OCinBuffalo Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 Uhhhh....Bruce Smith? How is that not at the top of everybody's list? You knew the Bills were going to take him, and they took him, you knew he was going to be a HOFer, and he was. And, then there's the day I came home from school, went to take a dump, picked up the paper and the headline read "Bills could get Kelly", followed closely by "Bills get Jim Kelly from Defunct USFL". That was a hell of a day too.
uncle flap Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 due to my age, i don't have the pleasure of recalling picks from the bills' heyday. also, i'm cursed by my painful optimism. i was ecstatic when marshawn was picked. he is still one of my favorite players and i loved him in college. i was also really pumped about maybin. i honestly thought he'd be a difference maker. serves me right for putting too much faith in the bills brass to make the right decision. i do wonder where he would've gone if they didn't pick him where they did. like i said, i'm so optimistic so no pick has really made me vomit, at least in the first round. there have been a bunch of 2nd and 3rd round head-scracthers over the past few years tho.
Chandler#81 Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 Not technically our 1st round pick, but the Colts pick who never played a down for them, was Cornelius Bennett. I felt he would be the last piece on defense to put us over the hump. He was off the board @ our pick so we 'settled' on Conlan.. That was a helluva Halloween that year. Both guys ended up Co-Defensive ROY's. BTW, Biscuit did play for the Colts -just many years later.. My pick: OJ. It was touch and go between us and the equally woeful Eagles that year and they were worse with 2 games to go. They screwed up and won a game while we 'ran for the bus'. Whew! that was close!
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 I too was hoping the Bills would draft Cornelius Bennett. It was believed at the time that he'd be the second coming of Lawrence Taylor. I knew that it was a longshot that he'd slide down to the Bills pick. We ended up picking Conlan who was a two-time All-American at Penn State. He was captain of their National Championship squad. They won the National Championship Fiesta Bowl against undefeated Miami (who was favored) and Conlan had two interceptions in that game, including one which set up the short winning TD run. Conlan was voted MVP. So I was thrilled when we drafted Conlan (but as a consolation prize). When Polian masterminded the three-team deal for Bennett just before the trade deadline, I was overjoyed. I was at Bennett's first game as a Bill, against the Denver Broncos at the Ralph. He recorded a sack, wreaked havoc, and the Bills won. It was then that I was sure I was watching a Super Bowl team in the making.
Chandler#81 Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 I too was hoping the Bills would draft Cornelius Bennett. It was believed at the time that he'd be the second coming of Lawrence Taylor. I knew that it was a longshot that he'd slide down to the Bills pick. We ended up picking Conlan who was a two-time All-American at Penn State. He was captain of their National Championship squad. They won the National Championship Fiesta Bowl against undefeated Miami (who was favored) and Conlan had two interceptions in that game, including one which set up the short winning TD run. Conlan was voted MVP. So I was thrilled when we drafted Conlan (but as a consolation prize). When Polian masterminded the three-team deal for Bennett just before the trade deadline, I was overjoyed. I was at Bennett's first game as a Bill, against the Denver Broncos at the Ralph. He recorded a sack, wreaked havoc, and the Bills won. It was then that I was sure I was watching a Super Bowl team in the making. Fond memories indeed! Bronco's were defending AFC champs. We were up 21-0 IIRC. They came back but we held on. Elway was shocked at Bennett's speed and disruptiveness in his debut. Something we'd witness every game for the next 7 years. BTW, pretty sure Testavede was #1 overall that year, with Bennett #2 to the Colts.
Original Byrd Man Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 (edited) For me with out a doubt was the OJ pick. Hell the whole city of Buffalo jumped for joy. Here was the Heisman Trophy winner from USC, bigger than life coming to little old Buffalo. I was working at the airport at the time and our supervisor told us which gate he was coming in to and that we had work to do and were not to waste time gawking. He also told us he would be "busy" in his office for an hour or two. The pick that make me want to puke was the OJ pick many years later. What a black eye for the city that adored him. He was our flag bearer, our representative in the NFL, and the national media. Edited February 23, 2011 by Tarkus II
Koufax Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 the McKelvin pick wasn't bad in a sense of where/when he was drafted. A lot of people were projecting him as a top 10 pick. If we needed a CB, i think McKelvin would have been a good pick. The bigger problem is that we should have simply re-signed Greer (who did not sign a very expensive contract) and not even had to draft McKelvin, and as you alluded to, we could have used that pick elsewhere. The main problem with McKelvin is the year before we passed on Revis (taken three picks later) because RB was a need. Then we picked McKelvin with Flacco and Chris Johnson on the board, again focusing on need (or just Jauron being a Mauron). That said, I don't think he was too far from being the BPA based on what teams knew on draft day. I just don't know why one year we pass on Revis at #11 and the next we take McKelvin at #11. Draft for need and you get a mediocre roster and new needs. Draft great football players at every pick. But even passing on Revis, my top four happy first rounders (as draft decisions on draft day) are Evans, Lynch, Poz, Wood. None of them jumping for joy though. Biggest head slaps on draft day were Whitner and Maybin for me, with two drafts I followed closely and really liked other players a lot more (Ngata and Orakpo, but there were others I would have preferred as well).
Aloha22 Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) Started following college football in 2006. Out of Whitner, McCargo, Lynch, McKelvin, Maybin, Wood, and Spiller... I was this excited: Lynch Spiller Wood McKelvin McCargo Whitner Maybin Edit: p.s. @ Koufax, Poz was a 2nd round pick Edited February 24, 2011 by Aloha22
NastyNateSoldiers Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 Jumping= CJ SPILLER. THREW UP, CRIED, GOT DRUCK, CRIED AGAIN= ARRON MAYBIN.
Koufax Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 Edit: p.s. @ Koufax, Poz was a 2nd round pick Thanks. I jumbled the exact pick we used to take him (#34) and must have been confusing that trade up with when we came back into the 1st round to take McCargo.
ReturnoftheBuffaloBeast23 Posted February 24, 2011 Posted February 24, 2011 I was hype for McGahee and Marshawn awwww man I knew it was on after those too came to Buffalo.... I turned into and OWL when we drafter Maybin my head did a 360 excercist turn and I said "WHOOOOOOOOOO" so loud I should have got a ticket for distubing the piece...LOL When we drafted Losman I was dumbfound with a sllight "WHOOOO" attached... The Whitner pick I was just like "WHY" Here's hoping for Cam Newton at #3....
bopper2 Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 I remember being righteously psyched when the Bills used the #1 overall pick to take the best LB in the draft (ta-da) Tom Cousineau. My WTF???? pick has to be Erik Flowers. Trivia question to try on your bar buddies: In the NFL draft following the last college football ever coached by Woody Hayes, the Bills used their two first round picks to select players who were on opposing teams in that game. Who were they? Ans: Cousineau and Jerry Butler
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 Trivia question to try on your bar buddies: In the NFL draft following the last college football ever coached by Woody Hayes, the Bills used their two first round picks to select players who were on opposing teams in that game. Who were they? Ans: Cousineau and Jerry Butler You're supposed to put the answer in smaller font and upside down.
MarkyMannn Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 Not technically our 1st round pick, but the Colts pick who never played a down for them, was Cornelius Bennett. I felt he would be the last piece on defense to put us over the hump. I remember his first game against Denver. Been here like 2 days, they line him opposite Bruce and every down just head up field. Terrorized Elway, played like LT
BADOLBILZ Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 Think back to your favorite draft day. What 1st round BILLS pick got you the most excited? My first thought went to Thurman Thomas, but I remembered that he was a 2nd round pick, not a first rounder. Taking Thurman out of the equation, the 1st round draft pick that had me jumping for JOY was when we drafted Willis McGahee. I thought he was the next coming of Barry Sanders. My bad! The first round pick that made me want to VOMIT is a three way tie between Donte Whitner, Aaron Maybin, & Erick Flowers. When we took them my first reaction was "WHAT?????" I look forward to hearing your draft day stories. On a side note, the first round pick that I really wanted to succeed was either Antowian Smith or JP Losman. The first Donahoe/last Dwight Adams draft. Trading back with Tampa, selecting Clements and then getting Schobel and Henry in round 2. Donahoe had me fooled, I thought he understood how to get quality AND quantity from the draft. Turns out, Clements would be the best and most productive first round pick of the decade for the Bills. By the time they selected McGahee it was obvious that something was very wrong with the decision making at OBD. I used to follow the draft very closely and during the Butler era at least half of the Bills draft picks made sense. Since the crazy McGahee pick it's been chaos. It's discouraging to watch and evaluate players then see the Bills themselves clearly blow it on draft day.
MarkyMannn Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 By the time they selected McGahee it was obvious that something was very wrong with the decision making at OBD. I used to follow the draft very closely and during the Butler era at least half of the Bills draft picks made sense. Since the crazy McGahee pick it's been chaos. It's discouraging to watch and evaluate players then see the Bills themselves clearly blow it on draft day. Agree. Takes a special front office to go O for the 2000 decade with 1st round picks. OK, Evans was OK, but after that................
PDaDdy Posted February 25, 2011 Posted February 25, 2011 Mike Williams. Thought the FO finally got its act together and made the smart no miss pick to stack the o line. Remember being psyched before the season started that mckinnie had some off the field problems. I was kind of pissed about that pick but Williams was at least in the discussion. I was pulling for Brian McKinney. You know....the guy they said never gave up a sack in college. The guy if I am not mistaken has gone to pro bowls for the Vikings. In typical Buffalo fashion we picked the wrong guy again. That being said he is a distant second to picking Maybin over Orakpo. All time blunder. Not because Maybin hasn't done anything yet but because the choice was so stinking obvious only an idiot could screw it up. To be honest the only pick I have been really happy with in the first round since I have been paying attention to the draft the last 10 years was Spiller. Time will tell.
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