BillsVet

Lawson might be the first victim in the almost yearly defensive scheme change. People said Schobel was too small to hold up at DE and he wasn't much more than Lawson is. Besides, Lawson hasn't really played DE in a 4-3 his entire career, and when he was in a 40 front it was as a LB.

Instant gratification is a defining mindset of the late 20th/early 21st century. Great player...but as this is a nuanced argument (which rarely works here) and the Bills haven't earned any credit, it's only natural to be skeptical of their motive and decision. We will see Bill. Are you saying the Bills have a Seattle caliber defense as well?

But Marcus Easley still has so much potential!

No one ever complained about Notre Dame's nickname or mascot. It's a slippery slope to begin trying to alleviate everyone's problems through forced action. Who exactly is the arbiter for these debates and how far can they go?

The 49ers gave up a 6th for a Anquan Boldin, who admittedly was older then than Stevie is now. I don't think their contracts were too much different either. Trading up when you're more than 1 player away seems in a draft with evidently a great deal of talent seems like a desperate move. It'd be great to have Watkins, but all of it depends on the guy getting him and others the ball. There's no doubt that SW is a huge talent, but I'd rather they get one of the top 3 tackles and not mortgage the future.

Seattle and San Fran, arguably the two best teams in the NFL didn't have top receivers last year, save perhaps Anquan Boldin with SF. Yet both had strong running games which complemented their passing games. Both have also invested heavily in their offensive lines, which is where I'd like to see the Bills go on Thursday night. I don't have a major issue with the Bills receivers at this point and wouldn't be anti-Watkins if they traded up, but they've got to get another OT. Pears is declining, Hairston is a complete unknown, and the rest are journeymen or poor prospects.

All of this talk about Martin is ironic, in that 4 years ago it was flat-out wrong to take Bryan Bulaga (who isn't a carbon copy of Martin admittedly) because you don't get value drafting RT's that high. That, and people were enamored of CJ Spiller. It's a deep draft for OT's, and I'd think the drop off from Martin to someone in the early 2nd wouldn't be so considerable to warrant taking a RT at 9.

In terms of having a vision for building a 21st century football team, Buddy Nix was way behind the times. His objective was to build a team and then get a QB, which is exactly opposite of what teams are doing and the slowest way of rebuilding. Buddy Nix was renowned for letting the draft come to him and yet last year Whaley (and I know Nix was there) made the trade to drop down. Buddy's first pick was a RB...the league is now throwing the ball. As a result of his tenure the Bills were forced to draft a QB high when Nix was presumably pushed to the side in 2013 when Brandon took control. I've mentioned this in other threads, but there's a completely different dynamic to this year's draft: pending ownership change. And I believe that new owner wants to win now after investing big dollars to buy the franchise. The Doug's know this and need a player to help them win in 2014, not next year or 2016. We don't know where these rumors are about Buffalo wanting to trade up. McShay reported something and it's come up elsewhere. Perhaps it's subterfuge, perhaps not. But the writing is on the wall for Buffalo to win in 2014 or else.

Teams may have equal dollars to spend and there's a draft to supposedly level the playing field with talent. Neither though work when you have inferior football minds using them to build a team. And if the GM is the most important personnel guy, it makes sense that Buffalo couldn't get it done from 2006-2012. One would hope Whaley has a better plan than his predecessors and it doesn't include drafting more DB's, RB's, and small/fast skill players. That approach hasn't worked so well in the regimes before him.

Why draft a 3 technique DT when this team has its greatest strength at the position already? Since the new CBA, there's been 8 trades within or to get into the top 10 picks. 6 of those were not made to pick a QB. Question is, do you support EJ to take a blocker or a skill player? And then, are you willing to use future resources to do so? I think on the latter they are now that the Doug's backs are against the wall to win this year.

http://www.history.buffalobills.com/Pro+Bowl+Selections+(By+Year) Pro Bowl selections for this team post-Donahoe is a pretty narrow list. If that isn't emblematic of some poor drafting then nothing is. And to an earlier point, two of their Pro Bowl selections (Byrd and Peters) were permitted to sign elsewhere, one (Lynch) was traded and another signed via UFA (Mario). That leaves Kyle Williams and C.J. Spiller as the only Pro Bowlers drafted since 2006. Not good.

There really is no 2015 for Whaley and most likely Marrone without a playoff season in 2014. New ownership spending upwards of 1B for the team means they have to produce now or face losing their jobs. I expect to see them gamble and that could mean trading a pick in 2015 as a result.

There isn't a proven starting DE opposite Mario on the roster that fits Schwartz's scheme. And while I'm not going to say Schwartz = Wannstedt, both try to get pressure from their front 4. Alan Branch isn't going to do that for you and Jerry Hughes is a liability against the run. They need a base end who can get to the QB and hold their gap against the run. But I'd agree it's not a strong DE draft, certainly not for teams running the 4-3.

Mayock's had several opportunities to work in a front office but has turned them down. His excellent draft reputation is definitely earned. I like Jeremiah for his opinion, but also because unlike Charles Davis and other clowns, he doesn't think it's a sitcom environment.

That's a huge conflation of the argument. Sure, every team could upgrade, but the Bills' baseline at some positions is woeful. I've made the point repeatedly that they lack a DE opposite Mario in Schwartz's scheme. Right now I've got to believe Jarius Wynn is the guy, and he's a journeyman. Or there's Alan Branch who is a 43DT or 34DE, not someone I'd want in on 1st or 2nd down passing plays when Jerry Hughes is off the field. At RT, it's obvious Pears is at the end and needs replacement. Is he upright and somewhat healthy? Yeah, but he's not good. Hairston is a complete unknown. A lesser need might be safety and TE, but they should be improved sooner rather than later. This is a 6-10 team that lost Byrd and picked up Graham, B. Spikes, Keith Rivers and Chris Williams. Does that make them a 10-6 playoff team? I don't think it does. They need some serious upgrades.

Dallas doesn't need a LT, they've got Tyron Smith, while the Giants may need that guy-they drafted Justin Pugh in the first last year though. Both may need another OT though. At the same time, trading up is something you do when you're a player away. The Bills aren't that right now despite what they broadcast. They need help at RT, DE, TE and we don't know if Corey Graham can play safety because he's never done so in a 7 year career.

Martin may well be a versatile OL who is better than the other 3 higher ranked OT's. But he'd be a marketing nightmare for a franchise with a cloud of uncertainty over it. (Not that it'll move, just that we don't know the ownership situation right now). But this is what happens when you win meaningless games at the end of the season and find yourself drafting just after the top tier guys are off the board.

The chances of anyone getting the first half of the first round correct probably aren't much better than picking winners for all NCAA tournament games. Does that mean no one should try? Mayock's one of, if not the best in the business. If the standard of excellence is 100% then no one need apply.

Depending on how things shake out next Thursday, that's probably the best option. But I don't see anyone wanting to trade to 9. It's no man's land because by then the elite prospects are gone and the value for the next rung of players isn't enough to give up a 2nd IMO. I guess we'll see though because strange things happen.

Glennon is an upgrade over the 2 QB's selected ahead of him in the 2013 draft. At least at this point.

You have to wonder what OBD is collectively thinking right now. With the owner passing last month all of them must be concerned about their future and the likelihood is they aren't going deep in the playoffs this coming season. They want to make both an impact and have a splash to impress future ownership they can get it done. And trading away a first next season with another pick this year is the price they might be willing to pay to do it. This is the strangest off-season in the history of the team for the obvious reason. And that's going to affect their decision making process.

Would the Bills trade for Watkins after waving the white flag on 2 of Eugene Parker's clients? If not for the slotting of rookie deals since the last CBA, it'd be fun to watch contract negotiations.

Hughes isn't going to see the field enough on 1st and 2nd downs to be a DE in a 4-3. He's a quasi-situational pass rusher who generally struggles against the run.

If Schwartz is going to a 4-3, I'd be interested in who will be the (edit: RDE). Jarius Wynn is a career reserve, Lawson is undersized and doesn't fit the new defense, so do they draft someone and immediately start them? And if reports are correct that Graham will be the FS, well, he's learning a new position. That, and I'm not sure Keith Rivers is a guy you want on the field as much presuming he'll be playing the pass with Alonso when they go to a nickel alignment. The defense is by no means a slam dunk despite years of high draft picks and significant spending on UFA's. They'd better be top 10 this season or it could be a long one.

Who knows how far trade talks went, but there are now three coaching staffs who've not made Spiller a centerpiece of the offense. Clemson used Spiller in specific roles for 3 of his 4 years, as did Gailey until FJ went down in 2011. And last year, Marrone and Hackett managed to get him the ball 235 times in 15 games, somewhat the result of his being injured with that high ankle sprain. Spiller is too nicked up to be a guy that gets 20 carries a game. I think the greatest limitation Spiller has is not physical. Besides, how many years does it take a RB to "break out" and become a solid starter? Guy's been in the NFL 4 seasons now and couldn't get the starting gig until FJ was hurt.