Mark Vader Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Hey TBD, what a time. The city of Philadelphia did a fine job in hosting this year's draft. Just like in Chicago, I was amazed at the turnout for the event. Draft Town was vast. I don't know how long it will be until the draft returns to New York City. The makeshift auditorium the NFL put together was very impressive, although I did not like the balcony seats I was stuck with for all 3 days, with it's obstructed views. Seeing how many fans were outside the auditorium during Day 1 was crazy. It was like a concert. I cannot believe what the NFL Draft has turned into. Day 1 was a lot more exciting than I was expecting. The 49'ers committed grand larceny on the Bears. All of that for Trubisky? I got my draft wish when the Bills traded down, although I did not expect to trade down to the bottom of the first round. Absolutely love that we have 2 first rounders next year. Get ready for a QB in the first round in 2018. I think that Tredavious White is a solid, not spectacular pick. It does fill a need, but it was a bit underwhelming. We've seen this before with the Bills before. Loved the pick of Zay Jones, he could be an instant impact for us. Dion Dawkins was another fine addition and a need, although I think we gave up quite a bit for him. I think that we really needed as many draft picks as we could get. Missing out on 3rd & 4th round players was difficult to watch. Nathan Peterman in the 5th round was ok. I have stressed how much I do not like this year's QB class, but if that's what the Bills want to do, so be it. Matt Milano & Tannwer Vallejo sound like depth and special teams picks, so we'll see how they pan out. Apparently Sean McDermott feels comfortable with Micah Hyde & Jordan Poyer at Safety. I am very upset that we did not draft a Tight End. No 3rd or 4th round pick cost us dearly. All of the Tight Ends were disappearing before we picked in the 5th round. We really missed out. Drew Pearson had the best moment during the draft. He took advantage of his time on stage. Overall it was a good time in Philadelphia, despite the heat. The Bills had a pretty good draft, and it's obvious that this is McDermott's team. I look forward to next year's draft, which I am hearing will be in Dallas next year. Bring on Mini-Camp & the OTA's! GO BILLS!!!
NickelCity Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Was wondering if you went bud. Glad to hear you had a time. Pre-emptive apologies for next year's trip to dallas.
Domdab99 Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 cool trip report! i think we'll be fine with TE...Dennison will utilize the position a lot more than Lynn did...we've got Clay, who is good - and could be better given the opportunity - and O'Leary really flashed some potential last year...and don't forget Logan Thomas...i'm sure our coaches think that with these three we can compete just fine.
Logic Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Thanks for the report.They'd better be right about Dawkins. If he turns out to be a quality starting right tackle, then it's hard to fault them for moving up to get him. If he DOESN'T turn out to be a quality starter, they'll really regret missing out on that extra third rounder.The one thing that I really still don't like is the lack of safety depth on this team. If they could just sign a veteran linebacker and safety -- say, Gerald Hodges and Jairus Byrd -- I'd feel MUCH better.
Mark Vader Posted May 2, 2017 Author Posted May 2, 2017 Was wondering if you went bud. Glad to hear you had a time. Pre-emptive apologies for next year's trip to dallas. LOL, I'm sure I will be fine.
wilcoam Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Great posts, my issue is I can't name any player we've moved up for recently that have worked out, so here's hoping Zay and Dawkins break that spell, lol I'm not even sure I like our two starting safeties let alone the depth after, I know most folks feel our LB situation is the weakest part of our D, but I will continue to point out that our safeties don't have alot of NFL starting experience, so I agree a FA vet at both OLB and Safety would potentially alleviate alot of those concerns jc
Nanker Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Agreed on Drew Pearson. He's obviously uncomfortable speaking in public, but if he keeps at it, and practices a lot, he could overcome his natural tendency toward introversion.
Buddo Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Thanks for the report. They'd better be right about Dawkins. If he turns out to be a quality starting right tackle, then it's hard to fault them for moving up to get him. If he DOESN'T turn out to be a quality starter, they'll really regret missing out on that extra third rounder. The one thing that I really still don't like is the lack of safety depth on this team. If they could just sign a veteran linebacker and safety -- say, Gerald Hodges and Jairus Byrd -- I'd feel MUCH better. This is very true about Dawkins, although as a guy who might have to move inside to succeed, they did hedge their bets there, and O-Line depth is no bad thing. Like the Jones pick, and tbh, with McDermotts input about the chances of the Panthers taking him, I think the trade up was fair enough. My personal first requirement in a WR, is 'hands', as if you don't catch the pigskin, you can't make a play, and by the sounds of it, he might have the best 'hands' in the draft. Safety does look 'thin', but I wouldn't be too surprised to see a conversion project or two happen.
Tsaikotic Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 heres the unofficial UDFA list I got off BillsDaily.com...some will be signed and some will be try outs: P Austin Rehkow OT Greg PykeDB B.T. SandersDT Nigel WilliamsOL Voghens LarrieuxOL Zach VoytekOL Jac-Que PoliteDL Marquavious LewisWR Brandon ReillyCB Marcus Sayles TE Jason Croom RB Jordan Johnson TE Keith Towbridge S Jeremy Tyler WR Daikiel Shorts anyways as you can see theres 2 TE's on the list and still only 1 S..I really hope they have some kind of plan for S if Poyer or Hyde get injured...RB J Johnson is out of UB and some say he looks pretty good...Rehkow could replace Schmidt as P...he's one of the top if not the top punter out of college this year I really wanted to see the Bills grab TE Bucky Hodges in rd 6
Chandler#81 Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Nice write-up, Mark, but what I REALLY want to know, is how is 'Philly-Delphi' - the hot babe you've worked with who reports on the Iggles.
Billzgobowlin Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 I think the Tre White pick is a good one. He is a leader that is desperately needed with the loss of Gilmore, Graham and Aaron Williams. He won't have the true ability of Gilmore but I don't think he will need to with more pressure from up front.
r00tabaga Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 cool trip report! i think we'll be fine with TE...Dennison will utilize the position a lot more than Lynn did...we've got Clay, who is good - and could be better given the opportunity - and O'Leary really flashed some potential last year...and don't forget Logan Thomas...i'm sure our coaches think that with these three we can compete just fine. Logan Thomas is 6-6 and can fly. He is a natural TE who tried QB and the Bills really like him. I think they liked a couple TEs but didn't want to reach on the others. Glad you had a blast & represented us Mark!
racketmaster Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Logan Thomas is 6-6 and can fly. He is a natural TE who tried QB and the Bills really like him. I think they liked a couple TEs but didn't want to reach on the others. Glad you had a blast & represented us Mark! This is what I am hoping for after missing out on Howard, Shaheen and a few other interesting prospects. Thomas is a project and for all I know he has looked good in the voluntary workouts. I am hoping he has flashed enough ability that the coaching staff decided they could afford to go into a different direction. We could really use that matchup nightmare TE that has size, length and enough speed/athleticism. Clay is nice but he is more the swiss army knife type and it would be nice to have a bigger TE as a red zone target.
The Poojer Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 they are reporting ZERO arrests related to the festivities. Sad that that is newsworthy
buffaloboyinATL Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 I am hoping they bring the draft to Atlanta sometime soon. It looks like it would be a really fun experience to bring my teenage sons to. The particle son returnslol
K D Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 you didn't even announce any picks. sounds like a wasted trip!
Mark Vader Posted May 2, 2017 Author Posted May 2, 2017 cool trip report! i think we'll be fine with TE...Dennison will utilize the position a lot more than Lynn did...we've got Clay, who is good - and could be better given the opportunity - and O'Leary really flashed some potential last year...and don't forget Logan Thomas...i'm sure our coaches think that with these three we can compete just fine. You could be right about O'Leary, and I like his potential. As for Logan Thomas, I would rather have a player who is already a natural at their position, and not some QB-to-TE experiment. Maybe Thomas will work out, but I look at TE's like Jake Butt, Michael Roberts, Jeremy Sprinkle etc. and I lament on what we could have had.
KGun12TD Posted May 2, 2017 Posted May 2, 2017 Thanks for the report. They'd better be right about Dawkins. If he turns out to be a quality starting right tackle, then it's hard to fault them for moving up to get him. If he DOESN'T turn out to be a quality starter, they'll really regret missing out on that extra third rounder. The one thing that I really still don't like is the lack of safety depth on this team. If they could just sign a veteran linebacker and safety -- say, Gerald Hodges and Jairus Byrd -- I'd feel MUCH better. Jairus Byrd could return with his Pops now CB coach?
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