BigAl2526

Hoecht came out of college when everything was shut down with COVID. He did a "virtual pro day" where he ran a 4.65 40 followed by a 4.68. He was 6'4 and weighed 295 according to a press release. Los Angeles listed him as 267 lbs. I assume that during his time with LA, he lost some weight because the Rams wanted him to spend more time at end. What it boils down to is, the Bills can experiment a bit. They could have him continue to play at a lighter weight at have him take more reps on the outside, or they could have him add some weight back so he can hold up better on the inside.

Gesundheit!

I'm confused. I've seen Hoecht listed at 311 lbs and 267 lbs, 6'4" and 6'7." There is often some discrepancy from one source to another on height and weight, but not 3 inches and 44 lbs. If he's really 311 lbs and runs a 4.65, he's going to be tough for offensive lines to handle

Yeah, and Sauce is also the GOAT CB in his own mind.

Heard on TV - The Steelers are interested in Sam Darnold as their new QB. The pairing of Metcalf and Darnold could give them a very potent offense, something that's not been very characteristic of Steelers teams in recent years.

I disagree that it is a given Emmanwori will be gone by the time Buffalo picks. He could be gone, but there is not a lot of consensus a lot of players after the first ten picks or so in the draft. Everybody knows Abdul Carter is getting drafted top 3, but I have seen a number of mocks the project Emmanwori to Buffalo. He's got elite measurables, but the scouting report on him suggests some inconsistencies in effort and production. Some teams will shy away from that. Tyliek Williams at #56 in round two was probably a bit of a stretch, but it was just for fun after all. I had to do some stretching here and there to make everything fit, but I think he could drop to the middle of round 2 anywayMorrison is like Emmanwori in that assessments of where he will be drafted vary wildly. I seen him mocked to the Bills in round one and where I have him in round 2, and everywhere in between. In rounds 4 thru 6, it is probably even less certain about where teams will have them slotted. Some team may take a chance on Thornton in round 4 or 5, but he was underutilized in college, and he does have some areas of his game that need to be significantly improved. BuffAlone caught my typo on Tyliek Williams. I've since fixed it. He's not 234 lbs. He's 334 lbs.

Just for fun, I decided to do a mock draft focused on picking the fastest players possible at positions of need. Some picks might be a bit of a stretch, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. A number of the picks are the absolute fastest at their positions in the 2025 draft. The rest are at least close to the fastest. Round 1 #30 Nic Emmanwori S 6’3” 227 lbs 4.38 40 Round 2 #56 Tyliek Williams DT 6’3” 334 lbs 4.68 40 Round 2 #62 Benjamin Morrison CB 6’ 193 lbs 4.30 40 Round 4 #108 Danny Stutsman LB 6’3” 233 lbs 4.52 Round 4 #131 Jared Wilson C/G 6’3” 310 lbs 4.84 40 Round 5 #171 Bayshul Tuten RB 5’9” 206 lbs 4.32 40 Round 5 #175 Riley Leonard QB 6’4” 216 lbs 4.52 40 Round 6 #179 Zah Frazier CB 6’3” 186 lbs 4.36 Round 6 #206 Dont’e Thornton Jr WR 6’5 205 lbs 4.3 40 Round 6 #208 Fadil Diggs DE 6’4” 257 lbs 4.57 40

Darius Alexander has some nice upside. My biggest problem with picking him at #30 is he looks to be more of a 3 tech than a 1 tech. Yes, Buffalo could use a 3 tech in rotation with Ed Oliver, especially if Dewayne Carter doesn't pan out, but Buffalo is really in need of a new starting caliber 1 tech. DaQuan Jones looks like his age is catching up to him. He needs to be a rotational player at this point, but not a starter. The problem is the only 1 tech DTs likely to be drafted in round one, Kenneth Grant and Walter Nolen may not drop to #30. Even if he does drop, I worry that Nolen might be undersized since he is only around 300 lbs. Will he get pushed around in the pros. Buffalo can attempt a modest trade up if Grant is still around in the mid 20s, or they could stay put and take their chances on Grant dropping. If he doesn't there are some other players who could drop and give Buffalo decent value at a position of need: CB, S, DE or WR. Buffalo could also trade out of round 1 and look for Deone Walker or Alfred Collins in the top half of round 2. Tyliek Williams from Ohio State is really intriguing. He runs like a 260 lb defensive end while tipping the scale at 334 lbs. His skill set suggests he's more of a 3 tech, but maybe the Bills think he could be used as a 1 tech. Ayomanor seems like a good value in Round 2. He doesn't have Michael Golden or Xavier Worthy speed, but with a 4.4 40, if he gets behind the secondary, there aren't many DBs who will catch him. He combines that with good size and a nice skill set. Likewise, Thomas is a quality pick at #62. He's not a burner, but is fast enough to play in the Bills' zone defense and sprinkle in some man coverage too. In this mock, Benjamin Morrison is still available when Buffalo selects Thomas. If Buffalo picked Morrison instead, they'd be giving up some size for quite a bit more speed.

I agree. Scourton would not be my favorite pick. His measurables do not scream "impact player" in the NFL.

Absolutely, I would look at him. Won't come cheap though. Cincinnati is going to want blood in any trade, and Hendrickson wants to get paid.

Martin came to the Bills with a reputation for being able to put the ball inside the 20 even though he didn't have the strongest leg. He was pretty high priced for a punter though, and at his age, his leg isn't getting any stronger. He lived up to his reputation las season, but they have been times when he's had some inconsistencies. I think, given his price tag, it was time to try somebody else. Jake Camarda is intriguing at the very least.

There is remarkably little consensus among draft pundits about player rankings in this year's draft after the top 10 or so. Most don't think Alexander is a first round value, but some do. In this mock, some players Buffalo could consider at #30 include Tre Harris WR, Darien Porter CB, Walter Nolen (another 3 tech DT), Donovan Ezeiruaku DE, Malachi Starks S and Nic Scourton. A trade down is a real option too simply because of the lack of consensus about the quality of individual players. Who knows what Beane's big board will look like compared with the players who are still available at #30.

Defensive tackles under contract for 2025 are: Daquan Jones (1 tech), Ed Oliver (3 tech), Dewayne Carter (3 tech) and Branson Deen (3 tech - a futures deal). is still on his rookie deal. While officially on the roster at the moment, these players will be gone when free agency begins: Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips. Phillips has said he wants to re-sign with the Bills and would retire if the Bills don't want him. While he is huge, his skill set is better suited to 3 tech. If Daquan Jones isn't good enough any more, the Bills have nobody they would want to start at 1 tech. Branson Deen is admittedly a scrub, but Carter may be able to develop into a decent rotational guy if he can stay healthy, and, of course, Oliver is a former first round pick who, while he had a down year in 2024, has shown flashes and might shine with quality players around him.

Is he a 3 tech? His size and stats would suggest so. If the price is right, there's probably a place for him on the roster. I think the bigger need is for a 1 tech as Daquan Jones was disappointing in 2024. Ed Oliver didn't blow people away either, but the speculation has been he underperformed because Jones wasn't drawing enough attention from opposing offensive linee.

The free agent market for WRs is starting to look like a buyers market with player after player being added to the mix. The question is will Beane lean toward proven veterans in the twilight of their careers, who might be an injury risk and will likely want substantial contracts, Stars in their prime who want to be paid like stars in their prime or younger guys with desirable traits that haven't produced as hoped for various reasons. Then, of course, there are scrubs who can be picked up for a little bit of nothing. One thing is certain: Beane is going to look over the market carefully. He's got the cap dollars to make one or two splash signings, depending on the size of the splash. My guess is he would rather spend the big bucks on defense.

He won't be ready for training camp. If the Bills don't release him outright, they could stash him on their PUP list in hopes he can come in in 2026 and compete. It wouldn't cost the Bills much and would have zero impact on the cap. It lets Rogers keep his foot in the door.

I like Hollis and I hope Buffalo can retain him. I'm ambivalent regarding Amari Cooper. If he is willing to sign a modest contract, sure, but I think he's probably looking for a bigger deal. I think the Bills hope Keon Coleman has a significant bump in production in2025 and will man one spot as a starting outside receiver, but that means the other spot is wide open. Hollis is not going to be a starter. Depending on how the first round plays out I could easily see Buffalo drafting a WR. After the top ten picks or so, mock drafts are all over the place on where players might be drafted. Kenneth Grant might be available at #30 or he might be drafted in the middle of the round. It's the same with Mike Green or any one of the two or three CBs mentioned in the first round. Safeties too: Starks or Emmanwori could be available or might not be. At WR, I've seen Matthew Golden and even Luther Burden mocked to the Bills, so almost anything is possible. I'm pretty sure Buffalo's first round pick (if the don't trade it away) won't be a RB, QB, TE, OL, PK, P or LB. Any other position is fair game.

If the Bills can sign Slay to a reasonable contract, it makes some sense. In any case, the Bills are not going to put all their eggs in one basket when it comes to finding a starter at CB to pair with Benford. I assume they will draft a CB that they think has the ability to compete to start. Even if they sign Slay and draft a potential starter, they might look for additional insurance.

Possibly on day 3.

Davidson's weakness is blocking. The Bills seem pretty intent on having their third tight end possess a skill set that includes blocking. It's hard to see him beating out a tight end who can block as well as catch a pass even if he is a better receiving tight end. Maybe he can pack some more muscle onto his frame and polish up his blocking, but he hasn't so far.

An NFL training camp roster consists of 90 players. That's going to include cheap veteran free agents as well as draft choices. Buffalo could conceivably dump Von Miller and possibly even AJ Epenesa to give them more cap room. That's assuming they try to bring in an upgrade as a starter. That still leaves room for a guy like Smith as depth.

Both Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin have deficiencies as NFL safeties. Even if Buffalo is convinced Cole Bishop is going to be a stud, there is room for an upgrade at the other safety spot. In a perfect world, I'd like to see Buffalo draft a monster nose tackle at #31, but a great safety would not be the worst pick they could make.

Sean McDermott is on the record as not wanting a smurf receiver on the outside. That may rule out Marquise Brown. Darius Slayton and Dynami Brown probably measure up sufficiently to satisfy McDermotts height requirement.

Unlike DTs, Buffalo is looking at a variety of edge rushers, from big physical guys to smaller edge benders.

It is interesting that Buffalo's interest in DTs seems to lean more toward 1 tech types. Even Walter Nolen, who is under 300 lbs, is seen as more of a1 tech than a 3 tech. It looks like Buffalo is all over the safeties in the draft, and has a lot of interest in CBs too.