Bill from NYC

Nice post. I will always believe that many pros who write about the Bills get some of their material from this board. Jmo.

LOL thanks my friend! I saw the boys on 4/7 in Wallingford, Ct., and they rocked the house. Next stop is Falls Church, VA for the John Kadlecik Band. "Nobody told me there'd be days like these."

Imo, Walter Jones was the most agile LT I have ever seen. He wasn't as strong as Pace (not close), but he moved around with more dexterity than most TEs. Oddly, I see him as the perfect LT for the game today, which focuses more on passing. Pace otoh would open holes at scrimage that a car could drive through, and then go wipe out some poor corner. And he was blocking for Faulk! But you are 100% correct. It does come down to personal preference.

Kalil might be great, but Pace was probably stronger than him when he was 18. Roids? I don't know, but Pace would knock the same defensive end down twice on the same play. He afforded Kurt Warner ALL DAY to throw in the superbowl win. I can't stress "all day" enough. And he came from the (in those days) bruising running program of Ohio State. He was a flat out monster. His career was shorter than others, but I for one never saw a LT who could dominate like he did. And Rico, I couldn't agree more about Erik Williams. Bob Brown played longer than him, but when he was healthy, Erik Williams was the best RT ever.

I hope that you are right, and that he can stop me from regretting this selection.

Do you think that pounces will stop bouncing off of his hands for interceptions?

Disclaimer #1: Although I focus on blockers 10x more than the average person watching a football game, I am not trying to purport myself as an actual "expert." Disclaimer #2: The only college team I spend a considerable amount of time watching is the Crimson Tide. I am basing the following comments ONLY on what I have seen on youtube. So, take them with a large grain of salt. Now, the following comments are based upon Orlando Pace being the best LT I have ever seen in a lifetime of watching football. In other words, he is the model, perfect LT, or so I see it. And btw, my dear friend R.Rich thinks Ogden was better so there ya go. 1) Reiff When Bulaga came out, I was on the phone with R.Rich telling him that Bulaga is a Right Tackle. Reiff, imo, is a potentially great GUARD. There are running plays where he even rolls out like one. He is game, and in good shape. Could he be a dominant LT? I suppose, but it's hard for me to see how. He uses his hands very well, but even with the wrestling background, I didn't see extrordinary agility. If he could play at a slightly above average level for 10 years, it would work out well for him, like it did for Jeff Backus. But again, I am missing where he will be a dominant LT. 2) Glenn: If the Bills draft Glenn at 10, I will be supportive of the fact that they are finally devoting early draft resources to the OL. That said, I hope they steer clear of him. In college, huge, strong players such as Glenn, can at times dominate defenders. Mike Williams did. It's as if they engulf them. Not so easy in the NFL. Imo there had to be reasons why this kid was a guard until his senior season. I don't like his balance at all. And while he is strong enough to take down defenders from scrimage ala Pace, I can't see him being able to take it upfield (ala Pace). A frequent poster likened drafting Glenn to "swinging for the home run." He is correct. But there is a very long drop. I am not 100% convinced that Glenn will even be a very good RT. He looks like something of a plodder to me. And we already have 2 players (Pears and Hairston) who I think are more than enough for the RT position. I will go out on a limb and label Glenn a "poor man's Hairston." 3) Martin: I am concerned that he benefitted from playing in front of a qb with a superb quick release (which Fitz has imo), and next to a top LG. And, I am not liking the 19 reps with 225. BUT, he is very agile. And his combine bench was more than twice what Bell did (19 vs. 9). I would like him to gain weight and get stronger. And I think that he can. The Stanford factor impresses me as well. He is a smart kid and hopefully will be easier to coach than Bell. Will he ever be as strong as Pace or Cordy Glenn? No. But his agility could elevate him to the status of Levi Lones (a #10 pick), or D'Brick imo. How bad is that? So obviously, of the 3, my choice is Martin. Again, my opinion means little if anything, but I just thought that I would toss it out there. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Obviously. And if a team has player that they think will be a star and win games for the them, there would be no reason to trade. But again, I suspect that with the new CBA the price of trading up will increase. I'm anxious/curious to find out.

This is correct. http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/12/23/2657384/buffalo-bills-ralph-wilson-ryan-fitzpatrick Admittedly, reading the sentence it sounds a bit odd, but it is not to be taken lightly imo. Mr. Wilson is certainly of advanced age, but he surely knows what HE wants, and how to make the big bucks. Right after, and based on these comments, Ramius and I predicted that the Bills will draft a wideout at #10. At the time, I knew nothing of Floyd. I can't speak for Ramius but my prediction stands. I must respectfully disagree old friend. Last year, Nix said that there were "multiple trade down offers in every round." Andin your scenario (moving down 10 spots), the price tag would be a lot higher than a #2 imo. In 2001, we picked up an extra #2 for moving from 14 to 21, and this was long before then new CBA. Now, there is less financial risk for owners in terms of early picks busting out. To move back 10 spots, I would want a second round pick, and another in 2013. Perhaps more.

This is an impossible question to truly answer, but I like it! I am guessing mid to late second round. Only because it is still very hard to gauge his agility, and I focused on him a lot, believe me. Hairston is a bruiser, but honestly, so is Pears. Dareus said that Pears should have been in the probowl. Questions, and threads like this really do point to, and spell out the difficulty in acquiring a left tackle. And these guys fly off the board early almost every season. After the Bengals drafted Levi Jones at #10 in 2002, commentators were calling him a "reach." He turned out to be a steal.

Do you expect a contribution from Justin Rogers? That would be a great thing!

I completely agree. And with the new CBA, the price more than likely went even higher.

Or a tackle for a loss on a run, a fumble, an interception, pick-six, a hurried, incomplete pass, or a QB with a broken rib.

In 1966 they played with 2 wideouts, no? A shutdown corner took away 50% of a team's receivers. TEs weren't even used that much in those days. Thanks for helping me make my point. And like I said, I won't have a fit if they select Floyd.

Jeff Burris. Thomas Smith, Antoine Winfield, and Nate Clements. These are 1 contract and out 1st round corners who were drafted by the Bills, but we already knew this. Back in the day, many of us were furious to see us draft players in the first round and let them walk. Things change. Check this out: http://nyjetscap.com/darrellerevis.html And this: http://www.sportscity.com/NFL/Philadelphia-Eagles-Salaries Darrelle Revis is, imo, the best corner in the NFL. His cap hit in 2012 is $11,503,000, and it appears he will be eligible for 3 seperate 1 million dollar bonuses (reporting, workout, roster) to boot. Wow! Asumugha comes with an 11,300,000 cap hit for the Eagles. How did that work out? Many posters are quick to point out that the teams with perhaps the best Left Tackles failed to make the playoffs (Miami and Cleveland). Well, look at the financial hit the Jets and Eagles are taking on these corners! It hurt the Jets SO bad that they had to extend, and give more guaranteed money to Sanchez, who imo is not all that. A huge chunk of their entire cap is devoted to a corner, who can cover 1 receiver, and today, we see 4 and 5 wide sets. Paying corners the big bucks after the first contract might actually lend itself to letting them walk, the way the Bills historically do. The thing is, Bills fans know better, because we have seen the results of wasting first round picks on DBs and RBs, and seeing them depart with nothing (or a 4th round pick) in return, and this would be losing football games. Now, as for the 2012 draft, I fully expect the Bills to draft Floyd. I don't want them to mind you, but if they do, I will not have a "Donte Whitner at #8" type of meltdown like I did in 2006 LOL! And I would want to see him play at an Eric Moulds level. If he could, I would be more than satisfied, because this could win us games. What I hope is that we grab an LT who could play at a Brad Hopkins/Takik Glenn level. That would be just fine, if of course one exists. If not, I hope that they trade down, and take a look at Hightower. It would be pretty freaking hard to run against the Bills with Hightower behind Dareus and KW, not to mention our pass rush. I think the Bills will be a playoff contender if they don't tank this draft. And it feels good to be able to even go there. GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nor do I. If I was the GM, it would come down to exactly how good I think the LTs (after Kalil) are. If I thought for example that Martin could play at a better than average level, I would grab him in a second. The Lions signed Jeff Backus to a 2 year, 10 million dollar contract (though incentive laden). Perhaps they think that all of the top LTs will be gone before they pick, which is probably true. Backus was never a star, and their qb is VERY good, and perhaps even prone to injury. But as we know, LTs are extremely hard to get. Wideouts are easier to find. SJ was a 7th, and I don't even think that Wes Welker was drafted. I would not want to use a #10 on a wideout unless I truly believed that he would be great, which of course is an objective term. That said, I fully expect the Bills to use the #10 on a wideout.

Are we forgetting Whitner at #8?

Nope. We made some great moves in free agency, but we are still the Bills.

I have not thought of, nor commented about this in terms of frequency. My premise was about the cost of trading up John.

Thanks for another interesting, well thought post. "Reach" really does vary from team to team. For example, before the Bills switched to the 4/3 and signed Mario and Anderson, I was all over Courtney Upshaw. A couple of weeks ago, I heard Wanny (on Sirius) say that in his defense, Upshaw is a defensive end. Now, after the big ufa signings, and considering the fact that CU would be playing a new position, I would consider him a reach.....for the Bills. That said, if Pittsburgh wanted to trade up and take him early, I would fully understand this, whereas he seems to be ideal for their system, and a very good player. Same applies to the Ravens imo. Ray Lewis is old. I could easily see them trading down for Hightower, who imo will be a great ILB. If they moved to 15 and took him, I don't see this as reaching at all. A "steal" is a steal for any team. Whoever drafts Terrell Davis, Tom Brady or Bryce Paup in round 6 is getting a true "steal." If you already had a superstar on your team at one of their respective positions, it would still be a HUGE benefit to your club, if for no other reason, the trade value that you mentioned. Once again, the Bills are in a good position to really help the team in April. Nix did well in 2011 imo. Let's hope he keeps it going!

I too was under this impression. And what SJB posted was my exact point. And he is right, the body of work to compare it to does not yet exist, but there is zero reason for me to believe that the cost of trading up will not increase. It may already be steeper. In terms of a guess, it will probably be much higher with the new CBA to trade up for the very early picks, because the salary drop off from early first round to late first round was always very steep. Now, a team isn't risking as much (in terms of cash) if they bomb out on a Jermarcus Russell. But again, my guess is that a #10 would fall into the equation of a pick with increased value under the new CBA.

I understand your question. In many, many sets of circumstances, I would be happy to see the Bills trade down. The only point I am trying to make is that due to the new CBA, earlier picks will see their value increase, becaus there is less financial risk for owners/GMs. What would have been a fair deal 3 years ago (and the draft value chart) might not be relevant any more. We shall see.

Don't you have any issues at all with the fact that he played guard in college? I guess one could say moving from OG to OT worked for Branden Albert, but who knows? He might have been a hall of fame OG. Other than Albert, it's hard for me to recall college guards moving to OT in the NFL. It's easy to remember players moving from college OTs to NFL OGs. Ruben Brown and Andy Levitre come to mind, and there are MANY more.

And the value chart was made before the new CBA. Now, draft selections cost teams far less, and imo this will drive up the price of trading up. Looking at the RG3 trade, this may have already started. And while not having checked the chart on the Julio Jones deal in 2011, it does seem like the Falcons paid a huge price. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/feed/2011-01/2011-nfl-draft/story/falcons-trade-up-for-julio-jones-in-draft-shocker-with-browns If I was the GM, I wouldn't swap picks with Philly unless they gave up a 2nd rounder, and a 3rd round pick in 2013. But obviously, I am just a fan on a message board.

Do as you are told my friend. I am very happy that you are home. Take care, and may God bless!!!