Poll: How would you grade the Bills overall draft?

[chongli]

2 hours ago, Lost said:

We went from having the worst punter in the league to the best.  

 

The only thing that puzzles me is why two other punters were drafted before Araiza, in the fourth round, no less.

[SCBills]

I said in another thread that due to how the board was falling before our picks, it seemed we were on our heels a bit. 
 

That doesn’t mean we had a bad draft.  On the contrary, I think Beane and Co. did a really good job.  
 

While we may have wanted OL help, they clearly did not.  They had chances to do so, most evidently when Parham was there for the taking and we took Bernard.  Perhaps a bit of a reach, but we had no RD4 pick, and clearly wanted to make sure we locked down this player.   I see his fit in our Defense.  Basically a Milano clone.  Gives us good depth and the ability to throw 3 LB sets at teams without losing coverage ability. 
 

We lost our RD4 pick because the Chiefs jumped us to take McDuffie.  I don’t necessarily believe we had McDuffie rated higher than Elam, or vice-versa, but I do think we would have taken either. So when the Chiefs took McDuffie, we couldn’t risk Dallas, or someone else trading up, taking Elam. 
 

Cook, like Bernard, may have been a bit of a reach due to scheme fit.  Not every team wants a undersized speed LB in RD3 and not every team wants primarily pass catching back in RD2.  However, for us, Cook is a home run pick. Absolute monster potential.  
 

We recovered value on Day 3 in taking Khalil Shakir, by using some ammo we got trading back on Day 2 to get a WR, who like Gabriel Davis, had Day 2 talent but was pushed down by the incredible depth of the WR class.  
 

Then we took Matt Araiza, and who can complain about that.

 

Benford seems like a guy our scouts did a ton of work on, and we know this staff can coach up late round/UDFA corners.
 

Tenuta and Spector seem like camp bodies, maybe PS.  Not terribly impressed with Tenuta, seems like there’s 0.0% chance he even makes it out of camp, but whatever.  
 

Wydermyer as a UDFA is worth watching. 
 

Overall B+
 

Our top 5 picks should all make the 53 and contribute in some way this season.  Elam is a Day 1 starter and Cook joins Motor as a RB tandem that suddenly looks like it could be, dare I say, a strength. 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

It’s an A if these players are good the next few years, F  if the other players they could have drafted turn out better

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, GreggTX said:

Good picks, but I just don't get the lack of attention to the OL. C, LG and LT starters are solid, but there's a HUGE dropoff after that. I sure hope Beane has another trick up his sleeve. I was decidedly underwhelmed by the Quessenberry signing. Great story, but still a backup caliber player. I sure hope Brown takes a gargantuan leap this year. Kromer really needs to earn his keep this Summer.

 

Gregg I do and don't disagree.  

 

I'm also concerned about the offensive line.

 

But if it's the 2nd round for example, and you see a good 3rd back available and no offensive linemen you like, what do you do?  You can't pick a guard just because you want a guard when you have little faith any of the guards available will be viable NFL players.   

 

It's all about probabilities.  After the 1st round, it's unlikely that any of these players will be any good in the pros.  It's better to pick a player at a position of little need if you think he has a fair chance to succeed in the NFL, than a player of high need but little probability.   

[CincyBillsFan]

I gave them an A for the following reasons:

 

*  You have to consider where they were drafting and how strong the Bills roster is. Sure the Jets & Jags had much better drafts from a talent perspective but given the circumstances the Bills had every bit as good a draft.

 

*  I believe the bills added at minimum three guys who will start or play significant snaps:  Elam, Cook and the punter. For a team that is a legit Super Bowl contender drafting near the end of each round this is excellent production by the coaches & front office.

 

 

[mushypeaches]

I gave it a B+ because the team focused largely on positions of specific need.  When you don't have a lot of big gaping talent holes, I think you can do this, and Beane did it in a measured manner.

 

Elam - we needed an infusion of top end talent at the position, regardless of White's status for the beginning of the year

 

Cook - again, adding talent to the room, especially on the pass catching side.  Zach Moss was already two steps out the door, and we're not likely to give Singletary a big second contract either

 

Bernard - LB was a sneaky need for this team and we needed an infusion of talent behind Edmunds & Milano.  Ask yourself if you would want any of the ST depth guys behind those two playing significant snaps on defense this year...

 

Shakir - different body type, but this feels like Gabe Davis 2.0.  Great value for the draft position and can step in and contribute in many versatile ways

 

Araiza - what more do we need to say except I never want to see Matt Haack in a Bills uniform ever again

 

[Royale with Cheese]

Its awesome we’ve won the offseason 10 years in a row.

[ehfeuh57]

I gave it a B+

 

I dont believe you can receive an A unless you draft a BIG and FAST player in rd 1 and possibly rd2 also.  Im not even saying we should have, its just my principle as it comes to grading drafts.

 

I am excited about Cook after learning more about him and I hope Elam is good enough to start early.

 

could have taken a Guard/C instead of Shakir as we already have Stevenson whom I like for that role.

[MJS]

I give them a solid B. Without the 1st round trade up I'd bump them up to a B+ or A-.

 

But I guess we have to actually see how they perform before really casting judgement.

[PauleeeWalnuts]

C+ for a second round pick on a RB that can’t block, 3rd rounder for a backup LB that will be special teams or PS if he even makes the team and not addressing the OL early enough to make a difference 

[Process]

It's definitely not an A. I don't hate it but there is a lot I would have done differently.

 

At the end of the day we added speed on both sides of the ball which was desperately needed. But to come out of round 3 with a CB, 3rd down RB and backup LB is disappointing. 

 

If we simply took Parham in the 3rd, who went right after our pick, I'd like it a lot more.

 

B-

[Shaw66]

I gave it a B.  

 

First, the 6th and 7th round left me underwhelmed.  Even the punter - he takes a lot steps before hitting the ball, he has a big leg but isn't consistent, and he apparently has no experience holding place kicks.   All of that tells me that he MAY be the answer, but he may be another problem at that position.   The other guys don't seem to bring much to the table.   

 

Of course, the 6th and 7th round doesn't make the draft.   I really like Elam in the first.   I don't know much about any of the picks, but I like a first-round corner.   If Elam can play, and it looks like he can, the Bills are looking at having first-round picks at both corners for the next three or four years.  That's a huge advantage.  If Elam is ready to play full-time, even by the middle of the season if not day 1, and if White comes back, it means the Bills will have one of the best safety tandems and one of the best corner tandems in the league.  Combine that with the subtle complexities of how the Bills play defense back there, and they will be all set for the playoffs.   Oh, and they'll have #40 rushing the passer.  

 

Cook, I'm taking a wait and see approach.  He could be absolutely explosive in the offense, between his pass catching abilities and his speed out of the backfield, but his videos leave me less than thrilled, particularly out of the backfield.  He's more of a one cut and go guy, actually sort of like Singletary, but less shifty and faster.   In past years, I've thought the guy the Bills took in the second was going to play almost immediately - Cook doesn't give me that feeling.  

 

Bernard may be a brilliant pick.  He may have more impact than Cook.  He MAY be.  He also may become a failed experiment.  

 

In the fourth round - oh, yeah - no fourth round pick.  Like others, I was disappointed to see the Bills use the pick to move up just two spots in the first round, but I get it.  As I said, Elam may be a really important addition to the team for the next several years, and it was important to get him.  As the picks were coming in, Beane had to trust his gut, and he decided he needed to make the move.  I'm not going to second-guess it, and I'll actually give Beane credit, again, for being fearless in the draft.  He makes the moves that he thinks he needs to make.   And even if I didn't completely like the trade up, the two trade downs in the second were very clever - he still got Cook, and he reloaded the day three draft, which allowed him ...

 

... to move up to top of round five and ***** Shakir.  I'm not doing cartwheels over Shakir.  First, how good can he be if he fell to the fifth?   Well, it was borne out that this draft was deep in receivers - teams kept picking them, so maybe Shakier is just one guy in a very deep class.   Still, no one wanted him in four rounds.   Second, although his highlight reel catches are impressive, apparently there are a lot of drops that didn't make the highlight reels, so I'm not so sure he's a really good ball catcher.   That's essential.   And what I really wanted to get out of the draft for the offense is more speed, and if Cook and Shakir both are good enough to win playing time, the speed problem has been solved.  Logic said something about this yesterday - if those guys make it, look at the problems the Bills will pose to defenses when they line up with all sorts of skill players:   Two tight ends, Diggs, Shakir, and Cook.  Five wide with Diggs, Davis, McKenzie, Shakir, and Cook.  Mix in Singletary and/or Crowder.   There's a lot of dangerous firepower on the field in almost any kind of configuration.  But Shakir has to make it first, and Cook.

 

I have the same problem with grades that most everyone does.  When the Bills are picking late every round, it's very difficult to fill up their card with impressive names, like the Jets were able to do.  Late in every round, you have to be making bigger bets, and that's how I view Cook, Bernard, and Shakir.  They're all bets.  If Beane bet right, this will be an A or even an A+ draft.  If he bet wrong, it will be a C.  For now, I'm guessing he'll win some and lose some, and I'll give him a B on the result. 

 

However, if I'm going to grade him on how he handled the draft, as opposed to whom he got, I'll give him an A.  He managed his picks very well, and he got guys who could have big impact on the team over the next few seasons.  

Edited May 1, 2022 by Shaw66

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

58 minutes ago, chongli said:

 

The only thing that puzzles me is why two other punters were drafted before Araiza, in the fourth round, no less.

They're better overall punters. Araiza can boom it, but his other skills need refinement.

[UKBillFan]

57 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Gregg I do and don't disagree.  

 

I'm also concerned about the offensive line.

 

But if it's the 2nd round for example, and you see a good 3rd back available and no offensive linemen you like, what do you do?  You can't pick a guard just because you want a guard when you have little faith any of the guards available will be viable NFL players.   

 

It's all about probabilities.  After the 1st round, it's unlikely that any of these players will be any good in the pros.  It's better to pick a player at a position of little need if you think he has a fair chance to succeed in the NFL, than a player of high need but little probability.   

 

I have no issue with Elam or Cook, nor Bernard due to Shakir being a steal in the fifth. And obviously Araiza is a punter with a massive upside. Benford seems to be someone the scouting team have a lot of time for. I know it sounds stupid but it's our second sixth and seventh picks which bug me - Lecitus Smith and Dohnovan West were there and we decided to go with neither?

[Lost]

2 minutes ago, BadboyBills said:

My concern with trading the 4th was that it would limit us in moving up during round 2 and 3. All the receivers that went just ahead of us in round 2 was killer. Skyy Moore to KC pissed me off. Hopefully Elam can cancel him out.

Yep, I was hoping they would move up to get Skyy when he was still there

[PetermansRedemption]

I went with a B. Solid but not spectacular. Even if they come out with a starting CB, a starting special team LB, a developmental WR and a starting punter, that’s not too bad. Won’t blow you away, but could do far worse. 

[In Summary]

B

Corner was a sucking chest wound that needed immediate attention. Bills had to plan for Tre missing a couple early games and then being limited for some time after.  Would really have liked that 4th for IOL.

[1onemangang7]

Couldn't have done better for the defense with the cb. I like the wr. My only real hangup is still no possession runner. I think with the corner and runner they improve by the 16 seconds needed to progress. They didn't think so though so now JA17 again. With 16 ticks left it sure looked like he left 2021 on the field. Improvement from him is a tall ask. 

[wppete]

[chris heff]

1 hour ago, muppy said:

I am terrible at draft rankings. But I found This link for all 32 teams .  They liked the Bills draft very much. It's One Voice but there it is.

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/2022-nfl-draft-final-quick-snap-grades-for-all-32-teams

Interesting that the worst grade he gave was a C to the Colts and that was because no early pick. Seemed to me there were an awful lot of As and Bs.