Lurker

Yes. But I suspect they feel if a guy's going to be rotated, he's not worth trading up for...

Why are you listening to 'GR??

The TSW official motto.

Not really. He's still on his rookie contract...

While I initially said Oliver earlier in this thread...after some more thought, I'm amending that to Wilkins if they stay at #9. His profile reads like a Kyle Williams clone: STRENGTHS: Initial quickness to live in the opponent’s backfield…flexible hips and joints, contorting his good-sized frame and staying balanced through gaps…fluid redirection in pursuit with the chase speed to track down ballcarriers…plays underneath blocks and keeps his lower body working to grind out movement…gap quickness helps clog things up in the run game…recognition skills reflect his experience…well-versed on special teams coverages…scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) on offense…two-time team captain with the type of work ethic and intangibles that are “up there with Deshaun (Watson) since we’ve been here,” according to a Clemson assistant coach…graduated with a degree in communications (December 2017), becoming the first scholarship player in school history to graduate in two-and-a-half years…his 59 career games played is tied for the most in school history. WEAKNESSES: Lacks ideal length and point-of-attack power…inconsistent shed technique and timing…can be bullied in the run game…inconsistent base strength and can be displaced by blockers, especially when his pads rise…doesn’t always replace his hands on his get-off, stalling his pass rush…always looking for an edge, but developed a reputation for being a borderline dirty player due to questionable hits…older prospect and will turn 24 during his NFL rookie season. SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Clemson, Wilkins worked his way into the defensive line rotation as a true freshman and was a key reason behind the Tigers’ two national titles the last three seasons. Lining up primarily over the B-gap, he became the school’s fifth unanimous All-American (2018) and the first Clemson player to win the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the Academic Heisman. Moving differently than most his size, Wilkins uses his loose lower body, contact balance and active hands in conjunction to squirt through gaps. His high-character intangibles will be a strong selling point for an NFL team looking for a high-floor prospect. Overall, Wilkins is an inconsistent run defender, but his quickness, body flexibility and ball awareness lead to backfield production, projecting as a penetrating three-technique in a four-man base.

Meh. IMO, Johnson's just a step or two above JAG. His measurables look great but his weaknesses are pretty glaring for a guy who figures to go in Round 2... Weaknesses Lacks consistent competitive nature Motor runs hot and cold in run support Content to allow catches in front of him without squeezing the route Below-average ball skills and instincts lead to abysmal ball production No interceptions and only eight passes defensed over two years Rarely finds football once back is to the passer Slow to gather feet and trigger on throws from off coverage Rare to see him track ball or challenge at the high point Speedsters eat his cushion and fly by him on go routes Lacks top-end makeup speed to run down mistakes Below-average route anticipation to stay connected

LOL! Today's forecast: https://buffalonews.com/2019/04/25/we-could-get-some-weather-that-rhymes-with-noooooo/ Enjoy the sunshine today because things are about to get yucky. There's rain in the forecast for all of Friday and then Saturday night, more rain and "possibly" some snow overnight as the temperatures dip into the mid to low 30s, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Mitchell. "It's not a for-sure thing," he said. "It could get cold enough to see some wet flakes."

I'll eat my hat if he plays more than eight games this year. He's a pumped up, inflexible injury-waiting-to-happen kind of guy, IMO...

Misleading question. Even guys I hate at pick 9 (Metcalf) would be fine with pick 40. It's all about value relative to the draft slot...

Think of the trees!!!

Interesting timing. No chance for teams to get a second opinion now. Hummmm....

As well he should have...

One TD against Bama on the first play of the game, then one more catch in garbage time (lost 62-7). The two catches vs. Auburn were also garbage time (they were losing 38-3 on the first, 41-10 on the second). Probably facing the Tigers' freshman and sophs at that point. Mississippi State was one catch for 63 yards and one for four. That seems about how this guy rolls. He's the Mike Mamula of WRs, IMO...

LOL! Southern Illinois, Kent State and Louisiana-Monroe...now there's a murderer's row of opponents.

Plays like King Kong against lesser competition, like Jane versus real competition... 2017 Game Logs Receiving Rk Date School Opponent Rec Yds Avg TD 12 Games 39 646 16.6 7 1 2017-09-02 Mississippi South Alabama W 8 84 10.5 0 2 2017-09-09 Mississippi Tennessee-Martin W 5 37 7.4 1 3 2017-09-16 Mississippi @ California L 3 125 41.7 1 4 2017-09-30 Mississippi @ Alabama L 3 46 15.3 0 5 2017-10-07 Mississippi @ Auburn L 4 28 7.0 2 6 2017-10-14 Mississippi Vanderbilt W 2 37 18.5 0 7 2017-10-21 Mississippi Louisiana State L 1 15 15.0 0 8 2017-10-28 Mississippi Arkansas L 4 107 26.8 0 9 2017-11-04 Mississippi @ Kentucky W 5 83 16.6 2 10 2017-11-11 Mississippi Louisiana W 1 7 7.0 0 11 2017-11-18 Mississippi Texas A&M L 1 10 10.0 0 12 2017-11-23 Mississippi @ Mississippi State W 2 67 33.5 1 2018 Game Logs Receiving Rk Date School Opponent Rec Yds Avg TD 7 Games 26 569 21.9 5 1 2018-09-01 Mississippi N Texas Tech W 4 81 20.3 1 2 2018-09-08 Mississippi Southern Illinois W 7 93 13.3 1 3 2018-09-15 Mississippi Alabama L 2 92 46.0 1 4 2018-09-22 Mississippi Kent State W 5 102 20.4 1 5 2018-09-29 Mississippi @ Louisiana State L 3 37 12.3 0 6 2018-10-06 Mississippi Louisiana-Monroe W 4 115 28.8 1 7 2018-10-13 Mississippi @ Arkansas W 1 49 49.0 0

I don't know about him, but I sure would have to...

Against UL-Monroe!!! Wow, I'm sure he'll see a lot of players at that level in the NFL on Sunday's... (Don't like him, don't want him and will cry if they pick him)

UDFA is the only way I'd take him. He's got a ten-dollar body and a ten-cent head, from what I've seen of him...

Not the guy I'd choose (given that he needs time to "get stronger and sharpen his toolset," but he may be BPA when the Bills pick. He'd likely be Lorax's eventual replacement if they go this way... Per Brugler's analysis in the Athletic: STRENGTHS: Twitchy get-off and lateral movements…runs the arc with speed…natural body control to capture the corner and flatten to the quarterback…angular body type with long arms to stab or club-rip blockers…plays with bend and skillfully regains his balance mid-rush…able to change directions with little wasted movement…displays the foot agility and long strides to cover ground and play in space…uses his length to find passing lanes…blocked three kicks over his career…voted a team captain in 2018 and his FSU coaches call him a “humble hustler” who gives “consistent effort” in practice…started every game the past two seasons and played through injuries…his 24.0 career sacks rank fifth in school history. WEAKNESSES: Lanky limbed athlete and lacks ideal bulk on his frame…questionable max weight…not a power player and can be controlled on the edge (see 2018 Northern Illinois tape)…leaves his chest open and his hand/punch timing requires refinement…hands tend to wander, lacking disciplined counters…prefers to run the arc and needs to develop his inside moves...not much of a talker and is developing his leadership skills. SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Florida State, Burns lined up primarily with his hand on the ground at field defensive end for the Seminoles. Despite a disappointing 5-7 record in 2018, which snapped FSU’s 36-year bowl-eligible streak, he stayed motivated and set career-bests in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks as a junior. Burns is a loose-jointed athlete with above-average speed off the edge, also showing the agility to drop in space or defend the run. He flashes a variety of pass rush moves, but tends to be over-reliant on his athleticism and needs to develop his timing and set-up skills. Overall, Burns needs to continue to get stronger and sharpen his toolset, but his first step explosion, athletic flexibility and baseline understanding of how to use his length/hands are a recipe for an impact NFL pass rusher, regardless of scheme. GRADE: 1st Round (#11 overall)

If Oliver's there, there's no way the Bills go with Williams, IMO. McD wants to fill that 3-technique hole in the worst way... http://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/12020/daily-mailbag-the-insanity-of-short-arms Joe Thomas was a unicorn. More likely, Williams career would look a lot like Bryan Bulaga's, which is just average to OK (refuting this ESPN analysis from his draft year)...

Learning to win is not vapid. The Bickering Bills did it, the Peca-era Sabres did it. But arguing this point is getting boring...

Love the Beast, but no...

Like it or not, teams are built in the off-season. IMO, in-season trades only work if the team is set to win NOW. As in make a deep playoff run. Or trading a pending FA for assets before he's lost--an even then, they don't get made (Panarin). Go back and read what Botts and others had to say about this team back in February: https://buffalonews.com/2019/02/20/buffalo-sabres-jason-botterill-phil-housleys-nhl-2019/ "We are always looking to improve our team. We're always looking to make additions to help our players," he said. "We're not going to change our motto, our focus on trying to bring players in that are going to help this team, not only this year but for the future. That's what we're looking at right now." "Of course, [the playoffs] are the goal for every team to start the year," he said. "But our situation right now, we have to focus within. I know our coaches and our players are focusing on our next game against Tampa Bay because it's going to be a very difficult game, but our goal generally is we have to start playing better. We have to be more consistent as an organization." Asked why he hasn't made any major moves while the team slid from first overall in the NHL's standing to 17th, Botterill said putting his players in difficult positions is part of their growth.

Urgency in the off-season is a hell of a lot different than urgency in season...especially when the playoffs were not a goal this year. The people who wanted to bring up Olofsson in February and March, for example, were wrong, IMO. He's a nice prospect but no way has he got the physical stature or North American experience (yet) to be a difference maker. He had a nice run of 6 games at the end of the year, but adding him to the roster before he's physically ready would be not unlike Tage Thompson--who was (rightfully) blasted all season for being soft/weak/not ready for the NHL. It takes time for draft picks and new-to-North American hockey players to mature, physically and mentally (at least those who aren't generational phenoms like Dahlin). That's why the calls for UPL to start for the Amerks are absolutely silly, IMO. He's got a great future ahead of him. But that can easily be screwed up by throwing him to the wolves and hoping for the best just because of frustration.

I'm all in on Hock. It would be a very un-Billsy pick, but if he's anywhere near 90% of Gronk I want him on this team, some way, some how. That said, I expect Oliver to be the pick after he slides down a bit...