MikeSpeed

My point is if each team has to include the bonus money against the cap in the year that they sign the contract then it would level competition for teams to get players. Letting the teams spread those signing bonuses out over the length of the contract gives an advantage to the wealthier teams. If the competition for signing players was even amongst all teams, then a draft in would not be necessary would it? At the very least the draft would become a better tool for the losing teams to get better, because they wouldn't have to worry about signing rookies with a huge bonus. I am not for getting rid of the draft. That is not my intension with this post. I'm trying to see how an NFL with no draft could still function and retain parity.

LOL Well played!

I hear the argument that if there was no draft that the NFL would become like the MLB. A few teams would win every year while the rest of the league's teams are door mats. But would this really be true in the NFL? If the salary cap was set up "cash to cap" for all teams, and include the signing bonus as part of that year's cap hit, wouldn't it make a level playing field for all teams to acquire free agents? The rich teams would still be making more than the smaller teams, but at least the competition $$ would be the same. It seems to me that salary cap structure is the biggest problem with keeping parody in the NFL. I'm not an accountant by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems to me that what the owners are really asking for is to in a sense lower the cap ceiling percentage?

If you consider a draft pick a bust before he even plays a down, you may be a Bills fan. Guilty as charged. Conversely.. If you still think Aaron Maybin will have a breakout season, you may be a Bills fan.

Rookies, especially early round rookies, do not need to be all pro starters in their first year, but they should at least show flashes of ability. For example James Hardy showed little to nothing while he was here, while Stevie Johnson displayed some flashes of ability. Hardy is gone and Johnson is starting. Many here could see Johnson potential even in his limited action. Of course many others made excuses for Hardy's lack of development. Some here seem to think that coasting in the first 3 years is acceptable. I'm not one of them.

I don't necessarily agree with Lewis, but hey if there's a chance to watch football and lower the crime rate also, then let's have football 24-7 365.

I'm glad they are working out, but if they are so hyped about working out now, then why is it every year they complain that the teams have too many work outs? The NFLPA is always investigating some coach who is making the voluntary work outs more or less mandatory. I think it's just another PR driven load of cow dung encouraged by the NFLPA to get public opinion on their side. You know..."The player want to play but the owners won't let them". I hope the Bills players get something out of it,I really do, but without structured coaching I highly doubt it.

He got the idea for football from Caesar while watching gladiators.

The 9th pick in the draft should not need trick plays to make plays. He needs to learn to be patient and follow his blocks and not bump everything outside. Putting him in motion all the time will get old fast if that's all he is good for. Teams will start reading those motions and begin taking him out of the play. He needs to run the football, and be an outlet for the QB, and pass block. If he can't do that, then the first round RB carousel will be turning again soon.

Wow 3 of my Gamecocks in the first round! I hope it prophetic! (No I don't want to pick #1 unless we trade up)

I can't argue with the worst list, but anyone drafted in the 4th round or lower is just a case of the blind squirrel theory. It's just a law of numbers. There are so many players that you can't help but hit once in a while even if you’re not trying. The first three rounds you should be more in tune with so as to not have as many misses. If you hit in the early rounds then I can see how your work has paid off. The problem is even his hits were fielder's choices.

You guys are way more generous than I am. My grading scale... (Does not use minus grades) A+ Hall of fame ability A Constant Pro bowler B+ Pro bowl consideration (Alternate) B Valuable Starter C+ Starter (But shoud be looked at as stop gap only) C Back-up D+ 3rd Stringer at best D Special teamer (will never start) F Just plain sucks! McKelvin - C (I don't feel he would start on most teams) Hardy - F (nuff said) Chris Ellis - D (Did play some ST) Corner - C (Is a back-up) Fine - F Bowen - F Omon - F Bell - C+ (We need an upgrade) Johnson - B+ (I wouldn't have been surprised if he would have gotten a PB bid) Cox - F Average - D+

If someone can project what the starting 3-4 and 4-3 units will look like now I'd could get a better feel for the OP's question. For instance does Darius man the nose or Williams in the 3-4? Who is manning the ends in both schemes? What are the starting LB's and DB's now? It just looks like the whole D will look different. (Which is a good thing)

I'd give the Bills an -A. To get the A they would have to have made a trade down and still gotten Darius. To get an A+ the trade would have had to have been something like the Browns got from Atlanta. BTW I LOVE THIS PICK!

+1000000 Pre-draft post of the year!

No draft and no salary cap would mean the end of the NFL as the most dominate pro sport in the USA. It would become the MLB 2.0. Dallas, Washington and New England would be guaranteed playoff spots by way of buying their way in (ala NY Yankees) and the Bill, Bengals, and all small market teams (I believe even Green bay) would fade off into obscurity. This doesn't even begin to include the bad rap that Buffalo gets. It's almost impossible to get FA's to come here even now. So yes NFLPA push this. Because when the league shinks down to 12 teams there be a lot less players to pay.

My draft scenarios from best to worst... 1. We trade down 2 or 3 spots get an extra 2nd and 3rd rounder’s and draft Cam Jordan. 2. Newton and Miller are gone and we draft Marcell Dareus 3. Dareus and Miller are gone and we have no draft partners we draft Patrick Peterson. (I have no problem drafting him just not my favorite selection @#3) . . . 1,000,000 We pick a QB #3 1,000,001 We trade back up into round #1 and draft a QB.

I take him in a heartbeat! I think it is much easier to teach a slow footed strong armed accurate QB to side step the pressure, than it is to teach a running QB to pass. I too do not believe he'll make it to the 2nd round.

I said outrageous not impossible. I would not be surprised at all if Mallet is our second pick. If he is there at 34.

I just thought this might be fun. Here are my outrageous draft predictions... 1.) Cam Newton will still be available at the start of the second round. 2.) The Bills will draft a WR with their first 2 picks. 3.) This thread will be criticized by someone who is tired of all the pre-draft post.

Running the football is pretty much about instinct. This is why RB is considered the easiest position for a rookie to have an impact. Blocking assignments and rout running are only real issues a rookie RB needs to learn. Spiller was "seek the edge and out run the competition" in college. You’re not going to do this in the NFL. I had my doubts when we drafted him and I still do. Living in SC I saw a great deal of him. The good news is that in 2 years Marcus Lattimore will be draft eligible. The Bills seem to draft a RB every 2 to 3 years so that would be right on course.

My link I get no respect.

I'm standing on a 12th story ledge in a hurricane... but I pass on the QB this year and mortgage the farm for Luck next year.

I think you missed my point. I would rather have the best of a deep draft, meaning I'm probably going to get an excellent player, rather than take the best of a thin draft position. The odds are more in my favor that way. I do make no bones about the fact that I feel the QB class this year is very lacking. One may surprise me, but I won't be surprised if it's a QB that is not taken in the first round.

Wow you and I have way different philosophies. I say the draft is deep in D so get the best of the best at 3. The draft is week at QB so take a chance on someone late if at all. An average QB drafted early is still an average QB.