My draft recap and random thoughts.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, newcam2012 said:

I get what you are saying. However, if the Bills are depending on unproven rookies to take them over the top I'd be really surprised. Draft choices especially early ones can and should contribute immediately. The Bills only had one early draft choice. I expect Elam to have the biggest impact. Followed by Cook and Ariza. However, Beane would never not draft for the future. I think the theme of the post is inaccurate. 

The theme of the post?

 

the theme of the post is that we don’t know that Cornerback was the ONLY position that they were drafting in rd 1. Yes, sure that it was their #1 priority….. but IF the draft fell differently (aka all 4 corners we had with 1st rd grades drafted in the top 15) and their last WR with a 1st rd grade fell to 25 we MAY have drafted a WR over a 2nd rd graded cornerback.  I would hope so anyway. 
 

Yes, elam would have a bigger impact on 2022.  

50 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Based on their previous draft tendencies and bias towards defense, I thought it was defense all the way… and if the scenario you presented did happen, you may be right, a trade down for Breece Hall… or could easily see them sitting at 25 and taking a safety…. But based on their draft tendencies and their comments predraft I never truly believe they’d take a WR in the 1st…. Put it this way, if Jameson Williams fell and both he and Elam were there at 25, the Bills would take Elam. 

Prior to this year, Beane had used his first pick in the draft on offense 2 times and defense 2 times.  I agree, we’ve spent more picks on D, but our first pick has been evenly split and the conversation is solely based on the first pick.  

[NewEra]

39 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

First, I think your analysis of the first round is correct.  I speculated about what Beane learned from doing mock drafts.   He must have mocked drafts where his preferred corners were taken early.   He said that he never talked to teams about trading up above 20, because it was too expensive.  Good bet is that he got to 20 and still had two corners on the board, a situation he had mocked.  When the Chiefs took one, Beane was prepared to move.  I agree with you; if all the corners were gone, he would have gone in a different directions.  But he also said that getting the corner in the first round set up the rest of the draft, because he didn't have to chase any other positions.  Hall or a receiver would have been nice, but then he would have been trading the fourth to higher in the second to take his second choice at corner.  Beane said getting the first-round corner was key.  

 

Second, you characterize the next five guys correctly, I think.   They'll all see playing time, in varying degrees.  Hard to know yet how successful they will be.   Cook could be a star in this offense, or maybe just an occasional irritant to opponents.  Bernard could be a revelation or a spot player.  Shakir will be only a marginal receiver, I think, but if he can make the squad as the return man, he'll have opportunities to show what he can do in the passing game.  

Thanks.

 

regarding the bolded, cb was priority #1.  No question.  Getting the first rounder was the key…..but having a first round graded cornerback fall to 22 was the real.  If they went before 20 and we couldn’t afford a trade up, does he take a 2nd rd graded corner in rd 1?   I think getting a TOP corner was the key. 
 

 

[Shaw66]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Thanks.

 

regarding the bolded, cb was priority #1.  No question.  Getting the first rounder was the key…..but having a first round graded cornerback fall to 22 was the real.  If they went before 20 and we couldn’t afford a trade up, does he take a 2nd rd graded corner in rd 1?   I think getting a TOP corner was the key. 
 

 

Well, when I heard Beane talking about it, he seemed to imply that if he had stayed at 25 and not traded up, and if Elam had been taken before Beane got him, Beane would not have reached.   He would have traded down (but it didn't sound like he had any favorable trades in the works), or he would have taken his BPA.  I inferred that because he was pretty clear that his path through the draft was going to be much more difficult if he didn't get a first-round corner.  

 

It sounds to me like Beane did his job.   He calculated that at least one first-round corner would fall to #20, ideally two, and from there he'd do what was necessary to get one.  If his calculation had been wrong, he would have been stuck.  His job is to get the calculation correct.   

 

Of course, Elam has to actually be good at his position but frankly, I have a lot of confidence in the approach that McBeane take.   They only take guys with the work ethic, the competitiveness, and the team orientation to succeed.  Elam seems to have that.   He clearly has the physical characteristics of a starting corner.  He survived, even excelled, in a tough conference against guys who are graduating to the NFL.   I think it's a high probability he'll be full-time starter by November, if not September.  

[Patrick Duffy]

2 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Perhaps OBJ or Julio?…. But I would imagine those would be signings later in the off-season.

 

Between those 2 names I'm not sure which one to feel good about, maybe neither..... Julio hardly ever plays and you know how OBJ is, also OBJ coming off that injury would be a concern.

 

 

[Gugny]

23 hours ago, NewEra said:

We’re the Super Bowl favorites for a reason.  We have the best QB.  We have the best team.  Now it’s time for the coaches to join them on the top of the mountain.  Step it up McD.  It’s on you now. 

 

  

 

THIS times one billion.

[Patrick Duffy]

6 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

OBJ probably won’t be able to play until earliest sometime in November…. He’d be a good in season add for depth purposes and certainly an upgrade over Kumerow… 

 

Yeah without question he's an upgrade over Kumerow. I have a hard time seeing it happening though. 

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

Well, when I heard Beane talking about it, he seemed to imply that if he had stayed at 25 and not traded up, and if Elam had been taken before Beane got him, Beane would not have reached.   He would have traded down (but it didn't sound like he had any favorable trades in the works), or he would have taken his BPA.  I inferred that because he was pretty clear that his path through the draft was going to be much more difficult if he didn't get a first-round corner.  

 

It sounds to me like Beane did his job.   He calculated that at least one first-round corner would fall to #20, ideally two, and from there he'd do what was necessary to get one.  If his calculation had been wrong, he would have been stuck.  His job is to get the calculation correct.   

 

Of course, Elam has to actually be good at his position but frankly, I have a lot of confidence in the approach that McBeane take.   They only take guys with the work ethic, the competitiveness, and the team orientation to succeed.  Elam seems to have that.   He clearly has the physical characteristics of a starting corner.  He survived, even excelled, in a tough conference against guys who are graduating to the NFL.   I think it's a high probability he'll be full-time starter by November, if not September.  

Right, he wouldn’t have reached on a non 1st round talent @ 25….. but what if there was a 1st rd graded WR?  Would he have traded down then or would he have drafted the 1st rd graded player?  I won’t pretend to know….my point is, no one else should pretend know either.  

[newcam2012]

42 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

THIS times one billion.

I do believe the Bills are the team to beat in tje AFC. With that said, it won't be an easy path to the super bowl. Many teams have gotten much better. Raiders, Chargers, Denver, Miami, Bait, Cinci, etc...Rhe Bills clearly have a target on their backs. They will likely see the best effort from their opponents. The key is can Allen can stay healthy and the Oline can be effective? Of so, I like their chances. 

[Shaw66]

51 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Right, he wouldn’t have reached on a non 1st round talent @ 25….. but what if there was a 1st rd graded WR?  Would he have traded down then or would he have drafted the 1st rd graded player?  I won’t pretend to know….my point is, no one else should pretend know either.  

Right, we don't know.   However, based on how important he said it was to him to get a corner, I'd guess that he would have traded down if he could find a trade partner.   He clearly wasn't in a hurry to add a receiver - he waited through the fourth round, and he likely would have valued the extra draft capital.

[Einstein's Dog]

2 hours ago, SCBills said:

Interesting interview with Beane on Howard and Jeremy.. Sounded like we are still very much in the outside WR market.  

 

I think our top five are locked down, but only two of them are pure outside receivers.  The other three are more suited for the slot role.  Not sure what we'd do with Kumerow if we brought another guy in.  Stevenson & Hodgins could probably be stashed on the Practice Squad.  

This has been my hope.  That the FO went into the draft with the possibility of CB (Wallace) and WR (Sanders) spots open.  They didn't hit on the Sanders position and so now they should finish it off in FA.  I think Stevenson may be done - the recently acquired 5th rounder has done special team returns.

 

The FA WR market is tight however.  Julio Jones, Will Fuller, TY Hilton, maybe Sanders again, OBJ (though injured), and maybe D Jackson (though ancient). 

 

I'm rooting for Will Fuller!  Serious veteran speed would fit like a glove here.  Get in done Beane!  I almost did a Pounding the Table for Will Fuller thread - but those haven't been turning out so well.

[jkeerie]

22 hours ago, NewEra said:

Exactly how I feel.  

If their game plan was to trade down and draft cook in rd 2 from the get go, I hope someone else devises the plans in the future.  
 

I’m happy we have him, but part of that happiness is due to getting great WR value with Shakir later on.  

Beane was on One Bills Live today.  He said had the Bills kept pick 130, Shakir would have been their choice in that slot.  He also said the run on WR's had no bearing on them trading back in the 2nd.  At 57, they had 5 guys they liked and would have picked.  They got the offer to trade back to 60, knowing they could get one of the 5.  At 60, those 5 guys were still available, so they traded back to 63.  At 63, one of those 5 guys was taken.  They liked Cook and decided to select him at 63 and not press their luck.

Edited May 2, 2022 by jkeerie

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, jkeerie said:

Beane was on One Bills Live today.  He said had the Bills kept pick 130, Shakir would have been their choice in that slot.  He also said the run on WR's had no bearing on them trading back in the 2nd.  At 57, they had 5 guys they liked and would have picked.  The got the offer to trade back to 60, knowing they could get one of the 5.  At 60, those 5 guys were still available, so they traded back to 63.  At 63, one of those 5 guys was taken.  They liked Cook and decided to select him at 63 and not press their luck.

I’m sure.  I had Shakir as a late 2nd-mid 3rd.  I couldn’t be happier that we got him in rd 5.  

4 hours ago, NewEra said:

The theme of the post?

 

the theme of the post is that we don’t know that Cornerback was the ONLY position that they were drafting in rd 1. Yes, sure that it was their #1 priority….. but IF the draft fell differently (aka all 4 corners we had with 1st rd grades drafted in the top 15) and their last WR with a 1st rd grade fell to 25 we MAY have drafted a WR over a 2nd rd graded cornerback.  I would hope so anyway. 
 

Yes, elam would have a bigger impact on 2022.  

Prior to this year, Beane had used his first pick in the draft on offense 2 times and defense 2 times.  I agree, we’ve spent more picks on D, but our first pick has been evenly split and the conversation is solely based on the first pick.  

 

1 hour ago, ScottLaw said:

2 times offense, 3 times defense prior to this year…. They traded up for Edmunds in 2018…. 

No.  You’re incorrect.  Read

Edited May 2, 2022 by NewEra

[JohnNord]

22 hours ago, mrags said:

In his presser, Beane even said he expected him to win the job. It was very subtle and quick. He immediately changed subjects after that. 
 

im not saying he assumed it. Or was tipping his hat. But he was talking about him and his holding skills and said he expected him to do just fine. 
 

did anyone else catch it in the presser? I don’t really want to go back and watch 20+ minutes for a snippet of about 12 seconds. But that’s what I heard. Fwiw, he did also say that he informed Haack there would be a competition, and he had a down year later year and expected him to get it back this year. 

Yeah I heard that.  It was almost as though he was trying to talk him up.  That’s why my takeaway was that the punting job was his to lose.  If Arazia is going to be another Bojo, they’d rather have Haack

[mrags]

2 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Yeah I heard that.  It was almost as though he was trying to talk him up.  That’s why my takeaway was that the punting job was his to lose.  If Arazia is going to be another Bojo, they’d rather have Haack

I think he just needs to be serviceable at holding for his leg to win the job outright. But I firmly believe he will be fine. He’s a kicker as well. He will get on the same page as Bass and know what’s expected of him. 

[BADOLBILZ]

On 5/1/2022 at 12:24 PM, NewEra said:

It is evident that visions of Hardman and Hill streaking past our entire defense have stained the inside of McBs eyes. We lacked speed on D and they wanted to address that.  They did. Another thing that stood out to me this offseason was their pursuit of versatility.  The players they signed and drafted will allow us to play more multiple sets and switch up schemes of both sides of the ball.  I expect us to play more man this season on D.  Not a lot of man, but enough man to confuse the QB by giving different looks, more often.  

Elam, along with his speed, give us some size that we needed on the boundary.  Having another potential top 20 corner opposite Tre will allow us to do some different things with our safeties and our coverages.  Be more aggressive overall because we won’t be afraid of Levi getting beat deep.  
 

Cook-  gives us a playmaking chess piece that we were missing. More versatility, speed, route running, hands.  He’s a threat in the backfield (or in the slot, in motion, out wide) that opposing defenses will have to account for.  He can take it to the house. Some saw him as a 3rd value….which is basically where we drafted him.  He wasn’t going to be there in rd 3 for us, so we got him where we had to get him.  Seems like he may have been our guy from the get go.  
 

bernard-  the worst pick ever…. Just kidding.  Liking this pick more and more.   He can be a milano clone imo.  Great in coverage and is a very effective blitzer.  At worst, we have a ST leader and a great backup for our injury plagued LB Milano.  Best case scenario, we move Milano to the middle and he takes his spot on the weak side.  He might be able to play next to 49 and 58 on run downs replacing Taron at times.  Great locker room and leadership guy.  I thought there were better options @ LB (Chenal and Smith), but those guys don’t excel in coverage the way that Bernard does.  
 

Shakir-  best value pick of the draft for us imo. I had him as a late 2nd-mid 3rd WR.  I feel that his lack of ideal physical traits pushed him down the board.  Very good RAC ability from my experience watching him.  Ideally a slot, but he can play outside as long as he can continue to add to his release package.   Not a burner, but has 4.42 speed.  Nuanced wr that knows leverage and gets separations.  Tough and another great locker room presence.  Great addition to the WR imo.  Love this pick.  
 

Araiza-  punt god.  What’s not like about knowing that we won’t have to see Matt Haaaack play for the bills ever again.  Great value.

Benford- Tenuta- Spector-  I won’t pretend to know anything about these guys other than what I’ve seen in the last few hours.  
 

Pros-  

-added 2 nice playmakers with speed and that add versatility. One @ WR and one @ RB.   I was hoping we would do exactly that.  
 

-We added a potentially great cb2 with cb1 upside.  When Tre starts to slow down, Elam will be extended and take the reigns if he loves up to expectations.  

 

-versatility and speed on D.  More man and more confusion for opposing QBs.  
 

-versatility and speed on O.  We needed Rac and added 2 nice rac players.  
 

Cons- 

- I didn’t like the trade up for Elam because I thought the sweet spot in the draft to trade up was in rd 2.  I was hoping we would trade up and over the chiefs to draft Skyy Moore (or Pierce/Pickens).  Watching that run on WRs was painful for me.  Saw it coming and felt helpless as it occurred.  Was then hoping tolbert dropped to us.  As he slid, I was hoping to trade up for him.  We didn’t and Dallas snagged him. We then reached on Bernard (imo). Strange turn of events to say the least.  
 

-we didn’t draft IOL….but drafted two off ball LBers.  Maybe we plan on moving the shorter armed (for his size) Tenuta to guard?  I think we’re fine @ tackle depth after the quessenberry addition.  Maybe one of Ford, mancz or Ike (if/when he’s healthy) can be dependable backups under Kromer.  
 

-random thoughts:

 

- I think that success of OL will determine our fate in 2022.   I feel that if they can stay healthy, the OL is good enough to win the SB.  We wont win because of our OL, we just need to not lose because of the OL.  If the IOL gets banged up, it could be a HUGE problem and could cost us our Lombardi.  Praying that Kromer can be the difference maker.  The talent that we added to the OL this offseason doesn’t move the needle imo.  It’s basically the same OL.  Saffold will he’ll the run blocking, while possibly hurting the pass O.  Can Kromer hide his deficiency’s in pass pro?  Sure hope so.  
 

- the team has clearly taken on a growth mindset.  They are looking to evolve and become less and less predictable. That’s a necessity in todays nfl.  Confusion reigns supreme.  Opposing OCs and DCs will have more to game-plan for.  11 and 12 personnel on O.  James Cook is a different kind of back that will put the defenses on their heels.  Shakir, crowder, Howard and Duke may not be the superstar playmaker I was hoping for, but I think our playmakers are in a much better spot than last year.  And they came super cheap.  On D , now with the speed of the press man force Elam in the fold, we can play more and more man comfortably.  Possibly confusing the Qb.  
 

We’re the Super Bowl favorites for a reason.  We have the best QB.  We have the best team.  Now it’s time for the coaches to join them on the top of the mountain.  Step it up McD.  It’s on you now. 

 

  

 

 

It was the kind of draft that I hate because it was alll about drafting for immediate needs at positions of lesser value to the league or the Bills specific systems.

 

It was a 90's kinda' Bills draft, IMO.

 

Doesn't mean it won't yield starters and get good grades from analysts who judge drafts by how many "needs" you tried to address..........whether you took a chance on a QB or a just took a punter..........the Bills drafts of the 90's were often graded highly at the moment.

 

But those drafts were proof that you can go broke just taking a profit in the draft...........they only won 1 division title in the 7 years after their SB run before Donahoe tore them down............and the reason is because they aged out at the key positions of their day and had to make up for it by stretching the salary cap to it's then stricter limits to try to keep pace in the division.

 

Where a draft like this hurts is 2-3 years down the line when they need a premium position player that's ready to play like one.   A WR1 or a LT or a pass rusher.    People can speculate that they won't......but you just don't know.  

 

What we do know is that they will be TIGHT to the cap then and it will be a challenge paying for one of those guys on the open market.

 

And what we do know is that they can win without a high pedigree CB2..........or a 2nd round RB........or a 3rd round hybrid something or another.

 

But hey,   it is what it is.   As I said last week,  they could forfeit their 1st round pick and still be a SB favorite this year.

 

It's not a catastrophe that they played needy on non-premium positions......... it's just not the "formula" for keeping a roster stocked where it matters most with a $50M/year QB in tow.

 

 

[NewEra]

2 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

It was the kind of draft that I hate because it was alll about drafting for immediate needs at positions of lesser value to the league or the Bills specific systems.

 

It was a 90's kinda' Bills draft, IMO.

 

Doesn't mean it won't yield starters and get good grades from analysts who judge drafts by how many "needs" you tried to address..........whether you took a chance on a QB or a just took a punter..........the Bills drafts of the 90's were often graded highly at the moment.

 

But those drafts were proof that you can go broke just taking a profit in the draft...........they only won 1 division title in the 7 years after their SB run before Donahoe tore them down............and the reason is because they aged out at the key positions of their day and had to make up for it by stretching the salary cap to it's then stricter limits to try to keep pace in the division.

 

Where a draft like this hurts is 2-3 years down the line when they need a premium position player that's ready to play like one.   A WR1 or a LT or a pass rusher.    People can speculate that they won't......but you just don't know.  

 

What we do know is that they will be TIGHT to the cap then and it will be a challenge paying for one of those guys on the open market.

 

And what we do know is that they can win without a high pedigree CB2..........or a 2nd round RB........or a 3rd round hybrid something or another.

 

But hey,   it is what it is.   As I said last week,  they could forfeit their 1st round pick and still be a SB favorite this year.

 

It's not a catastrophe that they played needy on non-premium positions......... it's just not the "formula" for keeping a roster stocked where it matters most with a $50M/year QB in tow.

 

 

I agree.  He definitely went want over team building.  
 

The wanted a big press man cb2 capable that can match up with bigger receivers, They made sure they got a 1st rd cb2. At least they addressed a premium position in rd 1.  The timing of the rookie contract and Tre’s contract is set up nicely.  While we may not have “needed” to use the first rd pick on cb2, he may eventually be cb1 for a long time.  Having two stud corners + a top nickel back allows us to be more aggressive and multiple.  

 

They wanted a pass catching back-  they made sure they got the best one.  He’s more of a weapon for the pass game than the run game.  

They wanted an LB insurance and wanted the ability to play some 4-3 while still being proficient in coverage.  They got a guy that may be able to fill both rolls. 
 

They needed a RAC wr and a return man.  They got one.  One that was a tremendous value in rd 5.  I think he’ll be our starting slot wr for 3 of the next 4 years.  

The needed a punter.  They got one.

Sometimes teams put their best foot forward for winning a super bowl now.  While it might not be the best for contracts long term, it will best for the franchise if we win a SB.  They had some ideas of what they think will put us over the top and went for it.  
 

I would’ve loved this draft if they would’ve landed an OG/OT in rd 3 instead of the toy in Bernard.  As it stands, I’m happy they added the pieces they did.  They all make sense and serve a purpose. 
 

 

 

[Logic]

3 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

It was the kind of draft that I hate because it was alll about drafting for immediate needs at positions of lesser value to the league or the Bills specific systems.

 

It was a 90's kinda' Bills draft, IMO.

 

Doesn't mean it won't yield starters and get good grades from analysts who judge drafts by how many "needs" you tried to address..........whether you took a chance on a QB or a just took a punter..........the Bills drafts of the 90's were often graded highly at the moment.

 

But those drafts were proof that you can go broke just taking a profit in the draft...........they only won 1 division title in the 7 years after their SB run before Donahoe tore them down............and the reason is because they aged out at the key positions of their day and had to make up for it by stretching the salary cap to it's then stricter limits to try to keep pace in the division.

 

Where a draft like this hurts is 2-3 years down the line when they need a premium position player that's ready to play like one.   A WR1 or a LT or a pass rusher.    People can speculate that they won't......but you just don't know.  

 

What we do know is that they will be TIGHT to the cap then and it will be a challenge paying for one of those guys on the open market.

 

And what we do know is that they can win without a high pedigree CB2..........or a 2nd round RB........or a 3rd round hybrid something or another.

 

But hey,   it is what it is.   As I said last week,  they could forfeit their 1st round pick and still be a SB favorite this year.

 

It's not a catastrophe that they played needy on non-premium positions......... it's just not the "formula" for keeping a roster stocked where it matters most with a $50M/year QB in tow.

 

 

Why do I get the feeling that if the Bills had ignored immediate needs for long term planning in the draft that you would have been the first in line to complain about THAT if and when they don’t win a Super Bowl this year.

 

Damned if they do, damned if they don’t, but BADOL is always gonna tell you why they were wrong and he was right either way.

[BADOLBILZ]

44 minutes ago, Logic said:

Why do I get the feeling that if the Bills had ignored immediate needs for long term planning in the draft that you would have been the first in line to complain about THAT if and when they don’t win a Super Bowl this year.

 

Damned if they do, damned if they don’t, but BADOL is always gonna tell you why they were wrong and he was right either way.

 

 

You get that feeling because that's how you want to feel about it.

 

First, remember, you are new here.......I am not.   This isn't an extension of BBMB it's a different forum.

 

Second, you don't want to consider that the Bills didn't make decisions that were in the best interest of the organization long term.    That thought bothers you.

 

This draft was used to patch perceived holes at positions they think are easy enough to do that right away.   Beane knows that being honest about that would be stupid because nobody thinks that's how you handle a draft.  But the heart wants what it wants.

  

And on the subject of feels........nobody on here may fully understand how much immediate pressure McBeane feel after blowing a season where they should have had home field clinched on or before week 17 and instead ended up imploding in epic fashion in the final seconds in the same exact place where they got flogged the year before.   They don't have 30 years to get this done like a fan their age.  They lived thru being 14-2 and favored to win the SB over Denver........and losing........and then never getting close again.

 

So it has to be maddening and possibly a cause for anxiety to them to blow that and then watch the rest of the AFC loading up for battle in 2022.

 

Maybe the strategy works.  

 

But I have been here since the 90's.........my standards for what I want to see the Bills do in the draft are always the same..........I've repeated the philosophies hundreds of times at this point.

 

A lot of the things I have been saying for 15+ years were scoffed at initially and now the league does them and it's openly discussed.   Focus on premium positions in round 1.   Don't draft RB's in round 1.  Even "it's only wrong to take the best QB in round 1 if you are afraid to take another the next year if he's better".........see Kyler Murray a year after Josh Rosen.    

 

If you choose not to know or remember these things...........that's fine, they are just my opinion.........but it looks ridiculous when you try to make it out like my opinions of how the draft should be executed are a moving target when I've been re-iterating them for a long time...........and you've even weighed in on posts where I've expressed some of them.    You have a very selective memory though.........as you illustrated last week when you implied that I criticized Beane for drafting Ed Oliver when I did quite the opposite.

 

As I've said.........I really didn't like the kind of draft they just executed..........but I'm not grinding my teeth about it.    It's all entertainment.   Winning is always fun.   Bad decisions, bonehead plays and even losing can also be entertaining if you have the pastime in perspective.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2022 by BADOLBILZ

[HappyDays]

3 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

It was the kind of draft that I hate because it was alll about drafting for immediate needs at positions of lesser value to the league or the Bills specific systems.

 

No doubt Cook and Bernard were luxury picks. But we can afford that once in a while. Drafting exclusively BPA and never taking a swing at an immediate need or dynamic talent is how you end up as the Packers making nothing but safe defensive picks for a decade straight. Or the Ravens who have been one of the best BPA drafting teams of the past 20 years and have an all world coaching staff, but only one Super Bowl in recent memory to show for it. Every now and then it's okay to make a perceived lower value pick to fill in a missing element on a Super Bowl roster, instead of drafting two TEs with Mark Andrews on your roster because your big board told you to do it. I doubt James Cook was the 63rd ranked player on a lot of big boards out there. But I'll stop caring about that the minute he's dissecting defensive schemes that stymied us last year and making plays that help us win a Super Bowl. Brandon Beane has had his meat and potatoes drafts for a few seasons now. This year he enjoyed some dessert. As long as it's not an annual trend it's not going to hurt us in the long term.

[BADOLBILZ]

57 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I agree.  He definitely went want over team building.  
 

The wanted a big press man cb2 capable that can match up with bigger receivers, They made sure they got a 1st rd cb2. At least they addressed a premium position in rd 1.  The timing of the rookie contract and Tre’s contract is set up nicely.  While we may not have “needed” to use the first rd pick on cb2, he may eventually be cb1 for a long time.  Having two stud corners + a top nickel back allows us to be more aggressive and multiple.  

 

They wanted a pass catching back-  they made sure they got the best one.  He’s more of a weapon for the pass game than the run game.  

They wanted an LB insurance and wanted the ability to play some 4-3 while still being proficient in coverage.  They got a guy that may be able to fill both rolls. 
 

They needed a RAC wr and a return man.  They got one.  One that was a tremendous value in rd 5.  I think he’ll be our starting slot wr for 3 of the next 4 years.  

The needed a punter.  They got one.

Sometimes teams put their best foot forward for winning a super bowl now.  While it might not be the best for contracts long term, it will best for the franchise if we win a SB.  They had some ideas of what they think will put us over the top and went for it.  
 

I would’ve loved this draft if they would’ve landed an OG/OT in rd 3 instead of the toy in Bernard.  As it stands, I’m happy they added the pieces they did.  They all make sense and serve a purpose. 
 

 

 

 

 

Yep........want.

 

When you put feels on the top of the chart it's always got the potential to look bad.

 

I find it funny that Beane is actively selling the idea that they aren't just going "all-in" on this season when this draft couldn't say that any more than it did.

 

And people need to remember........these dudes had a team like those 2021 Bills when they were in Carolina.........they went 14-2 and had the league MVP at QB........and BLEW IT in the SB against a team with a washed up QB who had thrown 9 TD's and 17 INT's on the season.

 

And that was it.    They fell back to earth the next season and the franchise quickly fell back into the pack.

 

Their experience has to be colored by that.