Estro

Imo Lavonne David is a top 40 prospect.....especially considering the need for LB's to be good in coverage in todays NFL. So I think there's a 50/50 shot he'll be on the board when we pick at #42, my gut is telling me he'll be picked before then though. If you believe all the mock drafts though, they typically have him going mid 2ndround round to mid 3rd round. The more I look into him, they more I want him to be a Buffalo Bill

Which is why we need to draft a LB who excels in nickel/passing situations, ala, Lavonte David. He can contribute immediately, and Nick Barnett is getting older. so he'll eventually take over his spot.

Lavonte David, from Nebraska, is the best pure 4-3 OLB in this draft, for my money. Don't know why he's not rated higher amongst the draft pundits. BTW, the biggest knock on David is his size. He's 6'1" - 233lbs. For comparisons sake, Jon Beason is 6'0" -237 lbs. So I don't see his size has a hige problem.

Big, big fan of Lavonte David. Just started my own post about him. I think he'd be a great fit in our defense, even moreso with the addition of Mario Williams. Also a fan of Rueben Randle, WR, LSU, think he could be the size/speed combo we're looking for at the flanker postion (Z receiver) on offense. Didn't see him on the list, so I'm assuming he's already off the board?

This guy hasn't gotten as ton of attention from the national pundits, but for my money he's the best pure OLB in this years draft. The biggest knock on him is he's undersized, at a little under 6'1" and 233 lbs. Certainly it's smaller than your prototypical LB, but Nick Barnett is 6'2", 230 lbs, and no one complains that he's too small. Lavonte David has great speed, change of direction, and instincts. He's good in coverage and is also solid in run support. He'll never be a LB that's going to bull rush a 300 lb OL, but I'm not sure there are a ton of cover LB's that will ever be able to do that. In a league where defenses seem to be in their nickel packages just as much as their base defenses, the importance of cover (nickel) LB's is all the more important. Couple that with the fact that we play in a division with some pretty good TE's (Gronkowski, Hernandez, Keller, Fasano) and I think David would be a great asset for the Bills. On obvious passing situations we'd have the ability to keep David and Barnett on the field and I think we'd be able to match up well in that package. Bo Pelini, head coach of Nebraska, was quoted last season saying there wasn't a LB in the nation he'd trade for Lavonte David, a lot of praise coming from a defensive minded coach. With the Bills having a beefier more talented DL upfront I really like the idea of getting these fast flowing playmaking LB's on the Bills. Guy can tackle, blitz, and cover, what's not to like? I think David would be dynamite on the Bills, what say you? If you have time, check out the two clips of Lavonte David below: and if anyone has a comment or opinion on David please add, I'd like to know more about him. (vs. Michigan) (vs. South Carolina - Bowl Game) http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/lavonte-david-1.html (2 years statisitcs at Nebraska)

Tim ryan and Pat Kirwan were commneting on Sirius that they could see him being released. Don't know if it was just pure speculation or something they've been hearing, found it interesting nonetheless. Have we ever gotten an anwer on how much of a cap savings would be realized if Merriman is chopped?

Yea....Imo the bills didn't overpay at all which makes the signing just thrashing much better.

Well, now that Mario is imminently signing with the Bills and it reportedly will be a 6 year deal, let's see how close my FINAL PREDICTION will be: Final predeiction: 6 years - $100 million ($47 million guarenteed) Can't say I thought the Bills would be the one to sign him, but I have a feeling these numbers will be very close to what the final deal is.

Seahawks, one of the teams rumored to be interested in Mario, just cleared $4 million in cap soace by cutting OL Robert Gallery. Not sure it has anything to do with Mario, but the timing of the release is interesting. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/14/seahawks-cut-cord-on-guard-robert-gallery/

Let's hope Manning doesn't choose the Broncos between now and tomorrow evening. It seems Mario is stalling as long as possible to see whats going on with the Manning situation. If it's still up in the air by tomorrow afternoon, hopefully he throws in the towel on Tennesse and realizes the Bills it is.

Look you have to give Nix and the Bills credit for what they did today. They made an aggressive pursuit of 2 guys that would help our football team now. Meachem the lesser known guy, would've been a solid addition, but it's pretty clear what his intentions were. I mean the guy had a contract all sewn up with the Chargers within 30-60 minutes of dining with the Bills brass. He clearly wanted to be a Charger and only used the Bills to make sure the money was going to be right in San Diego. When it comes to Williams, by all reports, the Bills are doing everything they can. Had the plane down there ready and waiting. 1st visit, and reportedly ponying up the most cash. If they sign him it'd be a gigantic signing for the franchise and if he decides to sign elsewhere I think the fanbase as a whole will not only be dissapointed, but pretty irritated. You can't really blame Nix though can you? He can't force Mario to sign the contract, and Mario may really covet playing for a team that's had more success under a similar $$$ deal. I'm a little surprised Buddy came on so hot and heavy about how aggressive they'd be in free agency, though. Clearly they seemed confident that they'd sign these two guys, and I appreciate the confidence, but they certainly set themselves up for a meltdown if they both sign elsewhere (which Meachem already has). It'd probably been a bit smarter to not talk it up so much, so if they do swing and miss, they don't face as much heat from the media and fans in general. I'm still holding out hope something gets worked out in the AM, but once word broke he'd be visitng elsewhere I put the chances of him signing elsewhere at 85%. It's not looking good, but I'm not going to hold it against Buddy. I'm still a big believer in Nix as the captain of the ship, regardless of where Mario Williams ends up.

Bills prolly liked Vincent Jackson best, but knew they'd have to target someone who'd command less so that they could set their sights on Mario. That's why it'll sting a bit harder if Mario ends up elsewhere, because the fact of the matter is that's probably what held up courting Vincent Jackson. Let's hope Mario signs tomorrow. I do find it odd no ones reported exactly what other team he's expected to visit. You'd think one of these reporters would have word on where Mario will be headed next if he does indeed leave. Perhaps it's more of a bluff to squeeze a bit more out of the Bills, proabably not, but just a hope.

The negative me is thinking: The Bears who were reportedly after Mincey caught wind that they still had a shot at Mario williams and that he was leaving Buffalo. Knowing they still had a legit shot at Mario the Bears backed off their pursuit of Mincey. Mincey seeing the Bears back off knew the demand for him could be shrinking and was quick to sing the deal the Jaguars had on the table. Maybe that next visit for Mario will indeed be with the Bears.

If Washington is out of the VJax sweepstakes and Chicago lands Peppers (effectively taking them out of the VJax sweepstakes), we may actually have a route to sign him. There are a few subtle ties to Buffalo (Nix, Merriman) and all else equal he'd probably view Buffalo as a better opportunity than Tampa Bay. I previously didn't envision a scenario wher Jackson came to Buff, but things are looking differently now. I'd much prefer Mario Williams to Vincent Jackson, but Jackson maybe the more realistic option. If he can stay healthy, I think VJax would take our offense to a whole new level. It would also give the Bills the opportunity to focus their draft needs mainly on defensive prospects(DL,LB,CB), outside of an offensive lineman. If you think about it, WR's are a position that generally take guys a couple of years to grow into coming out of college. Maybe attacking the WR need via Free Agency makes some sense in that regard. Let's see, we should have a lot of answers in the next 48-72 hours.

I think theres a chance Rueben Randle, WR, LSU, will last until our 2nd round pick. I think there is an extremely small chance he'll last until our 3rd round pick, and totally impossible that he'd still be on the board for our second 4th round pick, as depicted in this mock draft. Pretty solid mock draft overall, but like I said Rueben Randle is a solid 2nd round prospect, no way he's around late in the 4th round.

Julius Peppers and Mario Willaims are clearly 2 different players, but I think taking a look at Peppers value on the open market is the best was to project what Mario Williams next contract will look like. First let's look at a complete breakdown of Pepper contract (signed 2 seasons ago): http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/chicago-bears/julius-peppers/ The first thing that jumps out is how much Pepper base salary was in year 1 ($20 million, that not including any of his bonuses). Upon further review though, that was because 2010 was an uncapped season, so the Bears worked the books to pay Pepper as much in year 1, while there were no financial restraints, to make his contract more team friendly in years 2 and beyond when the salary cap would surely return. So don't expect any team to hand out a base salary in year 1 to Mario Williams that comes anywhere near what Peppers got from the Bears. Nest let's breakdown what seperates these two prospects: Mario Williams > Julius Peppers: http://www.nfl.com/player/mariowilliams/2495982/profile -Williams will be 3 years younger than Peppers was in 2010. That's an additional 3 years of a guy in his absolute prime, a huge plus. -Stouter against the run. Julius Peppers > Mario Williams: {url]http://www.nfl.com/player/juliuspeppers/2505010/profile[/url] - Less of an injury history than Mario. Although Mario shouldn't have any lingering effects from his chect injury and prior to last season he only missed 3 games in 5 seasons. - Better pure pass rusher than Mario. 6 of his 8 seasons with the Panthers were double-digit sack seasons. Throwing last seasons injury shortened season out the window, Mario's had just 2 seasons with double digit sacks in 5 seasons with the Texans. The Bottom Line: The value of these 2 on the open market is very similar. If the salary cap were going to be higher this season than it was the previous 2 seasons, you'd have to factor that into the equation, but according to reports it will be almost the same. The biggest difference, which will drive Mario's value a bit higher is the fact that he's going to be 3 years younger, which can't be overlooked. I'd think Williams agent will anchor in around 15-20% above Peppers $14 million per year, putting his asking price at $16.1-$16.8 million per season. Because there will be so many teams after his services I think they'll be a team or two that will meet this demand. Final predeiction: 6 years - $100 million ($47 million guarenteed) You think that's a number the Bills would be willing to dish out? He may be worth it.

A.J. was viewed as a late draftable prospect heading into the 2011 season. By years end he had positioned himself as a middle round pick. After his impressive Combine showing, he ran a 4.41 40 yard dash, there's a chance he could sneak into the 2nd round. While he may not possess the big body (just a hair over 6'), he certainly has the speed to beat a defense deep, which was a big piece of the missing puzzle for the Bills last season. Profile: http://www.profootballweekly.com/prospects/player/a-j-jenkins-8/ 2011 Game Stats: http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/381685/aj-jenkins Highlights vs. Northwestern: While I think this guy would be a bit of a reach in the 2nd round, he's an interesting prospect in the 3rd round and beyond. He appears to be a quality route runner, goes across the middle and has the wheels to win vertically. Anyone care to chime in, who may know a little bit more about A.J. Green?

We'll see if Billy Bellichick loves him as much as he used to talk about him in the week leading up to playing the Bills, and signs him. If you just listened to Bellickick talk about the Bills the week leading up to playing them, you'd think the Bills were actually pretty good these past 10 years.

It's my understanding that under the new CBA there is no longer a transition tag. So in tis case, that is no longer an option. Only a franchise tag, which Bell isn't worth. Bell probably wouldn't see more that $4.5-$5 million a year from the Bills and I believe there are other teams that will give him $7.5-$8 million per year on the open market. I've always had a sneaky feeling that the Jets will make a push for Bell. I know they have Ferguson already making big money on the left side, but there right side is weak. I know D. Bell is a LT and not a RT, but I just have a feeling the Jets will throw some cash at him. I like Bell and wish the Bills would lock him up, I just don't see it happening.

I've seen reports that the Buffalo Bills have shown interest in CB, Josh Robinson, of UCF. Robinson ran the fastest 40 at the combine at 4.32 seconds, so I'm sure that'll help his stock. I'd like to point out another CB who may fit into the middle rounds of the draft - Josh Norman, CB, Coastal Carolina. Unlike Robinson of UCF, Norman ran a very dissapointing 4.61 second 40 yard dash at the Combine. Leading up to the combine it was Norman's hope to run in the 4.4's, so his slow time will certainly hurt his rise in the draft. Norman was viewed as a late draftable prospect, but was on the rise as a possible top 100 prospect heading into the Combine. He'll need to run a better 40 at his pro day, but I think this kid has some nice size and ball skills for a CB. The Bills have always done a great job scouting the smaller schools and they like size in their CB's, and Norman certainly has that size. He's 6' and 1/4" and 197 lbs. PFW.com currently has him rated as a 3rd round prospect. Highlights: Stock on the rise: PFW.com Summary: http://www.profootballweekly.com/prospects/player/josh-norman-24/ Wes Bunting's Analysis: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/college_player_scouting_report.html&player=100039 Anybody have an opinion on this guy?

Cordy Glenn vs. LSU 2011. Shows both his positives and negatives in this game. I'll admit it isn't lights out game tape, but keep in mind this is vs. one of the best defenses. I think he's got a lot of tools:

With all the chatter recently about the Bills possibly taking an OL with the #10 overall pick, I figured now was a good time to bring up this topic. Let's breakdown the Buffalo Bills offensive lineman that have been brought in under Nix' watch (this excludes Demetrius Bell, Eric Wood and Andy Levitre who were all already on the roster when Nix stepped in as GM). Chris Hairston. 6'6" - 330 lbs. - Drafted 4th round 2011. Kraig Urbik. 6'5" - 324 lbs. - Claimed off waivers after being released by Pittsburgh on September 2010. Erik Pears. 6'8" - 316 lbs. - Signed after being released by Jacksonville December 2010. Chad Rhinehart. 6'5" - 321 lbs. - Signed after being realeased from Jets practice squad on October 2010. Colin Brown. 6'7" - 326 lbs. - Signed off Ravens practice squad on December 2010. Sam Young. 6'8" - 316 lbs. - Calimed off waivers after being released by Dallas on September 2011. Michael Jasper - 6'4" - 375 lbs. - Drafted 7th round 2011. A couple of observations: 1- To this point the Bills have used very little resources on acquiring offensive lineman, and still have managed to do a relatively good job acquiring some talent. Pears and Urbik have both proven to be adequate starters. Rhinehart has shown he can hold his own, and is a valuable backup. Hairston showed promise and potential as a future starting LT, certainly not proven, but the potential is there. Jasper, Young and Brown will all get an opportunity to compete for roster spots this summer, and I'd expect at least 1 or 2 to earn a spot. Now, just because the Bills haven't used a high draft pick on an OL, doesn't mean they won't. The 2010 draft is evidence of this....after looking back at the 2010 draft Buddy Nix said they had 1 OT rated high enough to take at #8, and he wasn't on the board, so they went with their best player available who happened to be Spiller. There were only 2 OT's taken before us, Okung and Trent Williams, and I'm 99% sure the tackle Buddy liked was Trent Williams. They were rumored to be interested in him and he matched what Buddy likes in an OT much moreso than Okung, who wasn't nearly as good in run blocking. 2- The Bills like their offensive lineman to be BIG BIG BIG! The 7 offensive lineman brought in under Nix average a touch over 6'6" and almost 330 lbs. That's BIG even by NFL standards. 3- Buddy point blank said the Bills philosophy will be to draft T's, and if they don't work as T's then they'll kick inside to either G or C. He said it's a lot easier for OL to move from outside to inside (T to G or C), then it is to move from the inside to outside (G or C to T). This philosophy makes a lot of sense, and if you believe Buddy, than you can scratch off the idea of the Bills drafting a G or C at all, let alone with a higher draft pick. With all of the above considered, I'm trying to figure out who of the OL in this years draft would the Bills consider drafting #10 overall? Matt Kalil? 6'7" - 306 lbs. -Kalil is probably rated anywhere from the 2nd to 6th best prospect in this draft on most teams boards. The Bills would certainly take him, but there's no chance he'll be there at #10. Riley Reiff? 6'6" - 313 lbs. -There's some chatter that due to his short arms he may be best on the right side in the pros. There was similar chatter regarding Bryan Bulaga in the 2010 draft and the Bills passed on him, as did many other teams. I'm not overly impressed with Reiff's strength and ability to dominate his guy in the run game. I don't think he can be viewed as a pure LT with the ability to maul in the run game, and I think that's what the Bills want in a LT. Jonathan Martin? 6'5" - 312 lbs. -I don't think this guy is rated as highly amongst NFL teams as he is on internet forums and NFL mock drafts. He was a highly rated prospect coming into this year, but didn't have such a great year, and I don't think you can say at this point that he's a sure fire 1st round pick. He's a little finesse, and once again doesn't impress as a run blocker. Mike Adams? 6'7" - 324 lbs. -Too inconsistent on film to warrant the #10 pick. Maybe a guy they'd consider in Round #2, but would be a big reach at #10. Jeff Allen? 6'4" - 307 lbs. -A little on the short side. Has some potential, but once again much more of a 2nd round prospect than a #10 overall prospect. David DeCastro? 6'5" - 316 lbs. -He's a G so no way, according to Nix' philosophy, would he be the pick at #10. Unless Nix viewed him as an NFL LT he wouldn't draft him and since he's never played LT and has short arms, I'd say his chance of being drafted #10 overall is 0%. Cordy Glenn? 6'6" - 345 lbs. -This guy is my wildcard. I've seen him listed as a G prospect on many websites, but I think there's a debate that this guy may be able to play T in the NFL. He played at G to start out at Georgia, but last year was their LT. Apparently he showed better as a G than LT, but you have to keep in mind last year was his first year at LT, so it's not a surprise he looked better at G. The guy passes the physicality Nix looks for in OL, he's also very physical in the run game. For such a big guy he's got some nice athleticism too. He ran a fater 40 yard dash than all of the prospects listed above with the exception of Kalil. Let me also point out this guy has massive arms, 35 and 3/4" arms, some of the longest of any OL prospect in this years draft. Glenn would probably be a reach at #10, but I think he's a better prospect than Martin or Reiff, and matches up better with the Bills philosophy of a big, athletic run mauler. I think he's a top 20 pick in the draft, so don't expect him to be around for our 2nd round pick. In conclusion, looking over the Bills success of finding quality OL without having to use high draft picks, I hope they do the same this year. I think there are a lot of nice prospects that they could pluck in the mid-late rounds and would rather see them go in another direction with the #10 pick. Nix doesn't seem to like a DE at #10, but maybe we look at WR or CB. Just keep an eye on this Cordy Glenn, though. He's pretty good. Cordy Glenn?

Manningham's true worth as an okay #2, but better #3 is about $3.5 million/year, someteam will overpay in the vicinity of $5.5-6 million per year, which is way too much for him. Manningham isn't overly fast, isn't very big, so theres nothing that really stands out. Any team that gives him more than $3 mill per year is not smart.

1- You can't rule out anything. A move up for RG3 by the Bills is highly highly unlikely, but that doesn't mean you don't do your due diligence. 2- Perhaps the Bills want to stack him up vs. the other prospects this year, or for that matter, prospects in years to come. 3- Maybe you want to pick his brain about his teammates that are also in this years draft, or maybe even prospects in years to come. You don't lose anything by sitting down with the top few prospects in each years draft, so why not do it. It at least can give you a benchmark to compare future prospects to.

Im thinking the reason he's viewed more as a mid round pick is he's not very fast. His highlight reel is impressive......but if he's running in the high 4.5s orlow 4.6s as expected it'll knock him down a little. As Mike Mayock says "big and fast is good. Big and slow isn't." Also I believe McNutt was a bit over 6'2" at the senior bowl, so good size but not quite as tall as listed at Iowa.