The Now Moment

I understand that but I believe McDermott had his pick with linebacker. Being a defensive coach and looking for something in particular...I think he chose the pick

Wow. Good for him. I'm afraid to sign a wide receiver now

Tough to say either way honestly. Milano is different than all of those players in size by a lot. 6'0" 220. All of the other guys you mention are a lot bigger than that. He's more similar to Kiko in playing style with his speed. Carolina drafted Shaq Thompson to play linebacker at 6'0" 230 a few years ago too. I think both can be credited but I think McDermott had the final say.

Will be very interested to see if we resign Gaines. He has played well when on the field. If we sign him to a contract with playing time incentives (injury clause), we may be able to cross off CB as a high need and maybe just draft one later in the draft. The second round pick could be a starter (Dawkins was a late second rounder). I think we got a solid deal if this happens.

If Gruden came back this board would be full of people whining that we couldn't get him. Less whining is good by me haha

McDermott certainly had a hand in that but coming off a year where Sammy played in 8 games and had 28 catches...not exactly giving me a lot of confidence in signing him. Even if they signed him to the one year extension with the option, he could've left after that as showed how frustrated he was here.

Whaley declined it...

So you'd be happy if Sammy was here this year and then left with Buffalo getting nothing in return?

Gaines has been solid when on the field. It fits the system perfectly. We are 7-3 with him and 1-4 without him. He clearly makes a difference when he's on the field, it's easy to see. Whether he was a throw-in or not, it worked out really well. He was fairly productive with the Rams in his career before coming here. Was a no name to us but fairly productive nonetheless. A second round pick is a valuable asset and most likely a starter. Dawkins was a late second... Watkins was disgruntled and showed no signs of wanting to come back, we potentially got two starters in return...that's pretty good in my book.

McDermott...just look at the linebacker picks

He didn't say Beane selected those players, he said if he could make the same kind of magic happen from last year's draft...i think you just assumed he meant that Beane drafted those players. Either way, McDermott certainly had a hand in drafting those players. Matt Milano doesn't look like a Whaley pick does it? I believe McDermott had a large hand in that class. Especially with the linebacker picks that scream McD type players.

I'm not saying anything about Sammy's stats. However, the Rams did give up a solid corner who has produced well for us but has been hurt and they gave us a 2nd round pick. If he leaves, was it still worth trading for him (Rams perspective)? If he doesn't resign for them and we resign Gaines and he stays healthy going forward, that looks like a nice trade to me from our point of view. Obviously, that's a lot of ifs at this point but it could turn out to be a really nice moving forward. Plus, the second round draft pick could turn out to be a solid player as well. And then he'd be gone the next year because he was frustrated with his situation here. Then, you have nothing to show for a guy we traded two first round picks for. That'd be a tough pill to swallow.

I wouldn't say it was a questionable decision not to start him early in the year. He didn't flash that much in the preseason. Later in the year he did and he saw play time after that. I wish he'd have gotten in a few games earlier but I believe he got better week to week. A fifth rounder that starts for you before the year is over is tough to argue with. I even made threads saying he should start but I also take stock in what he's doing on the practice field as a young player. They made him earn it instead of just handing the job over to him, I have a respect for that. Either way, we got a rookie 5th round linebacker to become a starter within his first year, that's pretty darn good. I'm not going to be complaining too much about that.

Guice looks like a first round pick to me or a very high second. That's too high to pick a RB for me with all the needs that we have. Unless Mccoy isn't here which doesn't seem likely at this point. Kirk could be an option in the second round imo. If he goes earlier than that, pass.

Stats don't tell enough about a player's ability. They must pass the eye test and be even better than that for the QB position

Like I said, it's just a piece of the scouting puzzle.

I am all for taking multiple things into account when it comes to scouting but this sounds like overscouting to me. Unless it's like a sicle cell thing where he can't play in the cold...this is too much.

To be where they are right now record wise with the lack of talent they have, Bowles honestly deserves it.

I just see DE as something to grab in the second round rather than reach for a guy in the first that hasn't had the combination of production of size that you're looking for. A lot of the guys you mention there will be taken later. Just seems to be a smarter way to go in my opinion. DE is not a strength of this class at the top, no need to reach just because of a need in my opinion.

So do I at this point but who knows, with QBs, offensive lineman and secondary players possibly dominating the first 15 picks, along with Barkley and Chubb and Smith...some quality players will fall. I guess I just have trouble with Hubbard. He isn't a dominant pass rusher. He has a solid skillset but hasn't seemed to put it all together yet. 4.5 sacks this year isn't enough to get me to jump out of my chair for him in the first round. His career high is 6.5 sacks. I just have a difficult time grabbing him and saying we are getting him to be a pass rusher for this team when he hasn't put it all together in college. He's not even the best pass rusher on his team in college. His potential is there though

I agree with your assessment that DE is more of a premium position. I like Lawson in rotation as a run stuffer. Wondering if Hughes will be here and if he bounces back. The need for DT is clear and I agree we could find one in the 2nd or 3rd round that could be productive. Obviously the rankings will change. He certainly is an option for me as well. I like his fit with the team. However, if a versatile DT like Wilkins is there, I'd have a hard time passing on him. I just have some questions about Hubbard's productivity as a pass rusher in college. He has had less sacks than Lawson had. He was asked to do different things at Ohio State though. He looks like a player who'd have more sacks and pressures in the NFL than in college as he learns more moves and techniques. He has quality pursuit at this point.

Gaines was actually acquired in the Sammy deal. Makes the Sammy deal look a lot better when we get a quality young player in return as well as the 2nd round pick

It certainly helps. You don't want a guy with a low wonderlic score. Not every high score is going to turn out to be great but not many low scores turn out great. It's another measure to look at in the scouting process. Make fun of it all you want but it's somthing to look at if you are really scouting a QB

I doubt he'd want to come back but I don't think it's impossible. A new QB and new OC would be the only chance at getting him back I'd assume but it just seems unlikely

What is your thought process on drafting Hubbard with the first pick? Not bashing you at all, just wondering your thoughts. Personally, I think an interior pass rusher is needed first. That may help out guys like Hughes and Lawson. I love the addition of Phillips. He reminds me of a Kyle Williams type grinder who doesn't have the athleticism but is just a football player. Like the addition of adding athletic linebackers in Burks and Joseph (Not sure if Joseph will fall that far but who knows). Penny is a solid prospect and I love Miller but I think he will be drafted earlier than that as well. I like how you doubled up on some of the positions but I think one of those positions should be DT. We need a pass rush. That's clear but what do you see in Hubbard that makes you willing to draft him with Buffalo's first pick? I have my own opinions of him, just wondering yours