Buddy Nix's Bills' draft history (sort of) - 1993 - 2000

[dave mcbride]

He was hired by Butler in 1993, so probably didn't play much of a role in the 1993 draft. Still, I'm including it, but I'm not attaching comments. Here's a look at the SEC guys they drafted along with guys from that general region (who he presumably scouted for Butler).

 

1993:

 

Thomas Smith (rd 1, UNC)

Russell Copeland (rd 3, Memphis)

Sebastian Savage (rd 5, NC State)

Willie Harris (rd 7, Miss. State)

 

1994:

 

Bucky Brooks (rd 2, UNC) - may well have been a very good player if not for a devastating knee injury

Friggin' Lonnie (rd 2, second pick, FSU) - not a complete bust, but not certainly not a great pick

Marlo Perry (rd 3, Jackson State) - decent but certainly not great production for a 3rd rounder

Courey Louchiey (rd 4, South Carolina) - basically sucked, but all fourth rounders are reaches at some level

Sean Crocker (rd 4, UNC) - who?

Anthony Abrams (rd 6, Clark Atlanta)

Kevin Knox (rd 6, FSU)

 

1995:

 

Damien Covington (rd 3, NC State) - good pick; played like a demon before a career ending injury

Ken Irvin (rd 4, Memphis) - good pick

 

1996:

 

Eric Moulds (rd 1, Miss. State) - home run

Gabe Northern (rd 2, LSU) - ground out

Matt Stevens (rd 3, Appalachian State) - all in all, a good pick; played a number of years in the league; bad luck w/injuries

 

1997:

 

(Note: I'm not sure if he was involved with the U of Houston program - Antowain Smith [rd 1] and Marcus Spriggs [rd 6]. I'm guessing not.)

Jamie Nails (rd 4, Florida A & M) - typical Bills OT pick in the 90s (big and slow), but lasted long enough to justify his pick

Sean Woodson (rd 5, Jackson State)

 

 

1998:

 

Sam Cowart (rd 2, FSU) - home run; as good as Ray Lewis before the injury

Robert Hicks (rd 3, Ole Miss) - a bust, more or less; typical Bills OT pick - huge guy w/out much mobility

Jonathan Linton (rd 5, UNC) - not great, but not horrible production for a fifth rounder. He led the Bills in rushing in 2000.

 

1999:

 

Peerless Price (rd 2, Tennessee) - good pick

Shawn Bryson (rd 3, Tennessee) - good pick; possibly a home run if not for the injuries. That guy was a talent.

Keith Newman (rd 4, UNC) - good pick

Bobby Collins (rd 4, N. Alabama) - not what we had hoped (he allegedly was talented)

 

2000:

 

Travares Tillman (rd 2, Georgia Tech) - bad pick, but I don't blame Nix. The Bills desperately needed a safety and reached after Deon Grant (Tennessee) went the pick before Tillman. They really, really wanted Mike Brown, but he went earlier that round. After that, they wanted Grant, but lost out. They settled for Tillman, which was a bad move in the end.

Corey Moore (rd 3, Virginia Tech) - not a good pick; small and quick guy who couldn't play LB

Avion Black (rd 4, Tennessee State) - amounted to nothing

[GG]

Dave,

 

You do have to admit the remarkable attribute of how many of those guys not only made the roster of a very good football team, but were key contributors. There's no doubting his scouting acumen. The big question is will he be able to handle the whole job - or more importantly did Wilson truly give him the full football operation?

 

I guess we'll know very soon.

[CardinalScotts]

Good research Dave this is exactly what I was wondering. All in all like most draft some good some bad some in between- except for the year 2000- already headed out??

[SDS]

to complete the analysis - you would need to look at the SEC players available to us during those picks and decide if we choose "poorly" or chose "wisely".

[Lv-Bills]

to complete the analysis - you would need to look at the SEC players available to us during those picks and decide if we choose "poorly" or chose "wisely".

Not SEC, but see "the Orakpo vs. Maybin" theory!

[DrDawkinstein]

great analysis dave, thanks for taking the time to put that together.

 

id be even more interested in seeing SAN DIEGO's drafts from 2001-2007, since they were building a team much like he is going to do here.

 

ill try to pull that info and post it here...

[dave mcbride]

to complete the analysis - you would need to look at the SEC players available to us during those picks and decide if we choose "poorly" or chose "wisely".

That's beyond my power!

[dave mcbride]

Dave,

 

You do have to admit the remarkable attribute of how many of those guys not only made the roster of a very good football team, but were key contributors. There's no doubting his scouting acumen. The big question is will he be able to handle the whole job - or more importantly did Wilson truly give him the full football operation?

 

I guess we'll know very soon.

I agree. The Bills picked well in the 1990s. See what I've bolded above. That's how I feel at this point. I'm withholding judgment, but I do think that the process (as characterized by Ralph, so I take it with a grain of salt) was characteristically mercurial and unprofessional.

[dave mcbride]

great analysis dave, thanks for taking the time to put that together.

 

id be even more interested in seeing SAN DIEGO's drafts from 2001-2007, since they were building a team much like he is going to do here.

 

ill try to pull that info and post it here...

Thanks - that'll be appreciated.

[dave mcbride]

Good research Dave this is exactly what I was wondering. All in all like most draft some good some bad some in between- except for the year 2000- already headed out??

You know, that's what everyone says about the 2000 draft, but my recollection is that the Bills wanted Ahmad Plummer in rd 1 but lost out to the Niners, and wanted Mike Brown/Deon Grant in rd 2 but lost out to the Bears/Panthers. A combination of bad luck and shaky decision-making after their primary options disappeared, basically.

[Conch]

Sam Cowart (rd 2, FSU) - home run; as good as Ray Lewis before the injury

 

Good article but I do take exception for this statement. Sam was good but not great. But as a homer you are allowed one.

[GG]

Gotta agree with Dave on this one. I don't think I remember a Bills LB take over games like Cowart did. Biscuit had the ability but not the temperament to play inside.

 

FU Frank Middleton

[DrDawkinstein]

ok, first off, i fully realize that this comparison doesnt really mean anything, and Butler/AJ Smith was the guy in charge at SD, and that the Chargers had different needs, and... well the list of variables could go on. but here is a "10,000ft view" of the way Nix's team drafted to build the Chargers. take from it what you will.

 

2001 - Draft Slot: 1st

1 LaDanian Tomlinson - RB (traded back to #4)

2 Drew Brees - QB

3 Tay Cody - CB

4 Carlos Polk - OLB

5 Elliot Silvers - T

5b Zeke Moreno - ILB

7 Brandon Gorin - T

 

2002 - Draft Slot: 5th

1 Quentin Jammer - CB

2 Toniu Fonoti - G

2b Reche Caldwell - WR

3 Ben Leber - LB

4 Justin Peelle - TE

5 Terry Charles - WR

6 Matt Anderle - T

7 Seth Burford - QB

 

2003 - Draft Slot: 15th

1 Sammy Davis - CB (traded back to 30)

2 Drayton Florence - CB

2b Terrence Kiel - S

3 Courtney VanBuren - T

4 Matt Wilhelm - LB

5 Mike Scifres - P

6 Hanik Milligan - S

7 Andrew Pinnock - FB

(Undrafted FA: Kris Dielman - G and Antonio Gates - TE)

 

2004 - Draft Slot: 1st

1 Eli Manning traded to #4 Giants for Philip Rivers - QB

2 Igor Olshansky - DT

3 Nate Keading - K

3b Nick Hardwick - C

4 Shaun Phillips - DE

5 Dave Ball - DE

5b Michael Turner - RB

6 Ryan Krause - TE

7 Ryon Bingham - DT

7b Shane Olivea - T

7c Carlos Joseph - T

(Undrafted FA: Wes Welker - WR and Malcom Floyd - WR)

 

2005 - Draft Slot: 28th

1 Shawne Merriman - LB (#12 from Giants)

1b Luis Castillo - DT

2 Vincent Jackson - WR

4 Darren Sproles - RB

5 Wesley Britt - T

6 Wes Sims - T

7 Scott Mruczkowski - C

 

2006 - Draft Slot: 19th

1 Antonio Cromartie - CB

2 Marcus McNeil - T

3 Charlie Whitehurst - QB

5 Tim Dobbins - LB

6 Jeromy Clary - T

6b Kurt Smith - K

7 Chase Page - DT

7b Jimmy Martin - T

 

2007 - Draft Slot: 30th

1 Craig Davis - WR

2 Eric Weddle - S (traded their 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round picks to move up to 37)

3 Anthony Waters - LB (supplemental)

4 Scott Chandler - TE

5 Legedu Naanee - WR (supplemental)

6 (traded pick for Billy Volek)

7 Brandon Siler - LB

[aristocrat]

sd's drafts from 04-06 are just rediculous...if are next 3 drafts are close to that then we will have some fun games in the future...

[fansince88]

great analysis dave, thanks for taking the time to put that together.

 

id be even more interested in seeing SAN DIEGO's drafts from 2001-2007, since they were building a team much like he is going to do here.

 

ill try to pull that info and post it here...

Work on that Dave. You Da Man!!

[jester43]

Sam Cowart (rd 2, FSU) - home run; as good as Ray Lewis before the injury

 

Good article but I do take exception for this statement. Sam was good but not great. But as a homer you are allowed one.

sam was better than "good" he was a monster until that cheapshot in tampa from frank middleton. he wasn't as good as lewis, but he was damn close.

[Kettle Creek Football]

He was hired by Butler in 1993, so probably didn't play much of a role in the 1993 draft. Still, I'm including it, but I'm not attaching comments. Here's a look at the SEC guys they drafted along with guys from that general region (who he presumably scouted for Butler).

 

1993:

 

Thomas Smith (rd 1, UNC)

Russell Copeland (rd 3, Memphis)

Sebastian Savage (rd 5, NC State)

Willie Harris (rd 7, Miss. State)

 

1994:

 

Bucky Brooks (rd 2, UNC) - may well have been a very good player if not for a devastating knee injury

Friggin' Lonnie (rd 2, second pick, FSU) - not a complete bust, but not certainly not a great pick

Marlo Perry (rd 3, Jackson State) - decent but certainly not great production for a 3rd rounder

Courey Louchiey (rd 4, South Carolina) - basically sucked, but all fourth rounders are reaches at some level

Sean Crocker (rd 4, UNC) - who?

Anthony Abrams (rd 6, Clark Atlanta)

Kevin Knox (rd 6, FSU)

 

1995:

 

Damien Covington (rd 3, NC State) - good pick; played like a demon before a career ending injury

Ken Irvin (rd 4, Memphis) - good pick

 

1996:

 

Eric Moulds (rd 1, Miss. State) - home run

Gabe Northern (rd 2, LSU) - ground out

Matt Stevens (rd 3, Appalachian State) - all in all, a good pick; played a number of years in the league; bad luck w/injuries

 

1997:

 

(Note: I'm not sure if he was involved with the U of Houston program - Antowain Smith [rd 1] and Marcus Spriggs [rd 6]. I'm guessing not.)

Jamie Nails (rd 4, Florida A & M) - typical Bills OT pick in the 90s (big and slow), but lasted long enough to justify his pick

Sean Woodson (rd 5, Jackson State)

 

 

1998:

 

Sam Cowart (rd 2, FSU) - home run; as good as Ray Lewis before the injury

Robert Hicks (rd 3, Ole Miss) - a bust, more or less; typical Bills OT pick - huge guy w/out much mobility

Jonathan Linton (rd 5, UNC) - not great, but not horrible production for a fifth rounder. He led the Bills in rushing in 2000.

 

1999:

 

Peerless Price (rd 2, Tennessee) - good pick

Shawn Bryson (rd 3, Tennessee) - good pick; possibly a home run if not for the injuries. That guy was a talent.

Keith Newman (rd 4, UNC) - good pick

Bobby Collins (rd 4, N. Alabama) - not what we had hoped (he allegedly was talented)

 

2000:

 

Travares Tillman (rd 2, Georgia Tech) - bad pick, but I don't blame Nix. The Bills desperately needed a safety and reached after Deon Grant (Tennessee) went the pick before Tillman. They really, really wanted Mike Brown, but he went earlier that round. After that, they wanted Grant, but lost out. They settled for Tillman, which was a bad move in the end.

Corey Moore (rd 3, Virginia Tech) - not a good pick; small and quick guy who couldn't play LB

Avion Black (rd 4, Tennessee State) - amounted to nothing

Instead of comparing Nix's Bills drafts to Chargers drafts, we should compare both of those groups to the Bills' 2001-2008 drafts.

[CardinalScotts]

Cool down on the Orakpo hall of fame ballots the guy has 4 against the crappy raiders and 3 more against the crappy lions-bucs and chiefs combined that his 7 of 11. He's had a real good year on a real bad team- do we go down the list on one year wonders or a great year

[DrDawkinstein]

sd's drafts from 04-06 are just rediculous...if are next 3 drafts are close to that then we will have some fun games in the future...

 

or on the flip side, if our next draft is like his 2003 draft, this place will melt down

[PushthePile]

ok, first off, i fully realize that this comparison doesnt really mean anything, and Butler/AJ Smith was the guy in charge at SD, and that the Chargers had different needs, and... well the list of variables could go on. but here is a "10,000ft view" of the way Nix's team drafted to build the Chargers. take from it what you will.

 

2001 - Draft Slot: 1st

1 LaDanian Tomlinson - RB (traded back to #4)

2 Drew Brees - QB

3 Tay Cody - CB

4 Carlos Polk - OLB

5 Elliot Silvers - T

5b Zeke Moreno - ILB

7 Brandon Gorin - T

 

2002 - Draft Slot: 5th

1 Quentin Jammer - CB

2 Toniu Fonoti - G

2b Reche Caldwell - WR

3 Ben Leber - LB

4 Justin Peelle - TE

5 Terry Charles - WR

6 Matt Anderle - T

7 Seth Burford - QB

 

2003 - Draft Slot: 15th

1 Sammy Davis - CB (traded back to 30)

2 Drayton Florence - CB

2b Terrence Kiel - S

3 Courtney VanBuren - T

4 Matt Wilhelm - LB

5 Mike Scifres - P

6 Hanik Milligan - S

7 Andrew Pinnock - FB

(Undrafted FA: Kris Dielman - G and Antonio Gates - TE)

 

2004 - Draft Slot: 1st

1 Eli Manning traded to #4 Giants for Philip Rivers - QB

2 Igor Olshansky - DT

3 Nate Keading - K

3b Nick Hardwick - C

4 Shaun Phillips - DE

5 Dave Ball - DE

5b Michael Turner - RB

6 Ryan Krause - TE

7 Ryon Bingham - DT

7b Shane Olivea - T

7c Carlos Joseph - T

(Undrafted FA: Wes Welker - WR and Malcom Floyd - WR)

 

2005 - Draft Slot: 28th

1 Shawne Merriman - LB (#12 from Giants)

1b Luis Castillo - DT

2 Vincent Jackson - WR

4 Darren Sproles - RB

5 Wesley Britt - T

6 Wes Sims - T

7 Scott Mruczkowski - C

 

2006 - Draft Slot: 19th

1 Antonio Cromartie - CB

2 Marcus McNeil - T

3 Charlie Whitehurst - QB

5 Tim Dobbins - LB

6 Jeromy Clary - T

6b Kurt Smith - K

7 Chase Page - DT

7b Jimmy Martin - T

 

2007 - Draft Slot: 30th

1 Craig Davis - WR

2 Eric Weddle - S (traded their 2nd, 3rd, and 5th round picks to move up to 37)

3 Anthony Waters - LB (supplemental)

4 Scott Chandler - TE

5 Legedu Naanee - WR (supplemental)

6 (traded pick for Billy Volek)

7 Brandon Siler - LB

Some great drafts in there. I'm not sure if anyone has pointed out the number of high picks spent on secondary players and skill positions. Actually not one lineman, on either side of the ball, was picked in the first round. This will eventually send a few of our high strung posters into a frenzy. ( correction DT Castillo was the second first rounder in 05)

 

...... waiting on Billinthebigapple