (and I absolutely believe it is), then for me to try and do the same as a fan would make me look pretty dumb. Hence, I don't bother to try. Left tackle at #9 is a possibility. The obvious choice for that IMO is Andre Dawkins, who is a quintessential left tackle. Jawaan Taylor is primarily a right tackle. I like him, but if I'm targeting a left tackle (which I'm not) Dillard is my guy. There is some depth at both defensive end and tight end. I do think the Bills will want to address defensive tackle and linebacker depth before they get too deep into the draft. There's not a lot of depth at those spots.

No offense, but that's kind of a no brainer.

Well duh. They are both young, came into the league kind of raw, are both athletic, and have the two biggest arms of any 2 QBs in the league.

I hope Watson can stay healthy.

He played a lot of linebacker in college and then made a position switch. He should be good in run support and lay the lumber.

I started out as a Browns fan. That was the team I could watch on the family's black and white TV. Leroy Kelly was my favorite player. Then the Bills drafted and signed OJ Simpson, and I was hooked

I don't know that the terminology in the poll is perfectly accurate, but I answered as best as I could. Specifically, I think Ed Oliver might be at least a slight favorite to be the Bills pick at #9, but while he is a DT, he has not been really outstanding as a pass rusher. Brian Burns could be available at #9, and he is almost certainly a better pass rusher.

It's not easy to draw a lot of firm conclusions about players, but there are a few. For instance, you don't want to draft Devin Singletary with the idea of using him in the passing game. LOL Kelvin Harmon is another player who has a disturbing drop percentage. I was not a fan of his to begin with, and this certainly didn't elevate him in my eyes.

I admit that this is a case where money was used to purchase "justice," but their is a caveat. I'm not paying to subscribe to the WSJ so I can read the whole article, but in the free snippet, it does state that Kraft and the others have to admit that they would have been proven guilty had the case gone to trial. That will make it hard for the NFL to just push all the dirt under a rug. Fans, and maybe players (other than those of the Patriots) aren't necessarily going to lay down and be quiet. There's blood in the water and we know it. The commissioner may have to come up with some kind of slap on the wrist under the "conduct detrimental to the NFL" in the CBA. At the very least, Kraft's reputation as the class of the leagues owners is soiled.

"Calvin Johnson never ran a 3 cone drill either at the combine or his pro day." I also heard a while ago that Randy Moss ran a poor 3 cone drill.

Yeah. Hopefully that terrible PFF ranking includes his efforts at playing center with a broken hand. Trying to do that would not seem to lend itself to a great deal of efficiency.

Never say never to a highly rated player becoming a draft pick for a particular team. I don't think White is the most likely pick for the Bills, but I can't completely rule it out because I don't think Beane has.

If the Bills were mad at the trade, it doesn't necessarily follow they were mad that the Jets drafted Darnold. Maybe the feared the Jets would ***** Allen! I think Beane had indicated they thought they might have to trade higher than they did to get Allen. In the end, I think they were pretty pleased with the way the first round fell.