RD 1, Pick 30: Greg Rousseau, Edge (Miami) Public Poll Added

[BADOLBILZ]

14 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

Somebody said it earlier. The pick reminds me an awful lot of Jason Taylor. Anyone else see the same? 

 

Not really as a player.........Taylor was smaller, narrower, more athletic..........he was a PERFECT 3-4 OLB prospect.

 

It reminds me again of how frustrated I used to get with the Bills though..........and how Beane actually picks players in round 1 that I want.

 

John Butler was a decent drafter.........but he for some reason couldn't pick a pass rushing LB to save his life.......and Taylor was his biggest miss.

 

During that 1997 draft process Taylor was considered a fast riser.......he had become my favorite player in that draft........I believe the last Zimmerman SI mock draft even had Taylor going in round 1.......which, at the time was the last and most "connected" mock.    So I thought it was round 1 or no for the Bills and Taylor.

 

Everyone knew the Bills were leaning toward Antowain Smith in round 1, that pick was no surprise.

 

But in round 2 I remember being ecstatic that Taylor was on the board............and then Butler dropped a bomb on me and picked Marcellus Wiley.

 

That hurt.   I trusted Wiley would be solid but Taylor was going to be the dream pass rushing OLB.

 

My heart sank again when the Dolphins took him.   He had a great career but he would have been even better in a 3-4 IMO.

 

Butler got me back on board though when he took Jamie Nails in round 4...........Nails was another late riser who I think was also mocked by Zimmerman in round 1 in that same mock draft.   

 

Tossup which draft I was more exasperated with Butler about........passing on Taylor or not trading up in front of the Titans to get Jevon Kearse (who I had as the #2 overall player behind Champ Bailey in the 1999 draft).    That event played out here on TSW.

 

[Bill from NYC]

8 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

John Butler was a decent drafter.........but he for some reason couldn't pick a pass rushing LB to save his life.......and Taylor was his biggest miss.

 

Decent? I suppose but he had several poor drafts.  I think that his best move as the Bills GM was to bring in Bryce Paup as a free agent. 

 

Butler did have what I consider to be a very good draft in 1995. Sadly, several of these players got seriously injured and it hurt their careers. 

 

From Drafthistory.com:

 

1995111414Ruben BrownGPittsburgh

 221345Todd CollinsQBMichigan

 331276Marlon KernerDBOhio State

 433296Damien CovingtonLBNorth Carolina State

 5411109Ken IrvinDBMemphis

 6415113Justin ArmourWRStanford

 7433131Tony ClineTEStanford

 8510144John HolecekLBIllinois

 9614185Shannon ClavelleDTColorado

 10713221Tom NuttenCWestern Michigan

 11736244Darick HolmesRBPortland State

 

Ruben was very good, and I think that Covington had as much talent as London Fletcher. Kerner and Irvin were good corners imo, especially Kerner. Holecek was very good but constantly injured, and Darrick was fantastic for a 7th round pick. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by Bill from NYC

[Doc]

1 hour ago, Bill from NYC said:

Decent? I suppose but he had several poor drafts.  I think that his best move as the Bills GM was to bring in Bryce Paup as a free agent. 

 

Butlet did have what I consider to be a very good draft in 1995. Sadly, several of these players got seriously injured and it hurt their careers. 

 

From Drafthistory.com:

 

1995111414Ruben BrownGPittsburgh

 221345Todd CollinsQBMichigan

 331276Marlon KernerDBOhio State

 433296Damien CovingtonLBNorth Carolina State

 5411109Ken IrvinDBMemphis

 6415113Justin ArmourWRStanford

 7433131Tony ClineTEStanford

 8510144John HolecekLBIllinois

 9614185Shannon ClavelleDTColorado

 10713221Tom NuttenCWestern Michigan

 11736244Darick HolmesRBPortland State

 

Ruben was very good, and I think that Covington had as much talent as London Fletcher. Kerner and Irvin were good corners imo, especially Kerner. Holecek was very good but constantly injured, and Darrick was fantastic for a 7th round pick. 

 

Covington was on his way to becoming a great MLB until his achilles (I think) injury.  I didn't realize/forgot that he died in 2002 after getting shot in an attempted robbery.  Sad.

[billsfan1959]

6 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Covington was on his way to becoming a great MLB until his achilles (I think) injury.  I didn't realize/forgot that he died in 2002 after getting shot in an attempted robbery.  Sad.

 

I had forgotten this as well. Such a shame.

[Bill from NYC]

4 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Covington was on his way to becoming a great MLB until his achilles (I think) injury.  I didn't realize/forgot that he died in 2002 after getting shot in an attempted robbery.  Sad.

I think Covington once had 17 tackles in one game, or something crazy like that. He was VERY hard to block. Holocek was also a top notch player and was only drafted late because of college injuries. He played well for a while but his body gave out. Same with Cowart. I remember that we lost virtually all of our LBs really close together. I think there was a game against Tampa Bay where there were multiple very serious injuries.

 

Many young fans just don't know what we had to endure.  

[Doc]

47 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

I think Covington once had 17 tackles in one game, or something crazy like that. He was VERY hard to block. Holocek was also a top notch player and was only drafted late because of college injuries. He played well for a while but his body gave out. Same with Cowart. I remember that we lost virtually all of our LBs really close together. I think there was a game against Tampa Bay where there were multiple very serious injuries.

 

Many young fans just don't know what we had to endure.  

 

Yeah, Cowart was lost by a cheap shot in that TB game in 2001 I believe it was.  

[BADOLBILZ]

5 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Decent? I suppose but he had several poor drafts.  I think that his best move as the Bills GM was to bring in Bryce Paup as a free agent. 

 

Butler did have what I consider to be a very good draft in 1995. Sadly, several of these players got seriously injured and it hurt their careers. 

 

From Drafthistory.com:

 

1995111414Ruben BrownGPittsburgh

 221345Todd CollinsQBMichigan

 331276Marlon KernerDBOhio State

 433296Damien CovingtonLBNorth Carolina State

 5411109Ken IrvinDBMemphis

 6415113Justin ArmourWRStanford

 7433131Tony ClineTEStanford

 8510144John HolecekLBIllinois

 9614185Shannon ClavelleDTColorado

 10713221Tom NuttenCWestern Michigan

 11736244Darick HolmesRBPortland State

 

Ruben was very good, and I think that Covington had as much talent as London Fletcher. Kerner and Irvin were good corners imo, especially Kerner. Holecek was very good but constantly injured, and Darrick was fantastic for a 7th round pick. 

 

 

That was a really good draft......but even then,  I thought it was off-tune.

 

That was viewed as a loaded OL draft.......and the Bills OL had turned to horsesh*t.......that was what had ended their SB run more than anything........I was very disappointed that Butler didn't double down on the offensive line in round 2.

 

My preference was Brian DeMarco,  but he was off the board.    Next was Brendan Stai.  DeMarco didn't really have a great career but Stay had a very nice run in Pittsburgh.

 

Instead they went with Todd Collins........a pick I hated........as @Bob Lamb can attest when I mocked his acquisition of a signed rookie card of the Michigan soft tosser........I wasn't ready to turn the page on Jim Kelly,  I wanted to build a great OL around him.

 

Covington was indeed a beast.   Unfortunately the most memorable thing about his career was a scuffle where he ended up picking up gigantic Glenn Parker......at the time viewed as a soft player........and body slamming him on camera at training camp.    Video of that has to still exist online.   It was shocking and showed what immense power the smallish LB had.   Drop foot did him in.   Something similar to the injury that Jaylon Smith for Notre Dame/Dallas has/had.

[Solomon Grundy]

How long before we see the Pegula jet heading to Virginia? Rousseau and #goatsmith meeting(not virtual) needs to happen immediately. They can send Boogie too.

[Bill from NYC]

25 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

That was a really good draft......but even then,  I thought it was off-tune.

 

That was viewed as a loaded OL draft.......and the Bills OL had turned to horsesh*t.......that was what had ended their SB run more than anything........I was very disappointed that Butler didn't double down on the offensive line in round 2.

 

My preference was Brian DeMarco,  but he was off the board.    Next was Brendan Stai.  DeMarco didn't really have a great career but Stay had a very nice run in Pittsburgh.

 

Instead they went with Todd Collins........a pick I hated........as @Bob Lamb can attest when I mocked his acquisition of a signed rookie card of the Michigan soft tosser........I wasn't ready to turn the page on Jim Kelly,  I wanted to build a great OL around him.

 

Covington was indeed a beast.   Unfortunately the most memorable thing about his career was a scuffle where he ended up picking up gigantic Glenn Parker......at the time viewed as a soft player........and body slamming him on camera at training camp.    Video of that has to still exist online.   It was shocking and showed what immense power the smallish LB had.   Drop foot did him in.   Something similar to the injury that Jaylon Smith for Notre Dame/Dallas has/had.

I agree 100% and always felt as if the Bills neglect of the OL was the beginning of the end for the Bills. This, and letting the stars get old at the same time. Instead of trying to replace them, they drafted first round corners and running backs, which iirc Butler did in his first 2 seasons. 

[syhuang]

 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[BADOLBILZ]

5 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

I think Covington once had 17 tackles in one game, or something crazy like that. He was VERY hard to block. Holocek was also a top notch player and was only drafted late because of college injuries. He played well for a while but his body gave out. Same with Cowart. I remember that we lost virtually all of our LBs really close together. I think there was a game against Tampa Bay where there were multiple very serious injuries.

 

Many young fans just don't know what we had to endure.  

 

 

Holecek was a nice player but the thing I will always remember is Donahoe re-working his contract in April and then cutting him in May.........costing the team an additional $2M in cap space..........when he was on his total tear down tour.    Utter stupidity but fans were on board with the "5 years of cap hell narrative" (the f*cker was back shopping in free agency for "his guys" the very next offseason).   

 

That Holecek move ranks second only to Beane's 10 day trial with Corey Coleman that cost the Bills $3.5M in cap space for such sudden wastes of cap space.    

[Logic]

Not sure if anyone else has posted this already, but if not....

I highly recommend listening to Rousseau's interview with Daniel Jeremiah from back during the 2020 college season. He gets complimented by Bucky Brooks for the degree to which he is a student of the game, particularly at his young age. Good interview. Rousseau clearly seems to have the drive to get better....the "growth mindset", if you will.

https://podcasts.apple.com/br/podcast/593-gregory-rousseau-on-his-decision-to-opt-out-art/id915544088?i=1000493270554&l=en

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Bill from NYC said:

I agree 100% and always felt as if the Bills neglect of the OL was the beginning of the end for the Bills. This, and letting the stars get old at the same time. Instead of trying to replace them, they drafted first round corners and running backs, which iirc Butler did in his first 2 seasons. 

 

This is why people need to be on board with a pick like Greg Rousseau.

 

Yes, there is plenty of risk involved with a guy who has played one season on the DL in college at age 19.

 

But in the NFL you CAN go broke just making a profit early in the draft.    You need to replenish franchise difference makers.  

 

The Butler Bills tended to pick guys with low ceilings and impact potential early........perhaps with the idea being that they already had their impact players.    That's what allowed the Patriots to come up from behind and take them down as their stars aged out.

 

The first round of the draft should be for guys who would cost you $20M per season if they pan out...........not to fill the "need of the hour" like a frickin' RB.

[Bill from NYC]

4 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Holecek was a nice player but the thing I will always remember is Donahoe re-working his contract in April and then cutting him in May.........costing the team an additional $2M in cap space..........when he was on his total tear down tour.       

You know, I had pushed that move out of my head lol! 

 

Didn't Holocek make a game saving winning on a 4th and goal from our 1 or 2 yard line with no time remaining? I believe it was against Parcells with no time left. 

[Warcodered]

26 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

I can appreciate him taking a number to make it his own.

[JohnC]

5 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

This is why people need to be on board with a pick like Greg Rousseau.

 

Yes, there is plenty of risk involved with a guy who has played one season on the DL in college at age 19.

 

But in the NFL you CAN go broke just making a profit early in the draft.    You need to replenish franchise difference makers.  

 

The Butler Bills tended to pick guys with low ceilings and impact potential early........perhaps with the idea being that they already had their impact players.    That's what allowed the Patriots to come up from behind and take them down as their stars aged out.

 

The first round of the draft should be for guys who would cost you $20M per season if they pan out...........not to fill the "need of the hour" like a frickin' RB.

The eroding issue with the Patriots wasn't their drafting strategy so much as it was the accumulation of mediocre drafting. Their body of work in drafting over the years was the core reason why this team sunk. Brady recognized it and smartly used his leverage to get out of the house that had a lot of holes in the roof.  

[Logic]

I liked the Rousseau and Basham picks this year, and I liked the Epenesa pick last year.

My only concern is that all three guys seem to be the same type of player: base ends who will set the edge well on 1st and 2nd down, but who then would be best suited to reduce down to the interior on 3rd down. That versatility is great, of course, but I fear that starting in 2022 (assuming Hughes and Addison are gone), we still won't have that pure arc-running, edge-bending pass rush threat on the edge. It's great that all three of our youngsters at edge can rush from the interior effectively, but we still don't seem to have that twitchy right end who can bend the arc.

Any of the three could prove me wrong, of course. Maybe my concern will prove to be unfounded, but I'm a little hesitant to think, even with three high picks invested at EDGE, that the Bills have definitely solved their problems there going forward.

[Aussie Joe]

12 minutes ago, Logic said:

My only concern is that all three guys seem to be the same type of player: base ends who will set the edge well on 1st and 2nd down, but who then would be best suited to reduce down to the interior on 3rd down. That versatility is great, of course, but I fear that starting in 2022 (assuming Hughes and Addison are gone), we still won't have that pure arc-running, edge-bending pass rush threat on the edge. It's great that all three of our youngsters at edge can rush from the interior effectively, but we still don't seem to have that twitchy right end who can bend the arc.

 

This was the issue I had as well.... and led to me feeling some frustration when they selected Basham ... 

 

I guess to get the “twitchy” guy you describe  though you need to be picking Top 5 or spending $16m + a year in free agency so it appears unlikely that Buffalo will be doing either of those the next few years 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1 hour ago, Logic said:

I liked the Rousseau and Basham picks this year, and I liked the Epenesa pick last year.

My only concern is that all three guys seem to be the same type of player: base ends who will set the edge well on 1st and 2nd down, but who then would be best suited to reduce down to the interior on 3rd down. That versatility is great, of course, but I fear that starting in 2022 (assuming Hughes and Addison are gone), we still won't have that pure arc-running, edge-bending pass rush threat on the edge. It's great that all three of our youngsters at edge can rush from the interior effectively, but we still don't seem to have that twitchy right end who can bend the arc.

Any of the three could prove me wrong, of course. Maybe my concern will prove to be unfounded, but I'm a little hesitant to think, even with three high picks invested at EDGE, that the Bills have definitely solved their problems there going forward.

 

I could be wrong, but I believe the team views both Epenesa and Rousseau as potential speed rushers.  Re Epenesa, I assume the focus on his weight loss was to convert him from a set-the-edge end to a speed rusher. And I think what intrigued the Bills about Rousseau was his instincts in being able to get to the QB. Maybe not a speedster-- but I think they view him as a crafty disrupter, but with the flexibility to chase down the QB from anywhere.  I don't think either of those guys are meant to be the Shaq-type edge setter.

 

By the way, don't you love how there is such a thing as a "edge setter"?  Back in the day, great rushing defense ends were supposed to be able to do it all!