Bill from NYC

Levy and Jauron are discussing this as we speak. They are at a local suburban Chicago bakery having tea and crumpets. Right now they are wondering how much it would cost to trade up for him.

The protection that qbs are given has changed the time frame for development, as have the rule changes about hitting an unprotected receiver. Yep, it's now a passing league, like it or not. Call me crazy, but I think that it's smart for a football team to hedge their bets against an unproven and not terribly impressive quarterback. Or, should we continue to plod along in the Levy/Jauron era and focus on defensive backs and running backs. Might as well stick with what has worked for 14 years, no?

I hear ya, but I would like a player who is capable of playing LT if Glenn is injured, or walks in a couple of years. There is no DJ Fluker in this draft (a pure RT), or so it appears. Btw, watch him this season. He has a chance to be the next Erik Williams, but I digress... I want the Bills to NOT trade up. There (imo) is absolutely no need to do so. I am hoping for a blocker, and perhaps one of the 3 SEC quarterbacks. You can't have too many due to injuries and trade value. Replacing Tuel with Murray or McCarron would be a smart move imo, as would giving EJ more protection. I am psyched about what can happen this week. Here's to hoping that they don't screw things up yet again!

It is GREAT to see you posting again!!!!! I don't fully agree with your post, but so what? I am not concerned with the "feelings" of Glenn, Manuel, or really any other player. This was Levy/Jauron nonsense and dates back to "promising" Clements that they would not tag him. They wound up getting nothing for him. I hope that the Bills draft a QB, blockers, and pass rushers. Imo, this is what wins football games and the lack of doing so has caused us to lose football games. Either way let me repeat, it's GREAT to see you post again!!!

I really am not. I did at one point but the rule changes and the CBA made this league all about the quarterbacks. This is now beyond dispute. Players such as Cutler, Romo and Stafford approach 20 million per year. This is how the money was redistributed in the new CBA and again, it was driven by the rule changes. The Bills do not have a proven QB. EJ can be very good or he can suck. You, as a FSU Fan know this better than I do. I don't love his chances, but I think they would certainly be enhanced with a solid pair of OTs. A LG would be pretty cool too. One more thing.....they let Levitre walk and they had a ton of cap space while doing so. Thinking that the will definitely keep Glenn when his contract is up is a pipe dream. This team needs another OT, and they need a good one. In am sorry if this sort of thinking appears antiquated to you. Either way, I hope all is well and GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe it or not I could deal with a second round rb IF they acquired an extra second round pick in a trade down. Count me as one who thinks that the Bills will, or already do need another running back. FJ is old and CJ......never mind.

I agree 100%! Worse yet, if a pick like this either gets hurt or is a bust, the franchise would be set back for another 5 years or so. Most people who read this probably think that you are joking.

It depends on the team. If you have a solid, proven qb and your lines are sound, you have the luxury of the bpa. And I do think that whether or not the 3 players were are talking about lived up to their draft slots is certainly up for debate, don't you?

I am sorry that you felt the need to be hostile without reading the post. Over and over in this thread I have said that all 3 are good players. That was not my point. I don't think that using top 10 picks on players such as these is a great idea if a team is trying to build a foundation. In any event, maybe lashing out helps you get anger out of your system. Be well and Go Bills!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I repect your opinion and the stats you provided. The thing is, have you ever wondered why, if Spiller is now to be likened to Jim Brown, teams are not beating down the door to trade for him? I have huge doubts that the Bills could get a 3rd round pick for him. Passing league or not, Jim Brown would be worth an untold amount. In another thread Spiller was compared to Barry Sanders, and I suspect that Sanders might be just a little better than Spiller as well.

RLB, we are not as much at odds here as you seem to think..... I continue to stress that all 3 players are "good." I am simply of the opinion that the foundation of a football team should be the QB, pass rushers, and people who can block more than the players above. I think that the need for a strong OL is accentuated a bit for the Bills due to playing a lot in the elements, and having an inexperienced quarterback. This is why I would not want this particular team to give away draft choices for Watkins.

If you read my post, you noticed that I said that the above players are "good." And you are correct, they WOULD be signed by other clubs. That said, the players above consist of a #9, #10, and #11. I know that you tend to wave pom-poms for every move the Bills make under any circumstances, but players selected that high should be the foundation of a football team. The truth however is that McKelvin took 4 or 5 years to produce, Gilmore is still struggling to develop, and Spiller is a small, situational running back who now has a few miles. If this is YOUR idea of a good foundation for an NFL team, then I am going to have to quote my man in "Office Space." I am going to "go ahead and disagree."

Many times I feared that the Bills would draft a particular player who I could strongly sense would not win us football games. A few examples are: Leodis McKelvin Stephon Gilmore CJ Spiller Some may argue that they are "good." Our won/loss record begs to differ and tells us that this doesn't matter. There were some players that I did tend to over-rate. This is because I am not a professional GM. There were others that I didn't think that any team would be stupid enough to draft high, such as Donte Whitner. The 2006 draft was my worst day as a Bills fan. Well, this year, my biggest nightmare is Sammy Watkins. I see him as a possible flashy gadget player ala Spiller, which is the very last team this team needs. The thought of trading UP for him makes me cringe, and I guarantee that it will NOT result in winning football games. That said, it seems to be a real possibility . So, what do I hope for? A QB (because I have little faith in Manuel), or an Offensive Tackle. An OT would increase the odds of Manuel being good imo. The absolute dumbest thing the Bills can do would be to trade up for Watkins. That said, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they did this. I wish all of my fellow Bills Fans a productive draft. We really do deserve one this time. Have fun all! GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am not looking for a heated argument, but I don't completely agree with the above. While I give a ton of credit to the Bills for bringing in udfas such as Jason Peters and Pat Williams, there was a bit of luck involved because they could have signed elsewhere. Getting Kyle Williams in the 5th was a great pick. They drafted him and owned his rights. See the difference? Again, the above is not to downplay the accomplishment of signing a good udfa. I however link it less to the draft and more to the concept of free agency overall. Jmo.

I have been watching the draft for a few years and yes, that one was pretty horrendous from the first pick on. I guess the pick that I thought was the best in terms of value was Moats, which really is pretty bad.

He is also far healthier than KW, but your comparison is obviously sound. Donald is not the player I am hoping for, but I won't be mad if they draft him. Not at all.

And injury could very well take EJ (or any other player) out of the line up once again. His history could serve to increase the odds of this happening. Due to the new CBA, the Bills are spending mere pennies at the qb position. They would (imo) be idiots not to draft a quarterback if they think that he is good. That said, they will probably not draft one. Count me as one who is all in on one of the 3 SEC QBs in round 2. And if they think that ANY qb will be great, I hope they take him at #9.

And Kyle Williams was a 5th round pick. The first 4 rounds of the 2006 draft set this team back at least 5 years, and I called it when it happened. This was the debut of Levy/Jauron, perhaps the most inept combination in the history of the NFL. This draft was absolutely stacked with players that the team needed, AND we had an extra early 3rd round pick (which we used to actually trade up for McCargo). Sure, there were a slew of idiotic picks after 2006, but this particular draft is the primary cause of not making the playoffs, let alone the loser free agents that Levy/Jauron gave big money to.

And I agree with you. In fact, I would not want the Bills to draft Watkins even if he dropped to #9. This draft is said to be absolutely stacked at WR. Gil Brandt says there are 8 players who are first round quality. They could trade down and easily draft a WR. This team isn't strong enough to throw away multiple picks on 1 receiver. We don't even know if we have a decent quarterback (talk about heresy). If they really feel as if they have to move, I hope they move down, get an extra pick or 2, and draft a quarterback.

Marrone was a crony hire by Brandon. They are Syracuse buddies. He was WAY over his head last year but having Pettine truly did help. This year is make or break for Marrone and your guess is as good as mine.

Math tells us that Fred will be lucky to finish this season. Sorry, there are few RBs his age. The Bills need to draft his replacement next week.

Let's not forget the injury risk which is ALWAYS substantial.

1. Johnny Manziel - Houston 2. Jadeveon Clowney - Rams 3. Blake Bortles - Jax 4. Khalil Mack - Falcons 5. Mike Evans - Tampa

I agree with this. The Bills are not in a position to trade away their best resources. Not at all. And, what happens if the player they trade up for gets hurt? Or if EJ is a bust? These things are possible. Yeah, the very last thing (almost) I want to see is the Bills trading up. This is nothing but a hunch, but imo Houston wants Johnny Football. I don't think that they want him at #1. I think they would like to pick up some extra picks and take him. I suspect this because if he turns out to be good, the GM will be fired due to fan backlash and the owner missing out on millions of dollars. Again, just a hunch.

If the Bills do not trade up, 2 of their first 4 picks will be defensive backs.