Rd 2, Pick 63 (31): RB James Cook, Georgia

[Hapless Bills Fan]

20 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

That take couldn't make less sense in this context.

 

This type of draft is the exact opposite of that philosophy.

 

It was a draft to address immediate needs that you think will help you in the very short term.

 

The way you maintain a team with a $250M QB on it is to keep infusing cheap talent into the expensive premium positions of your systems..........because it's THOSE players you can't afford to keep after contract 1 or replace in free agency with a $250M QB.

 

Any team can afford a Levi Wallace or JD McKissic or a slot receiver,  punter etc............even one's with $250M QB.

 

Just a note that whether he develops as a press CB2, remains to be determined, but it is highly doubtful whether the Bills drafted Kaiir Elam to be a "Levi Wallace".

From https://www.nfl.com/prospects/kaiir-elam/3200454c-4155-0002-a198-92eda6859fa9

Strengths

Desired size, length and strength for press man.

Well-balanced with ability to crowd and stuff the release.

Patient feet rarely fall for release fakes.

Able to swivel hips and pursue with fluidity.

Mirrors shifting routes with basketball agility.

Rarely bites on the cheese against double moves.

Allows receiver to close the cushion for him in Cover 3 and quarters coverage.

Squeezes deep sideline routes with physicality.

Contested catches are typically tilted in his favor.

Solid transition quickness to plant and drive on the throw.

Some improvement in his tackling on 2021 tape.

 

Richard Sherman (FWIW) commented that the physical traits are there and the gaps in his game are (in Sherman's opinion of course) eminently correctable with coaching.

 

 

[nucci]

4 hours ago, Awwufelloff said:

Singletary will be our 1st and 2nd down RB. Cook is a weapon that can literally be used anywhere. Excited to see what plays they design for him.

literally anywhere? Sometimes people don't know how to use the word literally

[Garrett Williams]

8 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Do you realize that he trains in the offseason with Motor?  

Did not. Makes me feel better

10 hours ago, PrimeTime101 said:

Im going to shed some light on this whole thing. His father died less then 2 years ago. He was his personal trainer.. his life... they had a very close relationship. At the presser he wore a picture of his father. This is a dude that does not like to show true emotions. I am sure his father had his favorite teams and he had his favorite teams. 

 

Also at the presser he talked about "it not hitting him yet"

 

The dude is going through a wide range of emotions.  Jim Kelly did not want to play for the Bills at all... Maybe this kid wanted to play/live where its warmer? who knowns. 1 week in buffalo with teamates will be all it takes.. 

Thanks brother

[Garrett Williams]

7 hours ago, Ya Digg? said:

So we all see a video of a guy who isn’t doing backflips after getting drafted, but why does everyone have to have that reaction? Have you watched other interviews from him where he shows tons of emotion that would make you think this way? Maybe he’s just a calm guy by nature, maybe he didn’t feel the need to ham it up for the camera…to me your thinking is the 20 years of drought thinking. The Bills are a destination now, players want to play in Buffalo

wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Just observing what I saw. Go Bills!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

1) No........right off the bat you've somehow misunderstood my philosophy.

 

A team is never "set" at premium positions.

You read all my posts.........how many times have I told the Aaron Donald story? 100?

Thinking that you are "set" in the rapidly changing NFL is the first step onto the slippery slope of needy drafting.

 

 

So let me get this straight.  The positions I mentioned the Bills as being "set" at were QB and WR1 and LT.

Should one conclude you believe we should have drafted a LT or a QB at the bottom of the 1st, while we have Josh Allen signed for $258M through 2028 and Dawkins signed for 3 more years with $12M dead cap, simply because those are the positions which get resigned easy-peasy for >$20M?

 

C'mon man.

 

I'm pretty sure that if a pass rusher or WR the Bills liked with a 1st round grade had fallen to them, they would have pulled the trigger, but we were at the spot in the first round where the guy drafted ahead of us projects as an inside LB, and the next DE has "underdeveloped pass rush" as a tag, then folks were drafting IOL and safety.

Question: what exactly do you believe the Bills should have done with Pick 25 in the 1st round of the 2022 NFL draft?

 

[atlbillsfan1975]

2 hours ago, Simon said:

 

And sometimes people are incapable of seeing things which clearly exist.

When you make a statement and then will not supply an example, doesn't that speak a little bit to the credibility of the statement? I would like to see who chased him down from behind and what was the situation on that play. 

[klos63]

28 minutes ago, nucci said:

literally anywhere? Sometimes people don't know how to use the word literally

and by anywhere he means at his natural position of RB or lined up on the line of scrimmage as a receiver.

[Garrett Williams]

44 minutes ago, John from Riverside said:

Looks like one of those reads that scouts will want to forget they wrote in a couple of years.   Often times players going into the league is all about the fit and how they are used in the league.   Word is he has blitz pickup chops.....he has pedigree.....and his strengths are obvious on tape.   Why in the world would we take a bellcow back that takes the ball OUT of Josh Allen's hands?   We are a passing team.   And I also dont buy that he cant carry the ball.   He fit into a nitch with his college team and they had someone else run the ball between the tackles.  As an outside zone runner?  I think he fits it perfectly.

You are making things up.  He is not a 4.8 guy.....Where in the F do you get that from.

Those holes that Singletary goes thru, Cook will go through faster. We have had two of the slowest RB's in the league and now we have a guy that can make some huge plays.....i believe if he is used to his strengths this will be an incredible player for us.  Singletary still has value but this guy is dynamite

[Simon]

19 minutes ago, atlbillsfan1975 said:

When you make a statement and then will not supply an example, doesn't that speak a little bit to the credibility of the statement? I would like to see who chased him down from behind and what was the situation on that play. 

 

Since we're on a football message board and not in a court of law, I'll suggest that it's OK to offer an opinion without committing a bunch of my life to providing video evidence to those who won't do their own homework.

You're free to regard that opinion as credible or not.

[BADOLBILZ]

34 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

So let me get this straight.  The positions I mentioned the Bills as being "set" at were QB and WR1 and LT.

Should one conclude you believe we should have drafted a LT or a QB at the bottom of the 1st, while we have Josh Allen signed for $258M through 2028 and Dawkins signed for 3 more years with $12M dead cap, simply because those are the positions which get resigned easy-peasy for >$20M?

 

C'mon man.

 

I'm pretty sure that if a pass rusher or WR the Bills liked with a 1st round grade had fallen to them, they would have pulled the trigger, but we were at the spot in the first round where the guy drafted ahead of us projects as an inside LB, and the next DE has "underdeveloped pass rush" as a tag, then folks were drafting IOL and safety.

Question: what exactly do you believe the Bills should have done with Pick 25 in the 1st round of the 2022 NFL draft?

 

 

 

First off.........I would have expected the GM to be on the phone and feeling out the trade up market.    Which was far cheaper than normal.   If trading the second round pick was off the table then that was a mistake.   You need to know your limitations........the second round has been a black hole for Beane.   IMO, you either believe there are reasons for your behavior and their results.........or you aren't self aware and do not.  

 

Yes, I would have taken a LT if the right player was there or reachable.   I had Penning rated very high.    Dawkins can be moved or the player can be moved inside to develop into a LT.   I'm of the opinion that if you get 7 years out of a bad bodied LT like Dawkins you've gotten every bit of what you could have expected.   And that 7th year is right around the corner.   I know @GunnerBill agrees with me about LT not being "set".

 

But why are you going there when 13 WR's went in the first 2 rounds?    And I wouldn't have been averse to taking an edge rusher either.    Why not?   They are carrying 9 or 10 DL and Shaq is a scrub and Epenesa is a disappointment with no production and Basham is an unknown with questionable upside going into his age 25 season.

 

I would have come out of this draft with Jameson Williams.    Perhaps I wouldn't have James Cook or Bernard but I would have had a potential $30M receiver.

 

But let's say the teams in front of me refused to take my superior offer for whatever reason.

 

I take Christian Watson.    And if he were gone I take Jermaine Johnson.    And if he were gone,  Boye Mafe.

 

Because in the Bills system those are premium positions......islands where they are earning their pay without being covered up by position or scheme..........and if they pan out the team would feel compelled to extend them.

 

I'm not sure that's the case with Elam.

 

If they were a press man team,  maybe that's different.   But they play zone.   He will be shielded by the system.

 

He could play well but they could easily decide that they could just plug in a Dane Jackson or Levi Wallace level type of player and be just fine rather than pick up his 5th year option or extend him.     Because they have LITERALLY done that for the past 4 seasons.  

Edited May 1, 2022 by BADOLBILZ

[DCofNC]

3 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

In a vacuum, well, maybe he's not the best player available at 63.

But picks aren't made in a vacuum. They're made to (1) fill an immediate need, other than what you can fill for more money in free agency or a trade; and (2) build depth for the future when the current contributors become too expensive in free agency.

I see this as mostly (1) - filling an immediate need. We had basically no speed out of the backfield last year. Recognizing that, Daboll started using (ultimately over-using) McKenzie as a substitute, engineering ways to get him outside. But he's not in any way a running back; not even a CJ Spiller type speed back, so that was no plan for improvement in 2022. So they could've traded for a Gio Bernard (a guy without much left in the tank), could've signed a Philip Lindsey type (not the worst idea), or, as they did, tried to fill the roster need by using the 63rd pick overall. There isn't much room elsewhere to crack the roster since McD is unlikely (other than Elam, and I guess Araiza) to depend on non blue-chip rookies to fill a critical position given the fact that this team has Super Bowl aspirations and a Super Bowl-worthy roster already. If Daboll's Giants had used the 63rd overall pick on Cook, well, they would've been idiots. Thankfully we're not in that position anymore.

I still see White as the better player overall and would fill the same need, also drafted later.  I think this was a reach and Beane knew it or he wouldn’t have traded down twice before doing it.  Based on their track record, they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt on RB evaluation.

[Rigotz]

I was reading The Draft Network’s scouting report on James Cook to see why he was ranked so low.

 

They only scouted 3 games but noted that 2021 vs Clemson was his “worst game” … so I watched highlights of that game and came away… impressed!

 

He broke a huge run, made some great pass block reads, made something out of nothing on several well-fitted runs. See the video below — I walked away from this very encouraged, given the scouts hated this game. Maybe we stole one with Cooks because he was unfairly labeled a change of pace back?

 

 

[Dr. Who]

Just now, DCofNC said:

I still see White as the better player overall and would fill the same need, also drafted later.  I think this was a reach and Beane knew it or he wouldn’t have traded down twice before doing it.  Based on their track record, they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt on RB evaluation.

I've seen a lot of both White and Cook as I am a huge UGA fan and live just outside Athens. You're just not correct in your analysis. White is certainly a good back. I think he has a chance to do well with the Raiders. High character player who is a power runner. Cook is a different kind of back, very versatile, quick, shifty, and dangerous. They are not identical skills sets, so I am not sure how you think they could fill the same need. Yes, Cook is probably a third round value, but end of the second is pretty close, Beane accumulated two picks, and did not risk losing a playmaker for the offense.

[BuffaloRebound]

“Few teams got worse play on passing downs out of their running backs than the Bills. Enter second-round pick James Cook. I believe the NFL overthought the evaluation of Dalvin's brother. Yes, James is smaller. Yes, he moves differently than almost any NFL running back, with the exception of ... three-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook. The lateral quickness, vision, hands and route-running will translate. Taken No. 63 overall, don't be shocked if James Cook winds up catching more than 63 passes as a rookie.”

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/2022-nfl-draft-debrief-a-j-brown-trade-fallout-draft-winners-and-losers-rookie-w

 

 

 

 

[Rocket94]

Looking at old film, Dalvin and James look exactly alike!

[Hebert19]

41 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

I've seen a lot of both White and Cook as I am a huge UGA fan and live just outside Athens. You're just not correct in your analysis. White is certainly a good back. I think he has a chance to do well with the Raiders. High character player who is a power runner. Cook is a different kind of back, very versatile, quick, shifty, and dangerous. They are not identical skills sets, so I am not sure how you think they could fill the same need. Yes, Cook is probably a third round value, but end of the second is pretty close, Beane accumulated two picks, and did not risk losing a playmaker for the offense.

This.  As a Dawgs fan cook is the better fit as we are a passing team but his running is underrated due to lack of touches.  

[Doc]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

First off.........I would have expected the GM to be on the phone and feeling out the trade up market.    Which was far cheaper than normal.   If trading the second round pick was off the table then that was a mistake.   You need to know your limitations........the second round has been a black hole for Beane.   IMO, you either believe there are reasons for your behavior and their results.........or you aren't self aware and do not.  

 

Yes, I would have taken a LT if the right player was there or reachable.   I had Penning rated very high.    Dawkins can be moved or the player can be moved inside to develop into a LT.   I'm of the opinion that if you get 7 years out of a bad bodied LT like Dawkins you've gotten every bit of what you could have expected.   And that 7th year is right around the corner.   I know @GunnerBill agrees with me about LT not being "set".

 

But why are you going there when 13 WR's went in the first 2 rounds?    And I wouldn't have been averse to taking an edge rusher either.    Why not?   They are carrying 9 or 10 DL and Shaq is a scrub and Epenesa is a disappointment with no production and Basham is an unknown with questionable upside going into his age 25 season.

 

I would have come out of this draft with Jameson Williams.    Perhaps I wouldn't have James Cook or Bernard but I would have had a potential $30M receiver.

 

But let's say the teams in front of me refused to take my superior offer for whatever reason.

 

I take Christian Watson.    And if he were gone I take Jermaine Johnson.    And if he were gone,  Boye Mafe.

 

Because in the Bills system those are premium positions......islands where they are earning their pay without being covered up by position or scheme..........and if they pan out the team would feel compelled to extend them.

 

I'm not sure that's the case with Elam.

 

If they were a press man team,  maybe that's different.   But they play zone.   He will be shielded by the system.

 

He could play well but they could easily decide that they could just plug in a Dane Jackson or Levi Wallace level type of player and be just fine rather than pick up his 5th year option or extend him.     Because they have LITERALLY done that for the past 4 seasons.  

 

You would have traded the Bills first 3 picks to move up to take a guy whose rookie season will be a wash and who if (IF) he becomes productive in years 2 and 3, will probably ask for $30M/year right after, like Deebo is?  Gotta say, that's bold!

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

You would have traded the Bills first 3 picks to move up to take a guy whose rookie season will be a wash and who if (IF) he becomes productive in years 2 and 3, will probably ask for $30M/year right after, like Deebo is?  Gotta say, that's bold!

 

Like Deebo?

 

Deebo Samuel is a first team all pro........he put up 1400 yards receiving on 18 yards per reception and also produced 365 yards on the ground and totaled 14 TD's.........basically dragging a sluggish 49ers team to the NFC championship game.

 

The ignorance around the Deebo Samuel situation is crazy..........that would have been easily the best offensive season by a Buffalo Bills receiver in their history.

 

He was basically 1998 Eric Moulds in the air but with 400 more yards of production and 4 more TD's.

 

Yeah........I'd want that kind of impact from a first round pick.    Sign me up.

[MasterStrategist]

3 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

First off.........I would have expected the GM to be on the phone and feeling out the trade up market.    Which was far cheaper than normal.   If trading the second round pick was off the table then that was a mistake.   You need to know your limitations........the second round has been a black hole for Beane.   IMO, you either believe there are reasons for your behavior and their results.........or you aren't self aware and do not.  

 

Yes, I would have taken a LT if the right player was there or reachable.   I had Penning rated very high.    Dawkins can be moved or the player can be moved inside to develop into a LT.   I'm of the opinion that if you get 7 years out of a bad bodied LT like Dawkins you've gotten every bit of what you could have expected.   And that 7th year is right around the corner.   I know @GunnerBill agrees with me about LT not being "set".

 

But why are you going there when 13 WR's went in the first 2 rounds?    And I wouldn't have been averse to taking an edge rusher either.    Why not?   They are carrying 9 or 10 DL and Shaq is a scrub and Epenesa is a disappointment with no production and Basham is an unknown with questionable upside going into his age 25 season.

 

I would have come out of this draft with Jameson Williams.    Perhaps I wouldn't have James Cook or Bernard but I would have had a potential $30M receiver.

 

But let's say the teams in front of me refused to take my superior offer for whatever reason.

 

I take Christian Watson.    And if he were gone I take Jermaine Johnson.    And if he were gone,  Boye Mafe.

 

Because in the Bills system those are premium positions......islands where they are earning their pay without being covered up by position or scheme..........and if they pan out the team would feel compelled to extend them.

 

I'm not sure that's the case with Elam.

 

If they were a press man team,  maybe that's different.   But they play zone.   He will be shielded by the system.

 

He could play well but they could easily decide that they could just plug in a Dane Jackson or Levi Wallace level type of player and be just fine rather than pick up his 5th year option or extend him.     Because they have LITERALLY done that for the past 4 seasons.  

You are incorrect in alot of this, just my opinion.

 

There are two ways to improve the roster, FA and draft.  If you disagree that we should have targeted a CB in FA, fine name him.  But we had a HUGE hole at corner.  As you said, "if we were a press man" team, well now we have thr ability to run more multiple looks on defense, ie: man, press man, press zone.  Not to mention that big/long WRs killed Levi.  Who cares about scheme, Devante Parker owned Levi as did Claypool in game 1 against Steelers...cost us big.  Elam fixes that problem and gives us much needed skill at that position group.

 

You don't overload talent at a single position, and leave a gaping hole elsewhere.  That's like building a pool, while your basement is flooded.  Not a good investment, and "balance" while improving the team with quality players is key.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 hours ago, Simon said:

 

I don't remember specifically against who or what particular plays.

I just saw him beating people with that initial burst but then maxing out his top end speed and being run down from behind.

 

Well, if Cook gets run down from behind after gaining 7 yac instead of the abysmal leage-cellar 4.2 yac we had this past season or even the 6 yac Singletary managed on 50 targets, I'll be OK with him being run down from behind.  Bonus if he drops less than 10% of his targets.