Bills' Draft grade Rounds 1-3

[timba]

1 A Dareus is a no brainer

 

2 B I was thinking rush linebacker here, but they went with the CB. It makes sense as some help was needed there. McGee is often injured, McKelvin has underperformed, and then we have reggie, who's not ready to start.

 

3 B- I think that there were better LB options available with this pick (Houston, Wilson) but they did finish addressing all 3 levels of the defense.

[The Senator]

Think back to when you were a kid.

 

Did you get your grade on the 2nd day of school?

No - but, being a straight-A student, I already knew what my grade would be

 

 

Buddy Nix & Co. are getting a C-minus overall from me, so far, for this draft - and here's why...

 

Round 1 - Grade: C - Only a complete idiot of below-average intelligence would not know to race to the podium to grab the best player in the top 10 (Marcell Dareus) after both Carolina and Denver passed him over - especially when that best player also happens to fill our biggest need. Since C is an average grade, Buddy gets a C for doing the obvious. (I could be kind and give him a B for not f__king it up, but I'm not feeling that generous after his round 3 screw-up.)

 

Round 2 - Grade B - No one in particular 'jumped off the board ' as the obvious choice. Williams, while not a particularly 'sexy' pick, had a round-one grade and filled a position of need. This would merit an average grade, but I'm being generous since Buddy did not jump at Ryan Mallett or otherwise 'reach' with this pick.

 

Round 3 - Grade F - It's not that I don't like Kelvin Sheppard (I do), or that I don't think he can make an immediate impact on our D (I think he will) - it's that Shep, whom we took with the #68-overall pick, was projected as a 4^th or 5^th round pick by NFL Draft Scout and was ranked #104 on Great Blue North's 'big board', would have been available with either of our 4th-round picks today, while our arch-rival and nemesis took arguably the best QB prospect in this draft-class with the #74 pick!!!

 

 

Buddy Nix has been waxing on and on about 'the best time to pick your QB-of-the-future' is while you still have a QB, or something to that effect...

 

The Bills consider quarterback a priority even with incumbent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster. (Nix was in the San Diego Chargers front office when they acquired Philip Rivers even though they already had Drew Brees.)

 

"We think we're in a good position," Nix said. "Actually, as hard as it is to say that when you got other needs, it's probably a perfect time to take a guy.

 

"I go back to San Diego, and I have to draw from that. But if you can do it that way, with the way we did it, with Drew Brees ... That makes it easier if you got Drew Brees, now. But if you can take a guy and sit him a year or two until he's hungry and knowledgeable and ready to play, the success rate is going to be pretty high."

 

 

Well, while Buddy preached it, Belicheat did it - same as when he drafted Brady and groomed him behind Drew Bledsoe.

 

Now, in 2-3 years, Ryan Mallett will come into Orchard Park as the best QB in the game and torch the Bills for 400 passing yards during a December blizzard while Bills fans sit and wonder aloud...'Why can't we draft a QB like that?'

 

But hey, we'll have Kelvin Sheppard (whom we could have drafted today, AFTER taking Mallett).

 

 

Buddy, I just changed my mind - you get a D thus far. You needed a QB, you knew you needed a QB, you said you needed a QB. A great QB prospect was staring you in the face to steal with the #68 pick and groom behind Fitz for 2 seasons, and you blinked like a deer in the headlights.

Edited April 30, 2011 by The Senator

[Chandler#81]

Wow, Senator! You talked yourself into a lower grade all in one diatribe.

 

Priceless!

[K Gun Special]

I wish people would stop saying i wish we would have drafted mallet or houston, Buddy Nix and Chan Gailey have made it very clear that they will not draft any players who have character concerns and thats basically it, i would have loved to pick justin houston as well but any players with red flags will not get drafted by the buffalo bills. And thats a good thing!

 

 

dareus was suspended for taking improper benefits........

[The Senator]

Wow, Senator! You talked yourself into a lower grade all in one diatribe.

 

Priceless!

It was extremely cathartic

 

(Buddy can improve his overall grade with an A-performance today - and I do give extra credit for undrafted FAs!)

[K Gun Special]

No - but, being a straight-A student, I already knew what my grade would be

 

 

Buddy Nix & Co. are getting a C-minus overall from me, so far, for this draft - and here's why...

 

Round 1 - Grade: C - Only a complete idiot of below-average intelligence would not know to race to the podium to grab the best player in the top 10 (Marcell Dareus) after both Carolina and Denver passed him over - especially when that best player also happens to fill our biggest need. Since C is an average grade, Buddy gets a C for doing the obvious. (I could be kind and give him a B for not f__king it up, but I'm not feeling that generous after his round 3 screw-up.)

 

Round 2 - Grade B - No one in particular 'jumped off the board ' as the obvious choice. Williams, while not a particularly 'sexy' pick, had a round-one grade and filled a position of need. This would merit an average grade, but I'm being generous since Buddy did not jump at Ryan Mallett or otherwise 'reach' with this pick.

 

Round 3 - Grade F - It's not that I don't like Kelvin Sheppard (I do), or that I don't think he can make an immediate impact on our D (I think he will) - it's that Shep, whom we took with the #68-overall pick, was projected as a 4^th or 5^th round pick by NFL Draft Scout and was ranked #104 on Great Blue North's 'big board', would have been available with either of our 4th-round picks today, while our arch-rival and nemesis took arguably the best QB prospect in this draft-class with the #74 pick!!!

 

 

Buddy Nix has been waxing on and on about 'the best time to pick your QB-of-the-future' is while you still have a QB, or something to that effect...

 

The Bills consider quarterback a priority even with incumbent starter Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster. (Nix was in the San Diego Chargers front office when they acquired Philip Rivers even though they already had Drew Brees.)

 

"We think we're in a good position," Nix said. "Actually, as hard as it is to say that when you got other needs, it's probably a perfect time to take a guy.

 

"I go back to San Diego, and I have to draw from that. But if you can do it that way, with the way we did it, with Drew Brees ... That makes it easier if you got Drew Brees, now. But if you can take a guy and sit him a year or two until he's hungry and knowledgeable and ready to play, the success rate is going to be pretty high."

 

 

Well, while Buddy preached it, Belicheat did it - same as when he drafted Brady and groomed him behind Drew Bledsoe.

 

Now, in 2-3 years, Ryan Mallett will come into Orchard Park as the best QB in the game and torch the Bills for 400 passing yards during a December blizzard while Bills fans sit and wonder aloud...'Why can't we draft a QB like that?'

 

But hey, we'll have Kelvin Sheppard (whom we could have drafted today, AFTER taking Mallett).

 

 

Buddy, I just changed my mind - you get a D thus far. You needed a QB, you knew you needed a QB, you said you needed a QB. A great QB prospect was staring you in the face to steal with the #68 pick and groom behind Fitz for 2 seasons, and you blinked like a deer in the headlights.

 

 

youre just upset mallett wasnt taken top 10 like you had been saying for months.

[Sisyphean Bills]

It was extremely cathartic

 

(Buddy can improve his overall grade with an A-performance today - and I do give extra credit for undrafted FAs!)

Did the Bills even had Mallett on their board?

 

The thing about Mallett is that Belichick must've really liked the guy's football head. We all know Mallett has some off the charts ability when it comes to throwing a football. So, putting that talent together with the motivation of being snubbed, going to a stable franchise with a Hall-of-Fame QB already on the roster, etc. I have to think this worked out as a best case scenario for both Mallett and the Patriots. He gets some time to adjust and work on his weaknesses and if he can be properly motivated, the Patriots will reap the rewards down the road.

[1B4IDie]

Think back to when you were a kid.

 

Did you get your grade on the 2nd day of school?

You don't get a report card but you do receive a grade when you complete a project.

The Bills get an A on Day 1 and Day 2 of this project.

Edited April 30, 2011 by Why So Serious?

[The Senator]

youre just upset mallett wasnt taken top 10 like you had been saying for months.

Quite to the contrary - I would be thrilled to be wrong and that he fell so far, if only the Bills had taken him with the #68 pick, and am upset beyond belief particularly because it was Belicheat* and NE* that realized the tremendous value that was staring them in the face at the #74-spot.

 

Trust me - in years to come, all Bills fans will count this Nix blunder as just one more reason to loathe the Cheatriettes*.

 

(OTOH, I'm thrilled with our 1^st-round selection of Marcel Dareus )

[ChevyVanMiller]

I give the draft an A+

 

Sure, it's too early to know how these guys will pan out, but the theory of their draft (still amazed that they actually have one) was right on. All 3 picks address the porous run defense. 3 and outs should be far more common now, giving the offense a boost by proxy.

 

Nice work, Buddy

Edited April 30, 2011 by ChevyVanMiller

[papazoid]

Quite to the contrary - I would be thrilled to be wrong and that he fell so far, if only the Bills had taken him with the #68 pick, and am upset beyond belief particularly because it was Belicheat* and NE* that realized the tremendous value that was staring them in the face at the #74-spot.

 

Trust me - in years to come, all Bills fans will count this Nix blunder as just one more reason to loathe the Cheatriettes*.

 

(OTOH, I'm thrilled with our 1^st-round selection of Marcel Dareus )

 

i agree

[NishP]

Agreed, why did they pass on Martez Wilson he was most draft experts #1 ILB??

 

Im going with us needing a ILB more then an OLB, all we have is POZ.. not saying that merriman moats batten are the answer but we atlas have to see first. we have no ilb

[bills1960]

1. Dareus A+

2. Williams B

3. Sheppard A-

[NishP]

The magazine I'm looking at right now has him as a 2nd round prospect. You act as if there's ONE big board that projects where players are taken. According to buddys board he was a 2nd-3rd round projection. I'll take Buddys board over your board any day of the week. If he becomes our starting ILB for the next several seasons, his "projection" means jack. Projections....lol. I feel that we got a steal.

 

i read that he was projected as a 2nd round pick all year, every one is getting that 4th round **** from what was just said on NFLN lmao, cmon people can we be happy 4 once.

[K Gun Special]

Quite to the contrary - I would be thrilled to be wrong and that he fell so far, if only the Bills had taken him with the #68 pick, and am upset beyond belief particularly because it was Belicheat* and NE* that realized the tremendous value that was staring them in the face at the #74-spot.

 

Trust me - in years to come, all Bills fans will count this Nix blunder as just one more reason to loathe the Cheatriettes*.

 

(OTOH, I'm thrilled with our 1^st-round selection of Marcel Dareus )

 

 

they took him with their 6th pick. He is a meth head and unless he stops it will ruin his body. I told you everyone would stay away from him because of that. The team that took a flyer on him used their 6th pick of the draft. Hardly an endorsement. The pats have taken flyers on QBs like him for years. It's so far from a given that mallett pans out.

 

I dont see how you can have a reasonable fear of a guy that teams absolutely desperate said no way to this guy.

[NishP]

dareus was suspended for taking improper benefits........

 

Clearly said red flags or character issues, but yeah your a funny guy...

[Ghost of Rob Johnson]

Round 3 - Grade F - It's not that I don't like Kelvin Sheppard (I do), or that I don't think he can make an immediate impact on our D (I think he will) - it's that Shep, whom we took with the #68-overall pick, was projected as a 4^th or 5^th round pick by NFL Draft Scout and was ranked #104 on Great Blue North's 'big board', would have been available with either of our 4th-round picks today, while our arch-rival and nemesis took arguably the best QB prospect in this draft-class with the #74 pick!!!

Drafttek had him as the 52nd overall player:

 

http://www.drafttek.com/PositionalSILB.asp

 

There's no guarantee he would have been there in the 4th or 5th, and if he was their guy I'm glad they got him. And reports like this make me like him more:

 

Standout defensive player who started at linebacker for three years for the Tigers … Undisputed team leader for the Tigers as a senior in 2010 … Known for his fiery pre-game speeches to the team

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1116449 Edited April 30, 2011 by Ghost of Rob Johnson

[Alphadawg7]

After watching some stuff on Sheppard, I feel much better about the pick...I thought Houston or Mallet would have been better there, but clearly the FO didnt feel Mallet was the franchise guy they wanted, and if he isnt that guy for them then it was good to pass on him. Houston had the same issues.

 

But watching Sheppard, the first thing that came to mind was Ray Lewis...not in terms of his ability or how he plays, but how he fires the team up and was clear leader of that defense...something we haven't had here in lord knows how long. So, I admit my initial reaction was wrong and after looking more into him I am actually quite excited about the pick. We need that kind of fire on this team big time, especially in the center of our D.

 

With my upgrade on him, my overall grade now goes from B+ to A...time will tell of course, but based on who these guys are right now thats my final grade on rounds 1-3.

[tonyjustbcuz]

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest...

 

Rd1 - Darues = 10 - Dareus, nuff said

Rd2 - Williams = 9 - Top corner on the board, top 30 talent

Rd3 - Shepperd = 7 - Solid pick, but better options were on the board IMO (Mallet, Houston)

 

Total = 8.7 = B+

 

Would easily be an A if we went Houston or Mallet in the 3rd for me, but still a pretty good draft thus far. I hope we address TE and QB in FA. We at least need a back up to Fitz, and hopefully someone who can challenge for the job (Kolb, Young, etc). There is also several talented TE's on the FA market

 

 

Houston and C. Ballard were popped recently on a urinalysis for THC. This would be a red flag for me even though I'm sure that's not such a rare occurence. I was rooting for them to pick Mallett once we got to the 3rd round even though he's a red flag walking! It scares me that N.E. see's something in him and drafted him! Would've, could've, should've?

The only QB left that I think has enough upside to take a shot on is Ricky Stanzi...

[Orton's Arm]

What did it cost Atlanta to trade up to Cleveland?

 

Now, explain how that made any kind of sense for Atlanta.

 

It didn't.

 

Meanwhile, both the Pats and Redskins traded away from players, value picks as well, that they desperately needed, and for what? 3rd string running backs?

 

There's a time to trade down, but acting like it's every time is retarded.

 

Belechick got burned soundly with his trading down last year, and I have no idea how the 2 rbs he took this year are nowhere near better, combined, than the RB the Saints got with the NE pick Belechik traded to them. Makes no sense at all by any objective criteria.

 

Best of all: would you rather have 4 5th round picks, like the Redskins do currently, or Marcellus Dareus?

 

You can keep your 4 special teams players. I will take the All-Pro every time.

Just to expand on what you've written: I think the Bills should have taken Dareus even if they had the first overall pick. (As opposed to taking Cam Newton or Von Miller.) Having Dareus available at third overall is therefore a lot like having the first overall pick in the draft! (Except that you have to pay Dareus a third overall salary, not a first overall salary.)

 

The first overall pick is very valuable; and it would have to take a very special offer for the Bills to move out of that spot. And it's not like Atlanta's pick was only a few spots below the Bills' pick. It was significantly below. Plus, it's reasonable to expect Atlanta to have a winning record in 2011, so their first round pick of next year's draft probably won't be anything special. For the right price, trading down from third overall would have been worth it. But it would have had to have been a very high price; and the Atlanta trade down didn't even come close to meeting that price. Of course, if Atlanta goes 1-15 in 2011 (thus making its first round pick the Andrew Luck pick), then I'll be proven wrong about the value of what Atlanta had to offer. But the odds of that happening are small. Based on what we know today, the Bills made absolutely the right decision by trading Dareus instead of trading down.

 

However, I would have traded away the Bills' second round pick, straight up, for Oakland's first rounder next year. (Assuming of course, that this option had been on the table. Which it probably wasn't; because if it had been the Patriots would have done it with their own second round pick!)