bobobonators Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 With the change in DC, do you guys view MLB as our single biggest need? I'd say it's probably up there with LG now, if not bigger. We currently don't have anyone on our roster who can play the mike on a consistent basis in the NFL. If we don't land one via the draft or FA, this defense is going to struggle big time next season (IMO). I think the likelihood of us taking CJ Mosley at 9 is now higher than ever. Alabama lines up in the 4-3 the large majority of the time (despite them saying they're a 3-4) and Mosley is arguably the best ILB in this class. If not Mosley, the ONLY UFA ILB that would be worth anything is Jon Beason - he actually played pretty damn well for the Giants this year. He could possibly hold the fort for 1-2 seasons. That's it folks. If anyone can find me a mike LB that is an UFA that I missed please post. Unless we go with a Dansby type LB who normally plays ILB on a 3-4, I don't know where else we'd possibly go. Your thoughts on other viable options?
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 huh? 50's the Mike and that would be Kiko why would that change?
bobobonators Posted January 29, 2014 Author Posted January 29, 2014 huh? 50's the Mike and that would be Kiko why would that change? I hear ya, when we played the 4-3 alignment this season Kiko lined up in the middle or the weakside, but do you think Kiko is best suited for MLB? I'm not so sure personally. In other words, this is the problem I have with Alonso at MLB full-time. I don't think Alonso is great against the run and the two DT in front of him are better at pass-rushing than run-stuffing (IMO), so combining the two is a recipe for disaster (vs the run)..imo.
Cheddar's Dad Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 huh? 50's the Mike and that would be Kiko why would that change? I agree. I don't know what our D is exactly. Some say it's mostly a 4/3 with variations of a 3/4. If it's mostly a 4/3, and that is what Schwartz had in Detroit, then Kiko's the man and we would only need another ILB for those occasions when we shift to the varient. Regarding Mosley; he is smallish and suffered a dislocated hip and elbow while at Bama, lost playing time because of those injuries. Additionally, his senior year was not a good as his Junior year. Is he beginning to wear down? I think he's a late 1st rounder because of these concerns.
bobobonators Posted January 29, 2014 Author Posted January 29, 2014 I agree. I don't know what our D is exactly. Some say it's mostly a 4/3 with variations of a 3/4. If it's mostly a 4/3, and that is what Schwartz had in Detroit, then Kiko's the man and we would only need another ILB for those occasions when we shift to the varient. Regarding Mosley; he is smallish and suffered a dislocated hip and elbow while at Bama, lost playing time because of those injuries. Additionally, his senior year was not a good as his Junior year. Is he beginning to wear down? I think he's a late 1st rounder because of these concerns. Completely agree with Mosley and injury concerns. That's why Mosley may drop come draft day to late teens or even 20ish. I still think he's by far the best ILB in the draft, however.
4merper4mer Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 I hear ya, when we played the 4-3 alignment this season Kiko lined up in the middle or the weakside, but do you think Kiko is best suited for MLB? I'm not so sure personally. In other words, this is the problem I have with Alonso at MLB full-time. I don't think Alonso is great against the run and the two DT in front of him are better at pass-rushing than run-stuffing (IMO), so combining the two is a recipe for disaster (vs the run)..imo. He is not and Mosley should be our pick. Your OP was spot on. I am not that draft savvy to know if there is some 4th rounder that could surprise at MLB and would rather not risk it and end up with Mike Evans who is James Hardly 2.0 IMO or some other spot where our needs are not as stark.
bobobonators Posted January 29, 2014 Author Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) He is not and Mosley should be our pick. Your OP was spot on. I am not that draft savvy to know if there is some 4th rounder that could surprise at MLB and would rather not risk it and end up with Mike Evans who is James Hardly 2.0 IMO or some other spot where our needs are not as stark. I think Borland from Wisconsin is going to be a player in the NFL. His size (primarily his height) is a bit of a limitation, but the guy is built like a bowling bowl and flies all over the place. His size will keep him from being drafted in the first 2 rounds IMO. If we took a flier on him in the 3rd round that would be superb. Edited January 29, 2014 by bobobonators
....lybob Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 I was thinking about Mack in the first round for awhile and then someone pointed out that the team has extra DBs on the field 60%-65% of the time, so I think a stout player like Andrew Jackson 6,1 260 in the 4-5th round might be more likely unless they are thinking about a future without Lawson- with the change in defensive coach I think a RDE might be a need and Kony Ealy could be the pick
playman Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 borland or skov later. we absolutely need a capable LG, an upgrade at RT and a game-changer at TE. or at least one who does NOT fumble with the game on the line. but overall i think kiko did pretty good, so why change?
mjt328 Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 CJ Mosley is overrated because he plays on Alabama. I think Shayne Skov and Yawin Smallwood are better prospects, and they may be available in the 2nd-3rd round.
Cheddar's Dad Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 but overall i think kiko did pretty good Pretty good? Isn't he like consensus DROY? I wish all of our rookies performed as well.
Tintonfallsbillsfan Posted January 29, 2014 Posted January 29, 2014 how about brandon spikes. nasty streak and a hard hitter. not sure the pats will want him back
bobobonators Posted January 30, 2014 Author Posted January 30, 2014 Pretty good? Isn't he like consensus DROY? I wish all of our rookies performed as well. He was great for about half the season and the majority of his greatness came with his INT's (which many times are strictly luck). Not saying by any stretch that he was not a great player (for a rookie), but there were also many games where he completely overpursued the run or was completely blown out of the play leading to huge plays. My concern with him in the long term lies against the run. He will definitely need to improve in that respect if he's going to be a viable MLB for 16 games. CJ Mosley is overrated because he plays on Alabama. I think Shayne Skov and Yawin Smallwood are better prospects, and they may be available in the 2nd-3rd round. Whenever you're considered the best LB on Alabama, you're not overrated. He was Alabama's defensive player of the week like 9 of 10 weeks or 11 of 12 weeks. There's nothing overrated about his play. His long-term health from all the wear and tear might be a concern, but might be overblown as well.
Bill from NYC Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Regarding Mosley; he is smallish and suffered a dislocated hip and elbow while at Bama, lost playing time because of those injuries. Additionally, his senior year was not a good as his Junior year. Is he beginning to wear down? I think he's a late 1st rounder because of these concerns. I am a Tide Fan and have seen most of Mosley's games. I for one think that he was better as a senior. In previous seasons he was more of a coverage lb as far as I could tell. Last season he was a complete linebacker. He reminds me a lot of Kiko. That said, #9 seems too early to draft him. If the Bills stay where they are I hope that they take a qb, pass rusher, or an OT. If they trade down, guards, tight ends and linebackers become more appealing.
JM57 Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 I agree. I don't know what our D is exactly. Some say it's mostly a 4/3 with variations of a 3/4. If it's mostly a 4/3, and that is what Schwartz had in Detroit, then Kiko's the man and we would only need another ILB for those occasions when we shift to the varient. Regarding Mosley; he is smallish and suffered a dislocated hip and elbow while at Bama, lost playing time because of those injuries. Additionally, his senior year was not a good as his Junior year. Is he beginning to wear down? I think he's a late 1st rounder because of these concerns. Kiko is a tailor made fit for the WLB spot in any variant of a traditional 4-3. Especially the schemes Schwartz has run before. Your Will needs to be able to fly around the field as well as "sift through trash" to get after the ball carrier on outside runs. In the Schwartz schemes, your MLB is more of a 2 gap thumper who can cover the A gaps left open by the DTs shooting B gaps. Stephen Tulloch was his long-time MLB in both Detroit and Tennessee. Meanwhile the Sam should be excellent against the run as well as in coverage. Manny Lawson should thrive in Schwartz's Sam spot.
TPS Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 CJ Mosley is overrated because he plays on Alabama. I think Shayne Skov and Yawin Smallwood are better prospects, and they may be available in the 2nd-3rd round. agree. If Mosley compares to the dude from frisco, then fine. I haven't seen anyone state that yet.
bobobonators Posted January 30, 2014 Author Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) Kiko is a tailor made fit for the WLB spot in any variant of a traditional 4-3. Especially the schemes Schwartz has run before. Your Will needs to be able to fly around the field as well as "sift through trash" to get after the ball carrier on outside runs. In the Schwartz schemes, your MLB is more of a 2 gap thumper who can cover the A gaps left open by the DTs shooting B gaps. Stephen Tulloch was his long-time MLB in both Detroit and Tennessee. Meanwhile the Sam should be excellent against the run as well as in coverage. Manny Lawson should thrive in Schwartz's Sam spot. Good post. You pretty much hit on my thought process. I also don't mean to state that Kiko can't play MLB to a degree, but that I don't think MLB would be his best slot. I think Kiko would be a beast at the Will slot. So in other words, I feel our LB corps would be worlds better with Kiko at the Will, Mosley at the Mike, and Lawson at the Sam. Kiko dropping into coverage, blowing up screen passes, and the ability to not have to face the interior lineman who will Gobble him up. A Lance Briggs type player. Edited January 30, 2014 by bobobonators
JM57 Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Good post. You pretty much hit on my thought process. I also don't mean to state that Kiko can't play MLB effectively, but that I don't think MLB would be his best slot. I think Kiko would be a beast at the Will slot. So in other words, I feel our LB corps would be worlds better with Kiko at the Will, Mosley at the Mike, and Lawson at the Sam. Kiko dropping into coverage, blowing up screen passes, and the ability to not have to face the interior lineman who will Gobble him up. A Lance Briggs type player. Exactly. I like Kiko alot playing in space. I don't like the idea of him taking on interior linemen. He's not built for that.
machine gun kelly Posted January 30, 2014 Posted January 30, 2014 Kiko needs to put on 15 lbs. and he does over pursue at times. It's hard to say if ILB which was your original question is the biggest need as we all know we really need as well a LG, athletic TE, and big athletic WR. two hits in the daft with an athletic TE and big WR is going to make EJ's job so much easier. I believe we'll go with a WR first. Who knows the order FO the positions after that as there are so many variables in the draft. I just hope we spend our first four picks on these spots.
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