Bill from NYC

Looking at the Rams trade, I am assuming that the old draft value chart doesn't apply any more. That trade looked crazy from where I sit, but have times changed? Jamarcus Russel probably collected more in bonus money than Luck or RG3 will earn in 5 years (sorry, too lazy to look it up). One season, Parcells wanted to trade out of the 1 spot and found no takers as I recall. Under the old CBA, there was far more risk. Not only could a player bust out, he could hamstring an organization in terms of salary cap, and lose the owner tons of cash. Even under the old CBA, QBs were at a premium. In the dreaded 2006 draft, we sat at 8, and Leinart (then highly regarded) and Cutler were still there. Levy himself said he had numerous offers to trade down, and some included a second round pick and more. Of course, he and Jauron stood pat and took Whitner like morons, but I digress. Now, there is far less risk for an owner/GM in terms of trading up. If the early selected QB busts out, they can cut, or even try to trade him after a couple of seasons, and not suffer the salary cap hit of the amortized bonus. My point to all of this? If a team at 20 or so wants Tannehill and he is still there, we could get an unusually big offer to trade down. Every season we see trade scenarios on this board that many of us snicker at. This could change. Maybe it already has. PS: To my friend John C: I know that Buddy isn't into trading down. But again, I have a hunch that times have changed in terms of value. I sure am glad he isn't into trading up!

The Colts just gave a monster contract to the DE on the other side. Freeney, while good, is starting to be past his prime. A 14 million dollar salary is just too high imo. If they could get him cheaper and not have to give up an early round pick, one would have to find it an interesting proposition.

I voted for what I think they will do, not my choice.

Because I enjoy our conversations so much, I am going to answer as if you were asking me. I want a quality LT, and have posted over and over that they are worth their weight in gold. Again, he would not have to be at the Walter Jones/Jonathan Ogden/Orlando Pace level to please me. A Brad Hopkins/Tarik Glenn would be just fine. Is there one out there at #10? I don't know. Dick Drawn, is Jonathan Martin as good as these two? R.Rich, Astro, are you there? The Bills pass rush is pathetic. Is there a standout DE who will be around at #10? Maybe, but I am not seeing one. This doesn't make me right mind you. Hightower can stuff the run in a big way. He can blitz, force fumbles, and I have seen him cover as well. If he is as good as I think he is, he would help this team big time. As far as comparing him to Sheppard, imo he was better than Sheppard last year. He is bigger, stronger, and hits harder. You are right about Buddy and his comfort zone. If trading isn't his thing I guess he should leave it alone. That said, there are plenty of teams who will scoop this kid up. The Giants, Jets, and Ravens could really use him. And btw, Upshaw, although probably more suited for a 3/4, wouldn't break my heart either. And Mark Barron is going to be a probowl player as well. They should drive a tractor-trailer to Alabama and draft the entire team lol!

Why would trading down and gaining a premium pick be less acceptable than standing pat and taking Spiller at #9? Certainly RB wasn't their biggest need at the time. Value? Hightower looks like a very good player, and we have 1 LB on the roster. I'm just saying.....

section 122 is right. Mark Barron is a monster. The team is chock full of fantastic players. William Vlachos is a little small, but he is worth a look at Center in the mid to late rounds. He was an important factor in opening holes for Ingram and Richardson, and he blocked for qbs with a similar style to Fitz. We are very, very thin at the LB spot, and I would love to see Hightower or Upshaw. But ultimately, I would also be fine with a LT at #10

They could trade down and draft this kid. As far as Mallett, who knew he had substance, and even perhaps other issues? Actually, I still wish they had drafted him before NE. Upshaw is fantastic, but he might be better suited for 3/4. Not too sure.

Call me Deacon Blues.

but I am ready to predict that this kid will be at least as good as Patrick Willis. Yeah, I said this. If, IF IF IF IF IF Kyle Williams comes back healthy, I am thinking that this player, along with Dareus, could possibly provide the Bills with the best defensive middle in the NFL. Opinions please. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXsxoisEmxQ

Every word you say is true. And to take it a step further, building a team from the secondary was always a stupid way to construct a team. The only championship team on which their best defensive unit was the secondary was the old Oakland Raiders. And that was before most posters here were born.

It isn't "really good." There are problems. It's just that for a change, it isn't the weakest unit on the team. If they were THAT good, we would not be drafting in the 10 slot.

I would be VERY cool with trading down 7 or fewer spots and drafting Dont'a Hightower. Mark my words, he is going to be a great player.

An "excellent palyer" might be a stretch, but he is needed on this football team big time imo.

Not that I blame you, but you must not be familiar with my posts. When the Bills traded Peters, he was the best player on the team by a wide margin. I was, and still am disgusted by this trade. Walker? He could barely get out of his stance. As I recall, he barely played after the Bills got rid of him. Dockery? He got his money and had the cleanest uniform in the NFL. I watched him game after game fail to put forth effort, and he wasn't all that skilled to begin with. Now, wrt Levitre, he imo is a perfect OG for the "new" NFL. I don't know how old you are. I wish I was younger but I remember a Guard named Larry Little. As I recall his nickname was "Highway 66." Larry Czonka would get the ball, and tuck it in with his right arm. He would put his left hand on Little's huge ass and follow him for long gains. When Little would pull around the OC with a head of steam, he was brutal. Czonka played out his contract and signed with the Giants for a bundle, and he was an average at best back. There were other brutal Guards such as John Hannah. But again, the game has changed. Levitre is more of a finesse blocker than a brute. He is very good at pass protection having played LT in College. Today, receivers can go over the middle with less fear. Safeties such as Donnie Shell, Ronnie Lott, Jack Tatum, etc. would be fined, suspended, and probably tossed from the NFL. So like it or not, passing means more today, and Levitre is a great fit. Btw, I STILL think that running the football means more to the Bills than most teams. They play outdoors in the elements, as do 2 of their divisional opponents. So I am always about improving the OL. It just isn't as bad as it used to be imo.

Why stop a losing trend, right?

No offense taken; I appreciate the dialogue. Actually, I think that we are on the same page. Fitz put up some OK numbers with a less than distinguished wr corps. He would, imo, strongly benefit from help at LT, and they need to improve the situation at Center. The bolded is where we disagree. Imo Andy Levitre is a top quality LG.

SO true Dan!!! There were many times where the Bills had 1 or 2 professional level blockers on their entire roster. And, a number of factors now enter into the equation: 1) This is now a passing league. 2) The Bills play outdoors, in the elements. The running game will ALWAYS matter more to the Bills than it does to dome, or hot weather teams. I will never back down from this stance. 3) Fred Jackson sees a hole better thsn any RB we have fielded since Thurman Thomas. Spiller gets by on pure speed, and needs more room. This requires power blocking on the right side. We have more of this now than we have had in how long? A good, healthy LT would make this a MUCH better team. Pears/Hairston are more than we have fielded at RT in decades. That said, we lack pass rush and credible LBs. Improvement is a tall order, but I have my fingers crossed that Nix bases this draft/FA period on making this a stronger team, rather than selling tickets. We will see.

Because he played at Notre Dame, he will come with a ready made fanbase. And Spartacus is correct in that Brandon can market a wideout big time. The problem is that while profits may rise, there is no pass rush and a possible void at LT.

Tough to say CB, but I did see some good things from Urbik at RG. He is certainly strong enough to play center. Not sure about the agility, so it's hard to make a pertinent comment. Btw, I focus on the OL WAY more than most viewers when I watch games, and find that the hardest player to see on TV is the Right Guard.

Sadly, this is a tough post to argue with.

I didn't post this to try to sell the Bills OL to anyone. And, the lowest ratings I gave were to the spots that you mentioned (LT and C). The good news is that it is no longer the weakest unit on this team. This alone is amazing for the Bills. Remember Marcus Spriggs? Greg Jerman? Jerry Ostroski? Duke Preston? Urbik is better than the 48 million dollar Dockery, and Pears is better than the 25 million dollar Langston Walker. Does this stop me from wanting a standout talent at LT? Of course not. But, LB is a big problem too imo. Other than Barnett, who is on the wrong side of 30, what LB do you like on this roster? Sheppard? He really needs to show more. In summary, if the Bills can grab a franchise LT in round 1, this is obviously a good thing. He wouldn't have to be Orlando Pace/Anthony Munoz either in order for this to be a good pick. A LT at the talent level of a Brad Hopkins or Tarik Glenn would be a great thing. But if a top LT isn't there, they better do something about LB/DE. Again, jmo.

OK, here we go..... RT:Pears/Hairston This is the most interesting position on the Bills OL imo. In an interview, Marcel Dareus said that he thought that Pears belonged in the probowl. I disagee, because he had some rough outings. But, he also had some good games. He looks like a much better run blocker than pass blocker, but this isn't uncommon for a RT. He is very strong, and 29 years old. Hairston has the potential to be better than Pears. He is a big, aggressive blocker, and imo projects to be a very good RT. Grade: B+, although some of this is based on potential. RG:Urbik/Rinehart Urbik surprised me. He seemed to find angles and provide holes for Jackson. He isn't super agile, but he's strong, and I sense very coachable. Rinehart seemed to be a capable backup. Grade: B Looking fairly solid, if unspectacular. OC: Wood/Brown Wood sure looked good for a few games, no? He plays hard, and is a tough guy, as well as a skilled, experienced Center. The problem is, there is no reason for me to believe that he will be consistently healthy after his serious injuries. Could he surprise us and play 16 games? Yes, but the odds get worse with each injury imo. Colin Brown was a pleasant surprise, and did OK as a backup. But if I was GM, I would try to address this position at some point. Is Vlachos coming out? Grade: C Could go much higher if Wood can stay on the field. LG: Andy Levitre: Andy seems to be an almost perfect OG for today's game. A converted LT, Levitre is very agile and is a good pass blocker. And, he's no slouch in the running game. What else is there to say? Grade: A- Probowl talent imo, and I would give him an A if he was just a bit stronger on running plays. LT: Bell/Hairston: I see that some are concerned about a LT prospect (Adams?) doing 19 reps with 225 at the combines. As I recall, Bell did 9. That said, his agility is beyond dispute, and sometimes he can compensate, especially on upfield blocks, on which he gets a running start. If he could consistently stay healthy, I would think that he would be a slightly better than average LT. But that's a huge "if." Here is another one.....if he was very highly regarded around the league, we would hear his name every day on Sirius, and teams would offer him a Jason Peters contract. Or, the Bills would use the tag on him and try to negotiate a long term deal. Hairston filled in as well as one could ask from a rookie. Grade: C Obviously, this would be higher with a consistently healthy Bell. A few notes: 1) The Bills can actually run right. This has not been the case in many years. 2) Sorry, but count me as one who thinks that Fitz gets the ball away quickly. This imo factors large in terms low sack totals. 3) None of the above players are old, which is obviously good news. 4) If the Bills lose Bell, AND they think that they can find a very good LT in this draft, they would be wise to take him, because there is no other way to get one. If they keep Bell, and draft a LB or DE, this could work, but we will have to keep our fingers crossed that Bell will not be carted off yet again. Just my passing, off season "thoughts."

I am not in favor of drafting DeCastro. Would I be if I somehow knew that he would be as good as John Hannah? Probably, but that is a huge reach. The Bills OL, as much as I have complained about it for well over a decade, is not as bad as it was. In fact, I was thinking of devoting a post to rating them position by position. There are still question marks imo, but OG doesn't look so bad. As to where you and I differ, is wrt defensive style. I like attack defenses. Watching Aaron Schobel drop back into pass coverage used to turn my stomach. I want the Bills to be aggressive on offense and defense. They have a HUGE hole at LB. They need pass rush from the DEs, and LT is still a question mark, which could soon get worse if Bell signs on with another team. Levy/Jauron would have looked at this and signed a defensive back. I hope Nix doesn't.

John Hannah was. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hannah_(American_football)

I like this post quite a bit (not surprised). The only thing I would like to add to it is that imo, under NO conditions should they waste another early pick on a RB or DB. The Bills do not sign (generally speaking) marquee free agents. Their best resources are their draft picks, and let's be honest, this is a franchise that REALLY needs to click when they step up to the podium. I truly hope that they can keep SJ, and prevent the need for a wr in round 1. I think that if we lose him, the need for flash and ticket sales will weigh heavy. This of course is jmo. If they do things right and get lucky, I can actually see the possibility of a wild card. How cool would that be?