Bills need to make their 1st round pick the right one

[manbeast]

Actually, I googled the draft history from 1998 to the present.

 

Our draft picks, especially since 1998 have been more misses than hits. Granted, the draft is a crap shoot, but for how long can one team make the wrong choices?

I really believe we have had the wrong people to develope the talent.

[Jerry Jabber]

I really believe we have had the wrong people to develope the talent.

 

I agree with that.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Everytime I read this, I wonder which way they might have gone in 2008 instead if they had taken Revis the previous year. I don't know the drafts/talent enough to know what was available at the time.

Everyone would have complained that we drafted another DB.

 

Our first round draft choices aren't as bad as you think.

Kota, love ya and all...but care to argue your point? Otherwise, why bother to respond?

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I really believe we have had the wrong people to develope the talent.

 

 

I agree with that.

And that goes for both of you guys too...although JJ gets a pass here...must be exhausted from all that typing.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Could you imagine if all our discussions were this succinct?

[tonyjustbcuz]

For over 10 years now, the Bills have had more misses than hits when it comes to their 1st round draft pick(s). With either choosing the wrong player, trading for veterans that didn't last (Rob Johnson, Drew Bledsoe) or trading up in the draft, is a huge reason why the Bills have failed to make the playoffs this past decade. A team's 1st round draft choice is suppose to be a guy that usually stays for 10 to 15 years (depending upon the position they play). Here's the Bills 1st round draft picks since 1998:

1998: Traded 1st round pick to Jacksonville for Rob "I Fallen and can't get up" Johnson. Jacksonville chooses RB Fred Taylor with our pick. Fred Taylor would have been a great choice since Thurman Thomas' career was winding down at that point. Instead, we use our 9th pick on a player that was with us for 4 years and was a huge bust.

1999: Antoine Winfield. Great pick, but the Bills chose not to resign Winfield and he was gone after 5 years.

2000: Erik Flowers. Do I need to say more?!

2001: Nate Clements. A good pick but wanted too much money to stay. I don't blame the Bills for not wanting to pay him 8 years, $80 million.

2002: Mike Williams. Donahoe made a huge error in picking Williams over Bryant McKinnie. Williams was on the Bills for 4 years before he was sent packing, while McKinnie is still a starting tackle for the Minnesota Vikings.

2003: Willis McGahee. This was a waste of a pick, considering Travis Henry had 1,438 rushing yards, 13 rushing TD's and 309 receiving yards the season before.

2004: Lee Evans (13th) J.P. Losman (22nd). Evans is a good WR, but he has been inconsistent. Evans would be a great #2 WR to a bigger, more physical #1 WR. Evans lacks the size to be a true #1 WR since he is unable outmuscle DB's and outleap them. Not a bad pick by any means. J.P. Losman lasted 5 years on the team but was badly mismanaged and showed he didn't have what it took to be a full-time starter in the NFL. Donahoe traded our 1st round 2005 pick for Losman which proved to be a big mistake.

2006: Donte Whitner (8th) John McCargo (26th). Marv Levy decided to choose Whitner over Haloti Ngata, that one still has Bills fans scratching their heads... Obviously, that was a huge mistake, but Levy felt he could trade back up into the 1st round and grab a DT. McCargo has been a bust and is still on the team.

2007: Marshawn "20 Dollar" Lynch. It has been rumored that Levy/Jauron wanted shut-down corner Derrell Revis, but Ralph Wilson wanted Lynch. Lynch is a good RB, but it looks like he could be trade bait and IMO was the wrong choice.

2008: Leodis "Take a knee" McKelvin. It's still too early to say if he was the right or wrong choice. McKelvin has shown some promise, but had Bills fans cursing his name after fumbling a kickoff return in the season opener against the dreaded Patriots in 2009.

2009: Aaron Maybin (11th) Eric Wood (28th). Like McKelvin, it's too early to pass judgment, but so far, Maybin looks like the second coming of Erik Flowers. This was another pick that had Bills fans scratching their heads when Michael Oher and Brian Orakpo were still on the board. Let's hope our new coaches can make Maybin into a good LB. So far, so good with Eric Wood. Wood looked great in the games he played in and everyone wishes him a speedy recovery.

 

Buddy Nix has said he plans to draft well and fill in some holes in free agency using middle of the road guys. So far, Nix & co have only signed two free agents. I like Nix's philosophy that he plans to spend the big money on the players he drafts and those he wants to resign. But, with the Bills not making a big splash in free agency so far, it's hard to get excited about the upcoming season. If Nix's philosophy works, like it did in San Diego, then we'll have a powerhouse team for many years. So if it will take a year or two of missing the playoffs and going through growing pains with the Bills (again) to make this team into a long-term winner, then I'm all for it. Let's all hope that Nix's draft choices, especially the 1st rounders are home runs and not pop flys.

 

 

Wow, just too long to bother read!! I'm moving on...didn't want a book just a blog..If you have to go through all that to make a simple point about the importance of your 1st round pick...then your just trying to convince yourself I suppose!

Thanks For playing

[sharper802]

Draft is a total crap shoot. What makes the Bills draft history so horrid is the amount of picks they have given up to move up in the draft or given away for aging players. What do the Pats do? Trade back unless a superstud like Mayo falls to them in a pick that wasnt't theirs to begin with. They trade away aging veterans like Bledsoe and Seymour to sad sack franchises like the Bills and Raiders. The Bills have continually made the mistake of targetting certain players - Losman, McCargo, Poz, instead of letting players fall to them or trading back to acquire more picks. That is why this team has no depth, no offensive line prospects except Bell, and doesn't hit in training camp(simply not enough bodies).

[SawchukBills]

Hindsight is always 20/20, but you can't help but imagine if we had Haloti Ngata and Derrel Revis on the team. I would have loved to see Ngata & Stroud paired up as our DT's and Revis & McGee paired up in the backfield. IMO, they would have made a big difference on our defense.

 

Hindsight is always 20/20...but you could probably look at any team's draft picks and say "if they grab him instead"...

 

Past is the past...but I think we can all agree with the signings of Davis/Edwards we at least have some bright spots to look forward to.

[Celtic_soulja]

For over 10 years now, the Bills have had more misses than hits when it comes to their 1st round draft pick(s). With either choosing the wrong player, trading for veterans that didn't last (Rob Johnson, Drew Bledsoe) or trading up in the draft, is a huge reason why the Bills have failed to make the playoffs this past decade. A team's 1st round draft choice is suppose to be a guy that usually stays for 10 to 15 years (depending upon the position they play). Here's the Bills 1st round draft picks since 1998:

1998: Traded 1st round pick to Jacksonville for Rob "I Fallen and can't get up" Johnson. Jacksonville chooses RB Fred Taylor with our pick. Fred Taylor would have been a great choice since Thurman Thomas' career was winding down at that point. Instead, we use our 9th pick on a player that was with us for 4 years and was a huge bust.

1999: Antoine Winfield. Great pick, but the Bills chose not to resign Winfield and he was gone after 5 years.

2000: Erik Flowers. Do I need to say more?!

2001: Nate Clements. A good pick but wanted too much money to stay. I don't blame the Bills for not wanting to pay him 8 years, $80 million.

2002: Mike Williams. Donahoe made a huge error in picking Williams over Bryant McKinnie. Williams was on the Bills for 4 years before he was sent packing, while McKinnie is still a starting tackle for the Minnesota Vikings.

2003: Willis McGahee. This was a waste of a pick, considering Travis Henry had 1,438 rushing yards, 13 rushing TD's and 309 receiving yards the season before.

2004: Lee Evans (13th) J.P. Losman (22nd). Evans is a good WR, but he has been inconsistent. Evans would be a great #2 WR to a bigger, more physical #1 WR. Evans lacks the size to be a true #1 WR since he is unable outmuscle DB's and outleap them. Not a bad pick by any means. J.P. Losman lasted 5 years on the team but was badly mismanaged and showed he didn't have what it took to be a full-time starter in the NFL. Donahoe traded our 1st round 2005 pick for Losman which proved to be a big mistake.

2006: Donte Whitner (8th) John McCargo (26th). Marv Levy decided to choose Whitner over Haloti Ngata, that one still has Bills fans scratching their heads... Obviously, that was a huge mistake, but Levy felt he could trade back up into the 1st round and grab a DT. McCargo has been a bust and is still on the team.

2007: Marshawn "20 Dollar" Lynch. It has been rumored that Levy/Jauron wanted shut-down corner Derrell Revis, but Ralph Wilson wanted Lynch. Lynch is a good RB, but it looks like he could be trade bait and IMO was the wrong choice.

2008: Leodis "Take a knee" McKelvin. It's still too early to say if he was the right or wrong choice. McKelvin has shown some promise, but had Bills fans cursing his name after fumbling a kickoff return in the season opener against the dreaded Patriots in 2009.

2009: Aaron Maybin (11th) Eric Wood (28th). Like McKelvin, it's too early to pass judgment, but so far, Maybin looks like the second coming of Erik Flowers. This was another pick that had Bills fans scratching their heads when Michael Oher and Brian Orakpo were still on the board. Let's hope our new coaches can make Maybin into a good LB. So far, so good with Eric Wood. Wood looked great in the games he played in and everyone wishes him a speedy recovery.

 

Buddy Nix has said he plans to draft well and fill in some holes in free agency using middle of the road guys. So far, Nix & co have only signed two free agents. I like Nix's philosophy that he plans to spend the big money on the players he drafts and those he wants to resign. But, with the Bills not making a big splash in free agency so far, it's hard to get excited about the upcoming season. If Nix's philosophy works, like it did in San Diego, then we'll have a powerhouse team for many years. So if it will take a year or two of missing the playoffs and going through growing pains with the Bills (again) to make this team into a long-term winner, then I'm all for it. Let's all hope that Nix's draft choices, especially the 1st rounders are home runs and not pop flys.

 

I see those picks much differently...We looked to have only missed on Flowers and Williams...and maybe Maybin depending on the transition...all the others have been probowl players right?...Clements was a beast just couldn't hold on to him...McKelvin no probowl but a return man, other than that stupid fumble, has been ridiculously good and a good cover guy as well...Donte is a good SS they just move him to every position but punter...Wood is a beast...Evans is a beast...McGahee, yeah we didn't need a RB, but whatever he was still a beast...Marshawn hehehehe yeah he's a beast...so I don't think we've faired badly in the draft really...just not drafting to our needs properly and not building up the true winners...THE BIG FAT MIDDLE GUYS...we need to beef the trenches up and we win...period

[iinii]

brilliant

[smapdi]

I see those picks much differently...We looked to have only missed on Flowers and Williams...and maybe Maybin depending on the transition...all the others have been probowl players right?...Clements was a beast just couldn't hold on to him...McKelvin no probowl but a return man, other than that stupid fumble, has been ridiculously good and a good cover guy as well...Donte is a good SS they just move him to every position but punter...Wood is a beast...Evans is a beast...McGahee, yeah we didn't need a RB, but whatever he was still a beast...Marshawn hehehehe yeah he's a beast...so I don't think we've faired badly in the draft really...just not drafting to our needs properly and not building up the true winners...THE BIG FAT MIDDLE GUYS...we need to beef the trenches up and we win...period

 

Have you watched any of the games this decade?

 

McKelvin has only proven he can't stay healthy for a full season. He has shown glimpses of being a good corner but hasn't proven anything

 

Whitner is a terrible SS. Too small to do anything. He lost his job to a undrafted, backup WR who outplayed him in every facet of the game last year (Wilson). Hopefully he is traded for a 5th or 6th round pick before draft.

 

McGahee was an absolute terrible pick with T.Henry coming off a monster year and holes in both lines

 

Lynch is not a beast. He is one mess up away from being suspended the whole year. He came in out of shape and lost his job to an undrafted RB out of a division III school.

 

This team has been in the basement of the NFL for the past decade because of their terrible drafting. They have no playmakers on the roster other then Jairus Byrd right now.

 

Luckily, Buddy Nix is taking the draft over and knows what he is doing. He found pro-bowler after pro-bowler in SD and I expect him to do the same here

[Celtic_soulja]

Have you watched any of the games this decade?

 

McKelvin has only proven he can't stay healthy for a full season. He has shown glimpses of being a good corner but hasn't proven anything

 

Whitner is a terrible SS. Too small to do anything. He lost his job to a undrafted, backup WR who outplayed him in every facet of the game last year (Wilson). Hopefully he is traded for a 5th or 6th round pick before draft.

 

McGahee was an absolute terrible pick with T.Henry coming off a monster year and holes in both lines

 

Lynch is not a beast. He is one mess up away from being suspended the whole year. He came in out of shape and lost his job to an undrafted RB out of a division III school.

 

This team has been in the basement of the NFL for the past decade because of their terrible drafting. They have no playmakers on the roster other then Jairus Byrd right now.

 

Luckily, Buddy Nix is taking the draft over and knows what he is doing. He found pro-bowler after pro-bowler in SD and I expect him to do the same here

 

Please...Lynch got caught with a legit gun, just in the wrong place...he's still a nasty RB....Whitner is a great SS...you're smokin...our secondary has not been the problem over the past decade...not even slightly...our front seven have been garbage...as in 7 yards per carry and no sacks outside of Shobel...you can't cover forever...and if Whitner is so horrible...why do they put him at corner, FS, SS...all over the place?...he's only been in the league four years...FOUR YEARS AND HAS EXPERIENCE PLAYING EVERY POSITION IN THE SECONDARY...please...no he isn't going to give you eight picks like byrd, but he gets a few and mixes that with tackles aplenty...you're insane if you think Donte Whitner isn't a player...

 

Then you have Leodis...he hasn't been on the field enough to judge his corner skills fine...but he's a playmaker and we've seen that...

 

Drafting poorly has been a problem..but not drafting poor players...drafting the wrong positions...and Where is the great travis Henry now???? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm you're quick to bash Lynch and then say we shouldn't have drafted a Henry replacement...yeah...good judge of character pal oh and lets not forget the sixteen fumbles a year part of Travis Henry's illustrious career here in Buffalo.......yeah no problem there, we're used to the turnovers right?...please...gimme a break

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I see those picks much differently...We looked to have only missed on Flowers and Williams...and maybe Maybin depending on the transition...all the others have been probowl players right?...Clements was a beast just couldn't hold on to him...McKelvin no probowl but a return man, other than that stupid fumble, has been ridiculously good and a good cover guy as well...Donte is a good SS they just move him to every position but punter...Wood is a beast...Evans is a beast...McGahee, yeah we didn't need a RB, but whatever he was still a beast...Marshawn hehehehe yeah he's a beast...so I don't think we've faired badly in the draft really...just not drafting to our needs properly and not building up the true winners...THE BIG FAT MIDDLE GUYS...we need to beef the trenches up and we win...period

Don't totally agree with your take, but nicely written. Especially the Marshawn part.

 

As was pointed out, we've done a bad job of retaining our best players.

 

Also, the jury is out on a few of our more recent picks.

 

And our trade-ups (McCargo, Posluszny) and quarterback trades (Rob Johnson and Drew Bledsoe) have been pretty ineffectual.

 

In truth the drafts have been average at best. And when factoring all the other ways this organization has botched up, it's no wonder we are where we are now.

 

Good day in the free agent department, though.

[Celtic_soulja]

Yeah I think with adding Davis and Edwards we have done alot for a day...We get a fat blob in the middle and our Defense looks more than respectable...the offense is a mess, but as long as we run 40 times a game we got a shot to do some damage...get another couple tackles and see how it goes I guess...GO BILLS

[Jerry Jabber]

Wow, just too long to bother read!! I'm moving on...didn't want a book just a blog..If you have to go through all that to make a simple point about the importance of your 1st round pick...then your just trying to convince yourself I suppose!

Thanks For playing

 

Why don't you get a life, get a job and quit living in your parents basement.

[Jerry Jabber]

Yeah I think with adding Davis and Edwards we have done alot for a day...We get a fat blob in the middle and our Defense looks more than respectable...the offense is a mess, but as long as we run 40 times a game we got a shot to do some damage...get another couple tackles and see how it goes I guess...GO BILLS

 

I hoping we draft a solid LT in the 1st and a NT in the 2nd. It doesn't matter who our QB will be if they don't have time to throw. Besides drafting a LT, we also need depth on the O-line, so hopefully we'll pick up another O-lineman in the later rounds, because I don't want to see D. Bell back on the field.