Ethan in Cleveland

And Bengals just added a top 5 LT, of course at the expense of KC

Good concept but this regime is not going to be around 4 years from now. They need to win now.

None of these three are worth a first round pick. If it came down to these three, then trade down is the only option.

Best TE since the merger and terribly underutilized.

Yeah that was a bad look but also need to factor the weather. It was awful in Buffalo that day (again) and they were playing off the WR in part im sure because one slip and it would have been a TD.

Hopefully no longer. Beane has improved the WR group. RB group probably better too. Dorsey might be better in second year. There are lots of ways to get better without adding a bunch of new players. The LG spot should be better. My worry is OT. Dawkins regressed terribly last year and Brown is an absolute liability in pass blocking. Can Dawkins rebound and will Brown get better a year removed from back surgery. Who knows. A draft that goes MLB, WR, OT in no particular order would be fine with me. If they trade for Hopkins even better. Dropping out of first round so they can get another day 2 pick would allow them to draft C/G or Edge rusher too.

No guarantee but AFC Championship game at home with Allen playing at a high level and the o-line/ run game working as well as it ever had under Daboll, they would likely have boat raced them.

Go back and watch the SuperBowl and tell me playing defense matters anymore. As others have said, you just need to get a few stops a game, maybe hold for FG instead of TD a few times, and then hope for a negative play or an offensive holding penalty. There is no good way to consistently stop good to great NFL QBs. We have had highly ranked defensive units for years now, and the defense is shredded in every playoff loss. Defense won the Ravens playoff game and certainly played well against noodle arm Mac Jones, but that is it. Last season was even worse due to the rash of injuries. Our only hope is to build an offense that sets records.

"They have underachieved in recent years" Ouch... Maybe the national narrative on this HC and GM is about to change. Was universally effusive praise before, now not so much. Add the Diggs Allen sideline flare up and have to wonder if there is much more to the story in Buffalo...Probably not as this is mostly click bait.

Why can't we just have big players? Other teams draft big guys. Why must we always try to plug some undersized high character guy into a man's game. Edmunds at least had size though he played like a puss. Oliver and Bernard would make one of the smallest DT/MLB combos in the league if not the smallest.

He weighs 221 pounds. He doesn't look much bigger than Poyer on film. He came from a conference that plays the worst defense in the NCAA. Hope I'm wrong but this guy has a better chance of being out of football next year than being a starting MLB.

I'd rather have Klein than Matakevich. At least Klein can play his position. Obviously I wanted Wagner. Best case scenario they replace the MLB spot in the second round. Worst case they let Bernard play there.

Good move Trade Oliver away and draft a DT with actual size.

These guys can't mock the first 7 picks let alone 7 rounds

Good point. I'm sure he will have the new guy - Holcomb was his name I think, to help with in game review and adjustments.

As soon as Frazier stepped down I wanted McD calling the defense. First I want him to succeed and have a positive impact calling the plays. But I also want no excuses if the D falters. We still don't know who is ultimately responsible for 13 seconds as McD called TO before each play and almost assuredly had some input into the strategy to defend against a TD instead of a FG. Last season the D was decimated by injuries. Hopefully they are healthy this year. No excuse about a first time coordinator not getting the job done. I have no worries about McD not being able to manage the game and call the D. While I am skeptical he is the guy to win it all, he's bright and I'm sure can multitask.

Tannenbaum is another former terrible GM that somehow is an analyst. This idiot drafted Vernon Gholston who is on most short lists for worst draft picks of all time. He has a 25 year old QB coming off a torn ACL as the 5th pick in the draft - Hendon Hooker. Assuming he can't play year one, that would make him a 27 year old first time player in 2024.

Live through 4 SB losses, 17 years and 13 seconds and the panic is justified.

Get younger and cheaper at a position that is easy to learn and where youth dominates.

Draft

He's more likely to be a cheap training camp body. But hey every team has their Jason Peters. Maybe one of these nobodys becomes a solid starter.

That would truly be sad. Guy is 6 ft 224. That's like playing Coy Wire at MLB.

OP you are correct. Only one team wins a Championship per year. However it is interesting that the QBs you referenced in the OP all have Championships. Bills and Allen don't have one yet. Thus the anxiety of a window closing or not knowing if McDermott and Beane are good enough to win a Championship.

Nice write up. I'm too busy to look it up so I will just ask you. I've never heard of the top 35% rule. I know that only UFA are eligible to be counted. I thought the size of the contract only mattered in determining the round that the comp pick is awarded. I thought all you needed to be is net negative in the number of free agents signed/lost. Is the 35% rule by position? Because it doesn't make a lot of sense as obviously QB, LT, WR, and DE make so much more than other positions. Also what period of time is used for the 35%. The entire contract? That,makes no sense as there are so many bonuses included in contracts in the later years. The year they lost out on a Gilmore comp pick the scrubs that they signed could not have had contracts in the top 35%. They were all street level free agents there were just too many of them. Any how, at this point I must assume Beane knows the rules and if he blows it again he should really explain what the hell. Like this safety they just signed. Could that not have waited until after the draft when you say the counting stops??

With this signing and many signs pointing that Hamlin will be back, have to think safety is off the table for the draft. Now MLB and puke in my mouth DL again will probably be chosen with two of the top 4 picks. I can live with that if they still get WR and OT in the first three rounds. They seem to have done enough to address IOL in free agency. Still need an OT to push Brown and possibly be Dawkins replacement in 2024.