finn

Given your assessment and assuming positive growth from him this year, do you think he could be an elite player? His inability to get separation, combined with his meh contested-catch rate, are pretty disappointing for such a high pick, but what about his prospects? Does he have a high ceiling, or is he going to be ordinary?

Agreed that it's too early to say. Much of my dismay comes from seeing this absolute gem of a quarterback with merely adequate receivers to throw to. Beane looks at last year's offensive production and says, "Good enough," since the team has needs elsewhere. But does he realize that the production could be better, even historically good, if he just provided Allen with the stars that all his top peers have? Allen is rivaling or surpassing them throwing to Mack Hollins and a washed-up Amari Cooper. How would he do with weapons like Justin Jefferson or Cee Dee Lamb? Not sure it's possible to make it happen at this point, though; the die is cast. Time for me and my ilk to stop fretting, complaining, and criticizing and get aboard the hype train. Go Bills!

I would have challenged Beane's premise. He's saying that since the offense was effective last year, it will be effective this year with the same players returning, plus Palmer. But he's assuming that Allen will have another MVP year, that he and Brady won't miss one of their most clutch players in Mack Hollins, and that other teams won't be better prepared to stop what the Bills did well. Optimistic posters here add that Kincaid and Coleman will be better. (Which reminds me of the annual cry, "This is the year Elam will show up!) In short, Beane is gambling. You can make an argument he had no choice with the defense so badly needing help. But he's leaving Allen and Brady with essentially the same JV squad of wide receivers and hoping that lightning will strike twice. All that said, I do think Allen will lift this squad, again. But he'll win despite his receivers (and Beane), not because of them.

"Dumb" is pretty strong language, bub, especially from someone with obvious reading problems. No need to apologize. We all have moments of utter stupidity.

Ah, the straw man argument is not dead. Did I say or imply that Coleman is beyond all hope or that not picking Royals means an early playoff exit for the Bills? If you want to respond, respond to the points I made, not to fictions. Again, I'm saying Royals would have been a more valuable pick than Walker because Allen can't do it alone; meanwhile, they're stacked at DT. Do you disagree?

I have no problems with a tub of goo at DT; I just think a guy who can stretch the field on key downs and stop defenses from cheating up would be more valuable, giving the short passing game and runners more room. He doesn't (didn't) need to be a fantastic, just good enough to pose a threat downfield, so a potentially bigger return on that fourth-round pick than Walker.

Ongoing conversation in another thread, but I'll just agree with those who are bewildered by Beane's lack of urgency on wide receivers. Mahomes has Rice, Hollywood Brown, Worthy, and now Royals. Burrow has two studs in Chase and Higgins. Hurts has DeVonta and AJ Brown. Allen? Shakir, who has never had a 1000 yard season, Coleman, a slow possession receiver who wasn't even catching jump balls late last year, Palmer, who is supposed to be the second coming of Jerry Rice but who the receiver-starved Chargers happily let go, Samuels, who we keep making excuses for, and a bunch of practice squad level players. Color me underwhelmed. Meanwhile, he continues to dump--DUMP--resources into the defensive line. Lovely to have, what, four big investments in the DT position, but at the expense of mediocrity at another key position? Maybe he's planning to trade for Pickens or someone. But I doubt it. As others have said, he's probably thinking, "Hey, Allen and the running game did it all last year, so let's assume they'll be able to do the same again this year. What could go wrong?" Let's watch Jalen Royals, whom he could have picked instead of Walker. I really, really hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling it's not going to be pretty.

Man, if Jalen Royals, drafted by KC one pick after the Bills passed on him, turns into a star a year after the Bills passed on Worthy, we're never going to hear the end of it, especially if Coleman and Walker don't pan out.

I agree with this analysis, except I think they should have picked a free safety in the fourth round, Billy Bowman, for example, instead of waiting until the sixth round. The Walker pick seemed like a luxury they couldn't afford with needs at safety, WR, and LB. Still, Walker might end up being a stud if he gets in shape.

That's an understatement. Have we ever seen him do more than catch the ball, usually less than ten yards down the field, and immediately get tackled?

It's because they gave up on Boogie Basham too soon! 😃

Meanwhile, Allen ranks first of all quarterbacks in the past five years in playoff EPA. In short, when it counts the most, the best quarterback in the league is carrying the worst defense in the league. It's about time they addressed the problem.

Or maybe the Alec Anderson experiment is over? Maybe they want at least a small receiving threat in addition to the in-line blocking.

Backup to Taron and whoever plays free safety. Works for me.

Ah.

Is Isaiah Bond falling because of character issues? He's a top-100 player according to Bruegel. Might be a nice pick for the Bills with one of the fifth round picks. Maybe his teammates can improve his character if that's the problem.

I'm surprised all of them don't break down like Jackson. Think of the pressure on these young guys. National TV is watching as the picks go by, your family, friends, everyone you know in the world watching to see how worthy you are in the eyes of the professionals. How do you stay stoic? (And why should you?)

Right. Trying to define athleticism is like defining pornography (according to Lewis Powell): You know it when you see it.

Agree. The team obviously needed a CB, but in my view the need for a safety was/is more than DT and DE. The Bills defense was elite a few years ago, but when they lost Poyer and Hyde, the wheels fell off. I like the Sanders pick, but I think the Bills would have done better picking Malaki Starks as a true ball-hawking free safety, allowing Bishop to play his natural strong-safety position. The Bills had it right a few years ago with Poyer and Hyde, just as Baltimore has it right with Hamilton and now Starks, and the Eagles with DeJean and now Mukuba (both 2nd round picks, incidentally). Beane sees Mahomes crushed like a tin can in the Super Bowl and thinks "pass rush." But he should be thinking "safety."

I always wonder about that term. His RAS score is elite (speed, jumps, etc.), but he's universally described as "stiff," with little ability to bend or dip around the corner. To me, an athlete is someone who is fast and quick but also able to move effortlessly, like Bruce Smith or Von Miller. This guy reminds me more Phil Hansen. That's no insult, either. A nice player, but "athletic"? We need a term for "fast and quick but not particularly supple."

But he needs someone to throw it to besides JV players, castoffs, and Shakir.

It's one way to beat a perennially low draft position. Let's hope it blows up in their faces.

I did!😁

Where do you see DeWayne Carter fitting in? Is McBeane looking for all his interior players to be able to play both tackle positions?

Exactly. Hoping they'll be good isn't the same as they're being good. Rapp is merely adequate when he's healthy, and Bishop is a projection. He could be another Elam for all we know. Yes, he missed time in training camp, but he certainly didn't wow the coaches over the course of the season. I'm hopeful but not at all confident. If you have just one bad safety, like Hamlin, it screws up the whole defense. If he has a Kincaid-like sophomore year, they'll have two meh players and a rookies starting in the secondary.