BillsVet

The past does not nor cannot predict the future. The '04 draft produced 3 outstanding perhaps HOF QBs, and no draft since then this has occurred.

They would not accumulate 6 picks in the top 100 to merely sit at 12 and select from what's left over. There is a plan and they will execute it. I'm thankful that McBeane aren't as weak-kneed as some posters here who are scared of anything bad happening with a QB. It's still amazing that so many people were so on-board and defended Whaley trading up to take "can't-miss" Watkins but are scared to death of trading up for a QB.

I'm sure by now someone affiliated with the Bills personnel department has seen every pass he's thrown in college.

As nice as it is to sign UFAs and provide that instant gratification, none of Buffalo's major signings like Dockery/Walker (2007) and Mario/Anderson (2012) made a tremendous difference.It's building a team not individual positions. He's a NT in a 40 front. Those guys know they're not the types who'll garner stats and accolades. It's an unheralded position to begin withh. Sal needs to dial back on the meds. I feel like someone is telling him to be Mr. Happy Homer all the time and it's wearing thin. Then again, maybe the millennial/fan boy types want that and surface level reporting.

Whomever you don't like...don't listen to them. It's so much easier that way.

Too many fans here: 1. Have way too much time on their hands with these threads of "what ifs" 2. Worry too much. 3. Haven't see a post-UFA GM operate with a forward thinking perspective, particularly wrt QBs.

Character issues? Incognito has played on this team for 3 years with only an unsubstantiated Yannick Ngakoue allegation of racism. His '18 cap hit is less than 7.6M. And, will you be providing the guillotine for Incognito because I'd love to see that attempt.

When did thread titles start becoming pure click bait? I guess it's too difficult to just say the Jets have X amount cap room and link to an article. It seems like TBD threads are more similar to those cheesy ads on most websites now.

Always amazed at the amateur scouts who already know there are no prospects good enough to trade up for. The same people who declare there are no franchise types available. Even more amazed at the fans who abhor and eschew any risk because things might not work out. Pretty confident McBeane aren't that afraid of their own shadow to leave round 1 without their guy.

Let us know when a perfect QB prospect comes along so we can take one high.

Foles and Keenum's play in 2017 does not portend they'll be at that level under a new team's coaching staff and scheme. There are no guarantees in life and that's why it's important to take calculated risks. Hence, the scouting process and off-season spent reviewing personnel leading into UFA and the draft.

Keeping Brady off the field with a downfield passing game is a better way to beat NE. The best defense is still a good offense. And I still don't understand this thought process of avoiding the college prospects in favor of current NFL QBs. Foles is no guarantee, and neither is Keenum or Tom Savage (!). And speaking of DT's, who played there for NE last year? Are they spending lots of high picks on their defensive front 7?

The days of being "Billsy" ended when McDermott showed up. No more swinging for the fences without it being part of the bigger plan. That's not to say they will be perfect from now on or the previous personnel people were completely terrible. I'm confident the current personnel people from McBeane down know they need a QB who can make throws from the pocket and it'll take a move up to do it.

Excellent points here. Yeah, there will always be holes on a roster that could be improved. Roster turnover being what it is, you've got to continue finding starting talent every year. And most of the time picking the safer to project positions isn't drastically improving the team's W-L record. Yet, the fastest way to consistently winning 10+ games a year is still finding your QB. Middling around drafting other positions when you've got a glaring issue at QB isn't going to transform this team into a 1 or 2 seed in the AFC. Going deep into the playoffs is the goal. And now you've got your perennial top AFC teams seeing their elite QBs getting older. NE isn't going to feature Brady forever. Roethlisberger has hinted at retirement in the next few years. Rivers is 37 this year. Where the AFC was strong 5 years ago, it's not so much now. The time to go for it is now if they deem one of the top prospects is their guy.

Operating from a perspective of fear because every QB could bust is not a strategy. It is a guarantee you'll fail though. I'm not keen on Jackson because athlete QBs rarely translate their college play to the NFL. That said, I don't see Jackson as a carbon copy of TT. That's simply a conflation

Schein’s prognostication would be another collective punch to the stomach for Bills fans.

Quentin Nelson is by many accounts the best guard prospect to come along in a while. A team with a need at the position isn't taking him at 5 even if he is BPA. This is a nuanced topic and shoe-horning it into a black or white thing is absurd. Indianapolis has an OL issue, but there's no way in heck they take Nelson 3rd overall. This debate of BPA or need has to factor in positional value. It's great to have interior DL, Interior OL, non-pass rushing LBs, safeties, and RB's who are perennial pro bowl players. It's better to have them at the positions which game outcomes more, particularly those in the passing game: QB, WR, perhaps OT, top pass rushers, and CBs who can cover. And those guys are getting drafted, even if a lesser prospect, ahead of the top guard available.

If Cadet comes back, Buffalo has to be the league leader in 29 yo+ running backs. Story of this thread though might be OP beating the usual suspects with this thread.

Zay Jones is considered a "solid starter" now? Based on what? I'm sure someone will say he was injured but he's got potential. Parcells used to say potential means you ain't done anything yet. A team banking on Zay Jones as a 2nd WR is gambling big time. Buffalo has no dependable stretch the field receiver. All of them are short to intermediate types. And Holmes? He caught 3 TDs last year and 13 passes. He's not what I'd consider "good" as a 4th/RZ WR.

I get that people want a sure thing QB if they trade up, but no such player exists most years. When you risk nothing, it's unlikely you'll gain much. To use a baseball analogy, you never get hits if you don't take the bat off your shoulder. Buffalo has entered the draft for far too long looking to walk or get bloop hits. That, to me is what taking defensive players or the 4th/5th QB off the board. It is a loser mentality and one that is less likely to get this team from being a perennial 8-9 win team that tries to back into the playoffs into a 11-12 win team.

Ah yes, genius Buddy Nix. He had 'em all fooled!

Or, Fitzpatrick returns to Buffalo as the bridge QB for a conditional 7th rounder. And is backed up by Peterman. Given Bortles' contract, $10M might be on the low side for a bridge type, if that's what they choose.

When this happens you always feel for the player and think how it may inhibit or prevent them from playing professionally. But the bigger picture is, perhaps it's a blessing they know something they might not otherwise be aware of.

The thing with statistical analysis is the past does not always predict the future. There's obvious risk to trading assets to move up, especially when your team is thin elsewhere and those picks could be used to reinforce areas like OL, DL, LB, and perhaps WR. At some point this team needs an answer at QB and it's unlikely to come through UFA, at least in a cost-effective manner.

What will be telling about Whaley is whether he gets interviewed for a front office position after the draft. If he's going to get a look it should be then.