RD 3, Pick 74: RB Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic

[akm0404]

There are a bunch of different kinds of speed - the 40 measures only straight line top end raw speed.  Which is super important and I think in pretty much every case, the faster the better.  But, it isn't the whole story as running backs rarely get a 40 yard lane to accelerate through.  Acceleration in particular is the trait that most people think of when they watch "fast" players on the field.  

 

Kareem Hunt is an oft-cited example - he ran about the same 40 time as Singletary and I don't know many people who wouldn't call hunt "fast" - he broke plenty of long touchdowns.  Their 20 yard short shuttle and 3-cone times were also fairly similar.  

 

Not to say that Singletary's measurables will translate to the field in the exact same way, but why not cross our fingers and hope for the best.

 

I said before, if Singletary ran 2 blinks faster, he'd have been a top 10 pick.

1 minute ago, DrinkinBuddy said:

I love the bills draft for the most part. The 1st 2 picks were a dream scenario. I'm struggling a bit with the two 3rd rounders.

 

I think we're in an era where combine numbers dominant discussion. Singletary's #s are lackluster but what don't they don't capture is his elite vision. Shady and Faulk had rare vision where they saw the entire field and used to maximize their yards. Obviously much debate in this 28 page thread about this.

 

So say we went another route with our 1st 3rd rounder and didn't move up for Knox. What ifs don't really matter except for discussion purposes on a message board. 

 

What if our picks shook out like so:

 

3.11: Winovich - EDGE

4.10: Bryce Love - RB

4.35: Moreau -  TE

 

Would the masses prefer this outcome to Singletary/Knox?

 

That scenario certainly benefits from the hindsight of now knowing exactly where everyone else was picked (a luxury that GMs don't have while the draft is in progress), but I think the masses would have generally been in favor of that as well.

 

Definitely would be taking a considerably worse TE prospect (imo), and taking a RB that almost certainly won't play in 2019 due to lingering issues with his surgically repaired knee.  Winovich seems like a solid edge prospect that was worthy of selection.

[billybob71]

3 minutes ago, akm0404 said:

There are a bunch of different kinds of speed - the 40 measures only straight line top end raw speed.  Which is super important and I think in pretty much every case, the faster the better.  But, it isn't the whole story as running backs rarely get a 40 yard lane to accelerate through.  Acceleration in particular is the trait that most people think of when they watch "fast" players on the field.  

 

Kareem Hunt is an oft-cited example - he ran about the same 40 time as Singletary and I don't know many people who wouldn't call hunt "fast" - he broke plenty of long touchdowns.  Their 20 yard short shuttle and 3-cone times were also fairly similar.  

 

Not to say that Singletary's measurables will translate to the field in the exact same way, but why not cross our fingers and hope for the best.

 

I said before, if Singletary ran 2 blinks faster, he'd have been a top 10 pick.

and hopefully he treats his woman better too

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Been watching a lot of this kid and getting really excited. Three things I love:

 

1) He has this awesome Aikido way of breaking tackles. He regularly sort of goes in the direction of the force of the tackle. He lets the defender push him, or spin him, or knock him back. The defender is expecting resistance, and he doesn't get it on the vector he was expecting, and all of a sudden he is off balance, stumbling, grabbing at a sleeve or an ankle, and Singletary hits the jets and is out of his grasp. I keep seeing this and it's fascinating. Maybe other RBs do this too? I've never really noticed it. Once in a while Singletary will just pop someone, but mostly he absorbs the hit and lets it redirect him. He's so quick he adjusts to the new angle way faster than the defender can. The funniest is when a defender hits him square from the front and Singletary moves backward a step or two and the defender falls on his knees or even face.

 

2) Has a great feel for when to run around in the backfield looking for an escape, trying to reverse fields (he doesn't do this all that often, but when he does, it often works) and when to just slice through the muck for a few yards. He seems very decisive about which of these two options to pursue when he's bottled up, and usually seems to get it right.

 

3) After every TD he just tosses the ball immediately to the nearest ref. Classic Marv Levy "Act like you've been there before."

 

Love this kid. Can't wait to see him in action with the big boys. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by Last Guy on the Bench

[Toesy]

Good points-the guy doesn't get leveled by hard hits because he doesn't drop his head down to take them on-like you noticed, he lets the hit move him and if the guy hasn't totally wrapped him up instantly he is loose again. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

57 minutes ago, akm0404 said:

Not disagreeing with your overall sentiment, but we're talking 1/10ths of seconds, not 1/1000ths.

 

I think the splits are the important part - I tried to look it up but i couldn't find these posted anywhere.  If his first 10 split is solid to good - that's the most important aspect to a RB of his style.  Stopping on a dime and getting going quickly.

[Kelly the Dog]

45 minutes ago, billybob71 said:

i think that 1/10th of a second may be more important when assessing a wr running deep routes but significantly less important when talking rb

And he has a great 20 yard time, which is far more important than 40 for a RB.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

24 minutes ago, Last Guy on the Bench said:

Been watching a lot of this kid and getting really excited. Three things I love:

 

1) He has this awesome Aikido way of breaking tackles. He regularly sort of goes in the direction of the force of the tackle. He lets the defender push him, or spin him, or knock him back. The defender is expecting resistance, and he doesn't get it on the vector he was expecting, and all of a sudden he is off balance, stumbling, grabbing at a sleeve or an ankle, and Singletary hits the jets and is out of his grasp. I keep seeing this and it's fascinating. Maybe other RBs do this too? I've never really noticed it. Once in a while Singletary will just pop someone, but mostly he absorbs the hit and lets it redirect him. He's so quick he adjusts to the new angle way faster than the defender can. The funniest is when a defender hits him square from the front and Singletary moves backward a step or two and the defender falls on his knees or even face.

 

2) Has a great feel for when to run around in the backfield looking for an escape, trying to reverse fields (he doesn't do this all that often, but when he does, it often works) and when to just slice through the muck for a few yards. He seems very decisive about which of these two options to pursue when he's bottled up, and usually seems to get it right.

 

3) After every TD he just tosses the ball immediately to the nearest ref. Classic Marv Levy "Act like you've been there before."

 

Love this kid. Can't wait to see him in action with the big boys. 

 

Yeah - he breaks tackles in a very interesting way.  

5 minutes ago, Kelly the Dog said:

And he has a great 20 yard time, which is far more important than 40 for a RB.

 

I think it was puzzling to people when they looked at his combine numbers.  He was average to poor across the board in conventional combine activities - so its hard to get excited i guess?  

Edited April 29, 2019 by dneveu

[billybob71]

And we all know its kinda silly trying to predict a players NFL career based on combine numbers or highlight reels. So many factors determine a players future. Work ethic ,preparation, how they treat their lady or kids and teammates, practice habits, mental fortitude, how they handle success and becoming a millionaire etc etc. etc. Maybe if we as fans could meet these prospects and spend time with them and interview their coaches friends and family lol but we  are entitled to our "takes" and we only have what games we can watch, stats, and combine numbers to go on. But surely we all see the futility in trying to say a player is gonna be a success or failure immediately after their drafted. Here's to hoping the Bills are getting more picks right then wrong so we can all enjoy future winning seasons.

[nucci]

When drafted Thurman was considered not fast and his receiving skills were lacking

[ctk232]

On 4/26/2019 at 7:07 PM, Juror#8 said:

Interesting pick. Definitely old at rb. But figured there was still rb value later in the draft. Was hoping for wr at 74. And the dude is small and not that fast per metrics. Apparently super durable and good vision though based on the brief scouting I’ve just read so I guess there’s that ...

I think at least a few of us were surprised by the pick in the third given the WR options available, and remaining TEs as well. I'm not going to lament picking a player I admittedly know very little about, but for that simple reason alone, I was curious why we didn't feel that any of the other offensive skill position picks still on the board weren't worth the third over Singletary - or even remaining Defensive talent fwiw.

 

The biggest reason being, despite the many supporters on this board, I honestly didn't and still don't believe we needed to add to the RB stable this year. While Shady and Gore aren't getting any younger, I'm not sure what Singletary might add for this year specifically and beyond that another third round pick couldn't also add more of at another position. Time will tell and I'm excited for young guys on the team, but I hope this guy out plays the flags concerning him at the RB position in the NFL. 

Edited April 29, 2019 by ctk232

[FeelingOnYouboty]

Watch him be a fan favorite like almost immediately

[akm0404]

1 minute ago, ctk232 said:

I honestly didn't and still don't believe we needed to add to the RB stable this year. While Shady and Gore aren't getting any younger, I'm not sure what Singletary might add for this year specifically and beyond that another third round pick could at another position.

 

I think that sometimes it is a good idea to build your roster with an eye to the future, and not always make reactionary picks as holes develop (the "whack a mole" approach).

[ctk232]

16 minutes ago, akm0404 said:

 

I think that sometimes it is a good idea to build your roster with an eye to the future, and not always make reactionary picks as holes develop (the "whack a mole" approach).

For sure, but I'm not saying we should have addressed a hole here necessarily, just that there were players at other positions arguably of greater value, not just for their fit within the team but simply as a player at their position. You can plan for the future in next year's draft as well; I'm not sure what drafting an RB this year instead of next really does for us here. 

 

I'm not down on this kid before he even has a chance to prove himself, and I hope I'm wrong - but what exactly does he bring at the third round pick value that another guy can't in next year's draft, that we couldn't have used this year's pick on someone else potentially of greater value? Beane had his board set and was high enough on this guy, but I wonder what else we may have been able to do here particularly at TE and on the defensive side of the ball with edge rush or secondary depth. 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2019 by ctk232

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

1 hour ago, Last Guy on the Bench said:

Been watching a lot of this kid and getting really excited. Three things I love:

 

1) He has this awesome Aikido way of breaking tackles. He regularly sort of goes in the direction of the force of the tackle. He lets the defender push him, or spin him, or knock him back. The defender is expecting resistance, and he doesn't get it on the vector he was expecting, and all of a sudden he is off balance, stumbling, grabbing at a sleeve or an ankle, and Singletary hits the jets and is out of his grasp. I keep seeing this and it's fascinating. Maybe other RBs do this too? I've never really noticed it. Once in a while Singletary will just pop someone, but mostly he absorbs the hit and lets it redirect him. He's so quick he adjusts to the new angle way faster than the defender can. The funniest is when a defender hits him square from the front and Singletary moves backward a step or two and the defender falls on his knees or even face.

 

2) Has a great feel for when to run around in the backfield looking for an escape, trying to reverse fields (he doesn't do this all that often, but when he does, it often works) and when to just slice through the muck for a few yards. He seems very decisive about which of these two options to pursue when he's bottled up, and usually seems to get it right.

 

3) After every TD he just tosses the ball immediately to the nearest ref. Classic Marv Levy "Act like you've been there before."

 

Love this kid. Can't wait to see him in action with the big boys. 

 

...three yards and a cloud of dust....

[Toesy]

Beane said he was going to draft for ability not need so he did it.

[WideNine]

36 minutes ago, nucci said:

When drafted Thurman was considered not fast and his receiving skills were lacking

 

I think Thurmal dropped because of concerns with the knee injury he had in college.

 

His combine numbers were not shabby at all I think and somewhat better than Singletary's in many categories (not knocking Singletary - just keeping it real). Thurman was considered a 1st round target for many prior to his fall to the 2nd round of the draft and kept Barry Sanders on the bench at Oklahoma.

 

4.47 - 40 yd

2.59 - 20 yd split

1.61 - 10 yd split

4.21 - 20 yd shuttle

[Boatdrinks]

1 hour ago, DrinkinBuddy said:

I love the bills draft for the most part. The 1st 2 picks were a dream scenario. I'm struggling a bit with the two 3rd rounders.

 

I think we're in an era where combine numbers dominant discussion. Singletary's #s are lackluster but what don't they don't capture is his elite vision. Shady and Faulk had rare vision where they saw the entire field and used to maximize their yards. Obviously much debate in this 28 page thread about this.

 

So say we went another route with our 1st 3rd rounder and didn't move up for Knox. What ifs don't really matter except for discussion purposes on a message board. 

 

What if our picks shook out like so:

 

3.11: Winovich - EDGE

4.10: Bryce Love - RB

4.35: Moreau -  TE

 

Would the masses prefer this outcome to Singletary/Knox?

I’m going to say they probably would. Bills lack pass rushers, and Winovich flat gets after it. Liked him better than Gary. Hate that the Pats * got him, he definitely fits their profile. Drafting is all about projection, interesting to see how it all plays out. 

49 minutes ago, FeelingOnYouboty said:

Watch him be a fan favorite like almost immediately

He will likely get a lot of touches in preseason, so that will elevate him to legendary status with part of the fan base. 

[BillsFan1988]

3 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

So, he will be an average NFL player, we reached, Beane was nervous and we lost the draft.  You may have just set the record for # of hot takes in less than 52 words.

 

One thing I have learned in my many years on this planet is "do not make pronouncements about things you are not expert in." Have an opinion, offer that opinion, but, don't make pronouncements because they have a tendency to make you look stupid if anyone cares to bring them up down the road.

I've been making proclamations for 20yrs I've been right @ least 70% of the time.  That's my opinion maybe I'm right maybe I'm wrong but Singletary will not live up to his 3rd rd grade . I'll even go one further fans on this board will be unhappy about this pk for quite some time and they'll be talking about players like Winovich and Sternberger amongst others of players we missed on.  

Edited April 29, 2019 by BillsFan1988

[Buddy Hix]

1 hour ago, DrinkinBuddy said:

I love the bills draft for the most part. The 1st 2 picks were a dream scenario. I'm struggling a bit with the two 3rd rounders.

 

I think we're in an era where combine numbers dominant discussion. Singletary's #s are lackluster but what don't they don't capture is his elite vision. Shady and Faulk had rare vision where they saw the entire field and used to maximize their yards. Obviously much debate in this 28 page thread about this.

 

So say we went another route with our 1st 3rd rounder and didn't move up for Knox. What ifs don't really matter except for discussion purposes on a message board. 

 

What if our picks shook out like so:

 

3.11: Winovich - EDGE

4.10: Bryce Love - RB

4.35: Moreau -  TE

 

Would the masses prefer this outcome to Singletary/Knox?

I really didn’t understand the Singletary, especially with Chase W on the board but I’m encouraged by what I am reading about Singletary.

 

I think our fan base would have been happy regardless of who was picked once we landed Oliver. Beane has a lot of support right got now amongst the fans. Here’s to hoping that we find success with this roster.?

[akm0404]

5 minutes ago, BillsFan1988 said:

I've been making proclamations for 20yrs I've been right @ least 70% of the time.  That's my opinion maybe I'm right maybe I'm wrong but Singletary will not live up to his 3rd rd grade . I'll even go one further fans on this board will be unhappy about this pk for quite some time and they'll be talking about players like Winovich and Sternberger amongst others of players we missed on.  

 

lol