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Update Nolan Nawrocki and PFW have the newly updated Draft Value Chart for this week. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDr...value041409.htm

Interesting and informative article over at PFW. Just wanted to pass it on. And for those of you who still think Peters play was top notch last year, think again. I know his league leading sacks allowed have been discussed here before and many have brought up the fact that this is a very subjective stat. You may be right, but the stats don't lie, and he better get his butt in shape if he's still on this team come next year. If you were to disregard half of the sacks Peters allowed (which is overly optimistic) he would still be in the bottom half of the league for sacks allowed. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDr.../rock041409.htm

Unless you're a proven commodity like a Jason Taylor You DO NOT wait until after the draft to sign a contract. Teams who would maybe consider Losman to fight for a backup spot could very well draft a late round QB, and consequently have no need to sign Losman after the draft. The reason for him waiting it out is NOT because Losman wants to go to a team without a logjam at QB it is simply because no team has an interest in his services. And I just decided that this will be my last post about JP Losman, time to move on! Keeping my fingers crossed that better QB's lie ahead.

What is funny is that the Bills neglected to extend Antoine Winfield, Nate Clements, and Jabari Greer and they will probably extend Whitner if he has at least a so so season this upcoming year. I'm not talking about signing these guys once they hit FA, but the bills never had the foresight to sign these solid starters w/ a couple of years left on their contract to a fair deal for both sides. All 3 cornerbacks could have been signed to much more reasonable deals for the Bills had they been extended with a year or 2 left on their contract. I'm sure a guy like Greer would have jumped on a 5 year - $20 million extension last offseason, but the Bills were 1 year too late with their offer. And while I think the Florence signing was decent, I do not think he is half the player Greer was or will be. That has been the biggest problem facing this franchise the last decade. The true difference makers simply walk out the door after their first contract expires for the most part. The players that get the extensions always seem to be the middle of the road valuable (aka cheap) starters like Roscoe Parrish, Brad Butler, Chris Kelsay, and Ryan Denney. Notice I didn't include Terrence McGee because that was actually a solid move by the front office to retain an upper-echelon starter. Then what happens is they slightly overpay for average starters (Langston Walker & Chris Kelsay) so the better starters demand more money (Aaron Schobel and Jason Peters). Schobel actually got his extension, which in hindsight was a horrendous deal for the Bills. It just seems that our front office has lacked a long term vision for the success of this team. They need to do a better job of evaluating talent and locking that talent up prior to contract years, plain and simple.

Connor Barwin, DE from Cincinnati WILL NOT be drafted in the first round of the NFL draft. After listening to and reading many college evaluators reports (guys who generally get these things right like Mike Mayock and Nolan Nawrocki) it is obvious that Barwin is no where near a 1st round talent. Most have him graded as a third round talent at best. No way in hell he goes in the 1st though.

I recall having a debate with another poster on this board that JP Losman would need a stroke of luck to be employed by the NFL after the 2009 season. My thinking was that some team would give him a 1-2 year deal to compete for a backup spot, and he'd stick for a year before eventually losing the backup battle. The other poster said that I was crazy and that JP would be a serviceable backup in the NFL for the next 4-5 years at a minimum ala David Carr. Well anyhow I forgot who the poster was, but just wanted to point out that you greatly overrated JP's value in this league. I'm not saying you were wrong, yet, after all free agency is not over, but I'm sticking to my claim. Judging his football talent alone the guy is an absolute bum. His slow decision making won't even allow him to stick as a backup QB in this league, IMO. You will not see or hear about JP after the 2009 football season. Anyone still disagree?

This is guy that I think would be a great player for the Bills, whether it be at LB or SS. Glad to see the Bills had him in for a visit, which doesn't really mean much. I think he fits somewhere into the 2nd round. http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009/04/09/...st-draft-stock/

I also appreciate Tim's contributions on this board it makes it a more valuable site to visit, just as a homer fan I could have done without reading that article, fair or not.

Nonetheless a precedent has been set. Marshall had his 3 game suspension reduced to 1. I believe Marshawn should receive the same reduction or if Goodell really wants to stick to his guns perhaps he reduces it to 2. The NFL wants to punish player who break the law off the field, and I'm all for that. However what bothers me is they have yet to step up to the plate when it comes to players who consistently break the RULES on the field. And if you don't know who I'm talking about it is Vince "blatant cheap shot" Wilfork. Not trying to turn this into an anti-Patriot post, but I am still bothered that he has never received a suspension for his on the field tactics. It's so blatantly obvious that he has attempted to purposely injure opposing players on the field (Losmans knee, Jacobs eye ball, Cutlers head and on and on). At least now we have the new Brady rule so DE's can no longer attempt to sack the quarterback once they fallen to their knees (sarcasm). Wilfork avoids suspension link: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patr...ids_suspension/ Also, help us out here Tim, we as fans don't want to see the guy on the pine for 3 weeks. I thought you were the man with the cold hard facts, not the subjective commentary pieces. I had to double check to make sure it wasn't Chris Mortensen writing that article.

I liked Poz more coming out of college than I do Cushing. In most of his highlights RB's drive for a couple more yards after Cushing's first contact. You're basically getting a guy with a very similar skill set to Poz who we got with pick #34, no thanks.

Notice I didn't bring up Aaron Maybin because I really don't want him. With my luck HE will end up being the best defensive player to come out of this draft, leaving me to look like a fool. For now though, I'm sticking to my gut feeling that he won't pan out in the NFL.

I totally agree with your point here. My belief is that Orakpo will be off the board (Texas players....scare me). I agree with your point on Ayers and Jackson and I'm still not sure who I like better, although I believe Ayers could be a better fit for our defense. A couple of weeks ago I absolutely loved Everette Brown and his quickness off the edge, but I've cooled on him a bit lately. Some of the guys I respect like Mike Mayock don't seem to have as high a view on him as I do and I don't pretend to know more than those guys. Tyson Jackson from a physical standpoint reminds me a lot of Richard Seymour and if the Bills see him as that type of player I think he would be tough to pass up at #11. My gut tells me that Ayers is the type of football player that Tom Modrak will really push for and I don't think he will be around beyond pick 20, so if we want him we shouldn't trade down too far, if at all. My question is this: Do you take BJ Raji over the triumvirate of (Tyson Jackson, Robert Ayers and Everette Brown) if all 4 are on the board? I know many will flame me for even thinking he will be there at #11, but I can envision a scenario now where Raji lasts until our pick, one that I didn't think was possible a few weeks back. And does Raji fit into what we do on defense (I would hope so)?

Fixed, sorry about that.

FWIW if the decision was between Aaron Maybin and Tyson Jackson I would much rather have Jackson. I know he may not be an ideal pass rushing DE (more of a 3-4 DE) but his play against the run more than makes up for it. He's also a guy who could be moved inside on 3rd downs to get after the passer. Aaron Maybin is one guy I don't want the Bills to touch, just a gut feeling.

Just wanted to pass on the first Draft Value Chart posted over on profootballweekly.com, which will be updated every Wednesday leading up to draft day. For anyone who isn't familiar with the site, the guy is a respected college talent evaluator who has had some very impressive mock drafts the past few years. Anyways just thought I'd pass on the link, as sometimes it is difficult to navigate their site and find this stuff. http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDr...value040709.htm To give you an idea of what his first 2008 draft value chart looked like (keep in mind he edited it several times leading up to the draft, this one was nearly 3 weeks from the draft): http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDr...alue040808a.htm And lastly for anyone who hasn't yet seen his impressive mock draft from last year: http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/NFLDr.../mock042608.htm

My buddy and I do our own mock draft pool with what I think is a pretty good scoring system. Basically we both put together our own mock drafts of the 1st round only. If I pick Matt Stafford #1 overall and he goes #1 I receive 0 points. On the other hand if I choose Matt Stafford #1 overall and he goes #10 I receive 9 points. Whoever has the lowest amount of points after the first 32 picks wins. So things don't get too out of control we cap the total number of points for one player at 32. Meaning if I pick Max Unger 32nd overall to the Steelers and he actually doesn't end up being drafted until the middle of the 3rd round I only get 32 points (max. allowed) rather than 40 + points. $50 whoever come out of the 1st round with the least amount of points. Then to spice things up a little we do a side bet for most correct players to the correct team. That way you are also directly rewarded for picking the right player to the right team. Just figured I'd pass it along for anyone looking to have a little more excitement during draft day with a friend or 2 who enjoy a little gambling. $5 for each correct player to the correct team. I've never found a site that does anything like this online, if anybody knows of anything close to it let me know.

Here are my 6 FWIW: Everette Brown Brian Orakpo Robert Ayers Ray Maualuga Michael Oher Andre Smith Personally, I don't see the Bills taking Pettigrew at 11, too high for a TE who isn't even a difference maker in the passing game. The guy had 0 TD receptions last year. Only way I want the Bills taking him is in a trade down.

So coaches now hold press conferences prior to the trade, just to make sure all the fans fully understand the trade........nice.

Now that we know Whitner checks in on the forum I have a quick comment: The criticism from the fans about your play is amplified due the fact hat you were a top 10 pick. We are not questioning your desire or love for football, or even the hard work you put into your profession, but some fans here are simply pointing out the facts. To this point in you career you have not lived up to the expectations of many fans, plain and simple. You are correct that not everyone on this board knows a lot about the X's and O's of football, but many fans do and many of them watch you in person on Sundays, myself included. This is part of what comes with athletes in your profession, you make a good living, but you are open to criticism. Don't worry about what we say, just go out and back up your swagger ON THE FIELD.

Connor Barwin is a mid round prospect. No way i want the Bills to spend a high 2nd round draft choice on that guy.

I'd even be excited if they got a D-lineman of his caliber with a late 1st and 3rd rounder (that would be as much as I would want to give up for him though). I mean the guy was a sure fire top 10 talent just 1 year ago. But you're right with all the holes the Bills have I wouldn't want to see them mortgage their future for a player who still has not established himself. Plus to be honest, I don't even know if Glenn Dorsey fits into our defensive scheme.

I actually think a 1st round pick in the range of (15-17) isn't quite enough for Jason Peters. Teams will be drafting at least 2, but more than likely 3 or 4 offensive tackles in the top 15 picks of this years draft (Jason Smith, Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith and Michael Oher). I think most of those teams would be more than happy to have a player with the ability of a "motivated and in shape" Jason Peters. At the very least I'd like to see the Bills come away with Philly's #21 1st round pick as well as the second round pick. The Eagles should have to pay a premium for getting a LT that they know will not fall flat on his face (see Mike Williams). I wouldn't say I'd be pissed if they got #28 and a 2nd rounder, but IMO he is worth more than that.

My guess would be that if KC does indeed feel that he does not fit into what they are looking to do, he could be had for a 1st (no lower than 16ish) and a 3rd rounder. KC would obviously lose some value because other teams would know that he doesn't fit KC's defense at all. However, if a couple teams started bidding with one another they could get a lot more. You have to figure any team that seriously considered taking him in the top 10 last year would be more than happy to give up at least a 1st and 3rd this year. Best case: Mid round 1st (12-18) and a 2010 1st round pick. To a team that absolutely wants him and is bidding against another team. Worst case: Mid round 1st (no later than 16) and a 3rd round pick. I don't think your two 2nd rounders is too far off the mark, given a worst case scenario for the Chiefs. And obviously I'm not trying to look like an NFL GM, just fun speculation, that's all.

Getting back to the Philly going after Monroe discussion............ If that is the case they would have to part with both of their 1st round picks plus more to get into the 3-8 range (to get Monroe). Perhaps the fall back plan would be to just give up both 1st round picks for Jason Peters. I agree I'd rather have an effective, motivated, dominating (see the '07-'08 season) Jason Peters than two 1st round picks, but I don't know if that is possible anymore. Last year his play dropped off dramatically and I'm getting entirely sick of his crap like that majority of the rest of you. If somehow the Bills were able to finagle those 2 picks from the Eagles I would pull off the deal. Peters has gone about his situation entirely the wrong way. If he had just shown up to work, played his butt off and shown his commitment to the team, he would've been paid like he wants to. Instead he showed his true colors and I'd be extremely worried about Peters motivation once he gets his huge new contract. If his plan is to do the same exact thing he did last off-season the Bills have to get some value for him in the draft this year. As much as I'd like to see the Bills tell Peters they have him for the next 2-3 years and stick it to him they need to do what's best for the team........And having a malcontent, unmotivated, out-of-shape LT for weeks 12-17 WILL not help this team. My final point is this - players trade value only last so long. Look at the reports that the Redskins were willing to give up two 1st round picks for Chad Johnson last year. This year the Bengals would more than likely be satisfied with a 2nd and 3rd rounder for Johnson (and that's an optimistic view). What I'm getting at is if we carry Peters for another year and he pulls the same crap and his play slips further his trade value will slip even further. He would also be another year closer to Free agency, which also seems to work against players in terms of trade value. If Tim Graham's reports are accurate, that the Bills could snatch a 1st and 3rd rounder for him, you have to strongly consider that option (although I would love to get both of those 1st rounders, or the compromise being a 1st and 2nd rounder.)

If Whitner played half as good as he talked himself up the Bills would be a lot better, IMHO. Stats do not lie, the guy has been nothing more than average, and I think that has been disappointing to most fans. And if you actually still would rather have Donte Whitner over Haloti Ngata you're nuts. I do agree with you on one point, he may not be an ideal fit for our defense, but I still think he'd have a huge impact on our D. He's just the type of player you need to stuff the run, especially when the weather gets nasty in B-Lo and teams can't pass effectively. Which is why I disagree with the entire philospohy of our defense schematically, but that's another argument all together.