Matt Miller (ESPN+) new 7 round mock draft........who would you have selected if it fell this way?

[BADOLBILZ]

So Matt Miller just did his full 7 round mock draft on ESPN.   I'm not going to post every pick in the draft since it's supposed to be exclusive content and mods won't allow.........so you kinda' gotta' have ESPN+ to see who else was available.    But below I am listing the picks........along with who I think I would have selected and why in parentheses if the available players showing were still there.  

 

Obviously if one pick is different in every round then each subsequent round might fall differently so it's just an exercise for fun.......but have at it.

 

1. Quentin Johnston WR (Jordan Addison WR......I prefer Addison as the better prospect but also the less likely receiver to be relegated to the bench if a young WR1 were drafted in the next 2 seasons because Addison should be inside/outside versatile and Johnston is probably an outside-only like Gabe Davis).

 

2. Jartavius Martin CB/S (Sam LaPorta TE........Bergeron was still on the board and if I thought he had LT potential I'd go with him.......but I don't......so I think I go with the TE LaPorta here as high ceiling insurance against a Dawson Knox injury and bad weather weapon with some RAC ability.   LaPorta has excellent tape and is a player I have been watching for a couple years in anticipation of him coming to the NFL and sorta fits that 6'4" 250# mold that seems to be a sweet spot for blocking leverage and durability for TE's.  Miller is about Buffalo drafting replacements for slot CB and safety and I like Martin but I just don't worry much about those spots.......especially early in the draft.  You can find those guys cheap in UFA or later in the draft in the Bills system).

 

3. Nick Saldiveri G (Jaelyn Duncan OT........I think there will be comparable guard talent available later in the draft and Duncan has an outside shot at becoming an adequate LT in the future or maybe a good RT so the value is with Duncan, IMO.   He could be a bust but in this draft I like the risk here.)

 

4.Jordan Battle S (Kyu Blu Kelly CB.........I just like this guy as a fit in the Bills system.........I don't love the pick but solid player with ball skills that I'd rather draft than a comparable safety-only type)

 

5. Eric Gray RB (Nick Broeker G..........this is a good spot for a tackle who can play guard like Broeker.   I tend to think he will go earlier but I think he'd be a good value and potential starting G with the ability to get you thru a game or two at a tackle position down the line.   I like Gray but I think the difference between Gray and a UDFA option isn't big.   Athletic Auburn MLB Owen Pappoe was another consideration for me here.  I think he has an average MLB ceiling which would be ok here.......but since I think job #1 of any organization is to prop up your star QB I think it's an easy choice)

 

6. Tavius Robinson DE (Jake Witt OT......Witt is an athlete getting some hype as a potential developmental LT.   Shot in the dark here but I think a player like that can get thru and end up on the PS for a year and then you see what you have in year 2.   Don't love much of the talent left at this point on his board and for the most part I think the non-premium position players are close enough that you can get similar talent in UDFA. )

Edited April 23, 2023 by BADOLBILZ
title clarification for those who don't know who Matt Miller is

[Simon Says]

This is an awful mock draft...too many DBs and Saldeverdi is a tackle...etc. I like your selections of Addison and Laporte but TE can be addressed later. Then you went overboard on OLine. 3 Olinemen but not a linebacker?

Edited April 24, 2023 by Herb Nightly

[Special K]

I’m glad Matt Miller will be nowhere near the Bills draft room..... yikes, that’s a bad draft.

[Dr. Who]

6 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

So Matt Miller just did his full 7 round mock draft on ESPN.   I'm not going to post every pick in the draft since it's supposed to be exclusive content and mods won't allow.........so you kinda' gotta' have ESPN+ to see who else was available.    But below I am listing the picks........along with who I think I would have selected and why in parentheses if the available players showing were still there.  

 

Obviously if one pick is different in every round then each subsequent round might fall differently so it's just an exercise for fun.......but have at it.

 

1. Quentin Johnston WR (Jordan Addison WR......I prefer Addison as the better prospect but also the less likely receiver to be relegated to the bench if a young WR1 were drafted in the next 2 seasons because Addison should be inside/outside versatile and Johnston is probably an outside-only like Gabe Davis).

 

2. Jartavius Martin CB/S (Sam LaPorta TE........Bergeron was still on the board and if I thought he had LT potential I'd go with him.......but I don't......so I think I go with the TE LaPorta here as high ceiling insurance against a Dawson Knox injury and bad weather weapon with some RAC ability.   LaPorta has excellent tape and is a player I have been watching for a couple years in anticipation of him coming to the NFL and sorta fits that 6'4" 250# mold that seems to be a sweet spot for blocking leverage and durability for TE's.  Miller is about Buffalo drafting replacements for slot CB and safety and I like Martin but I just don't worry much about those spots.......especially early in the draft.  You can find those guys cheap in UFA or later in the draft in the Bills system).

 

3. Nick Saldiveri G (Jaelyn Duncan OT........I think there will be comparable guard talent available later in the draft and Duncan has an outside shot at becoming an adequate LT in the future or maybe a good RT so the value is with Duncan, IMO.   He could be a bust but in this draft I like the risk here.)

 

4.Jordan Battle S (Kyu Blu Kelly CB.........I just like this guy as a fit in the Bills system.........I don't love the pick but solid player with ball skills that I'd rather draft than a comparable safety-only type)

 

5. Eric Gray RB (Nick Broeker G..........this is a good spot for a tackle who can play guard like Broeker.   I tend to think he will go earlier but I think he'd be a good value and potential starting G with the ability to get you thru a game or two at a tackle position down the line.   I like Gray but I think the difference between Gray and a UDFA option isn't big.   Athletic Auburn MLB Owen Pappoe was another consideration for me here.  I think he has an average MLB ceiling which would be ok here.......but since I think job #1 of any organization is to prop up your star QB I think it's an easy choice)

 

6. Tavius Robinson DE (Jake Witt OT......Witt is an athlete getting some hype as a potential developmental LT.   Shot in the dark here but I think a player like that can get thru and end up on the PS for a year and then you see what you have in year 2.   Don't love much of the talent left at this point on his board and for the most part I think the non-premium position players are close enough that you can get similar talent in UDFA. )

I prefer all your top four selections to those of Matt Miller's. Addison for reasons stated, however a fella in another thread has him at 170 lbs which is less than I have read elsewhere. That's concerning if true. Like his versatility, route running, and high floor. I want one of the top 4 TEs. LaPorta over a db, though Bergeron is one of my favorites. I'd be tempted to go that way, though he's probably a guard. Duncan is the third round OT I like.  I think you have to have a tackle by end of day 2 as plan B in case the Brown experiment fails. I think Eric Gray is going to be good, so that one is a push for me. No idea about the choices in the sixth. 

[NewEra]

12 minutes ago, Herb Nightly said:

This is an awful draft...too many DBs and Saldeverdi is a tackle...etc.

We need a tackle.  

[LABILLBACKER]

12 minutes ago, Herb Nightly said:

This is an awful draft...too many DBs and Saldeverdi is a tackle...etc.

This mock is awful. Johnston has hands like Gabe.

[WyoAZBillfan]

Never heard of her. Plus that’s a nasty draft IMO. 

[TheBeaneBandit]

Today I find myself wanting to hurt Matt Miller.....

[somnus00]

27 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

This mock is awful. Johnston has hands like Gabe.

And he plays small for a guy that size. He doesn't seem like a McBeane kind of prospect. 

[gonzo1105]

41 minutes ago, Herb Nightly said:

This is an awful draft...too many DBs and Saldeverdi is a tackle...etc.

No Saldiveri is not a tackle in the NFL he’s either a G/C 

People are starting to see what I’ve been saying about Quan Martin and Saldiveri for awhile. Both steaming up mock draft boards . Don’t love the first round. Like 2 and 3 don’t see how battle is necessary and the last two are Meh players 

[JGMcD2]

50 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

So Matt Miller just did his full 7 round mock draft on ESPN.   I'm not going to post every pick in the draft since it's supposed to be exclusive content and mods won't allow.........so you kinda' gotta' have ESPN+ to see who else was available.    But below I am listing the picks........along with who I think I would have selected and why in parentheses if the available players showing were still there.  

 

Obviously if one pick is different in every round then each subsequent round might fall differently so it's just an exercise for fun.......but have at it.

 

1. Quentin Johnston WR (Jordan Addison WR......I prefer Addison as the better prospect but also the less likely receiver to be relegated to the bench if a young WR1 were drafted in the next 2 seasons because Addison should be inside/outside versatile and Johnston is probably an outside-only like Gabe Davis).

 

2. Jartavius Martin CB/S (Sam LaPorta TE........Bergeron was still on the board and if I thought he had LT potential I'd go with him.......but I don't......so I think I go with the TE LaPorta here as high ceiling insurance against a Dawson Knox injury and bad weather weapon with some RAC ability.   LaPorta has excellent tape and is a player I have been watching for a couple years in anticipation of him coming to the NFL and sorta fits that 6'4" 250# mold that seems to be a sweet spot for blocking leverage and durability for TE's.  Miller is about Buffalo drafting replacements for slot CB and safety and I like Martin but I just don't worry much about those spots.......especially early in the draft.  You can find those guys cheap in UFA or later in the draft in the Bills system).

 

3. Nick Saldiveri G (Jaelyn Duncan OT........I think there will be comparable guard talent available later in the draft and Duncan has an outside shot at becoming an adequate LT in the future or maybe a good RT so the value is with Duncan, IMO.   He could be a bust but in this draft I like the risk here.)

 

4.Jordan Battle S (Kyu Blu Kelly CB.........I just like this guy as a fit in the Bills system.........I don't love the pick but solid player with ball skills that I'd rather draft than a comparable safety-only type)

 

5. Eric Gray RB (Nick Broeker G..........this is a good spot for a tackle who can play guard like Broeker.   I tend to think he will go earlier but I think he'd be a good value and potential starting G with the ability to get you thru a game or two at a tackle position down the line.   I like Gray but I think the difference between Gray and a UDFA option isn't big.   Athletic Auburn MLB Owen Pappoe was another consideration for me here.  I think he has an average MLB ceiling which would be ok here.......but since I think job #1 of any organization is to prop up your star QB I think it's an easy choice)

 

6. Tavius Robinson DE (Jake Witt OT......Witt is an athlete getting some hype as a potential developmental LT.   Shot in the dark here but I think a player like that can get thru and end up on the PS for a year and then you see what you have in year 2.   Don't love much of the talent left at this point on his board and for the most part I think the non-premium position players are close enough that you can get similar talent in UDFA. )

Jordan Addison and Sam LaPorta with our first two picks would be great gets. I’d be pretty happy all things considered. I’m in agreement with you there, that’s who should have gone off the board. 
 

I’m hoping for an OL in RD2 or RD3. Dawand Jones is interesting-ish in RD2 but he’s a RT and we have a raw athletic freak there already. I wouldn’t hate the swing though. Ultimately I’d have a hard time passing LaPorta there. 

 

Cook

Harris

Hines
 

Diggs

Addison

Davis

Harty

Shakir

Sherfield

 

Knox

LaPorta

 

That’s a nice supporting cast for Josh on game day. 

[NastyNateSoldiers]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

So Matt Miller just did his full 7 round mock draft on ESPN.   I'm not going to post every pick in the draft since it's supposed to be exclusive content and mods won't allow.........so you kinda' gotta' have ESPN+ to see who else was available.    But below I am listing the picks........along with who I think I would have selected and why in parentheses if the available players showing were still there.  

 

Obviously if one pick is different in every round then each subsequent round might fall differently so it's just an exercise for fun.......but have at it.

 

1. Quentin Johnston WR (Jordan Addison WR......I prefer Addison as the better prospect but also the less likely receiver to be relegated to the bench if a young WR1 were drafted in the next 2 seasons because Addison should be inside/outside versatile and Johnston is probably an outside-only like Gabe Davis).

 

2. Jartavius Martin CB/S (Sam LaPorta TE........Bergeron was still on the board and if I thought he had LT potential I'd go with him.......but I don't......so I think I go with the TE LaPorta here as high ceiling insurance against a Dawson Knox injury and bad weather weapon with some RAC ability.   LaPorta has excellent tape and is a player I have been watching for a couple years in anticipation of him coming to the NFL and sorta fits that 6'4" 250# mold that seems to be a sweet spot for blocking leverage and durability for TE's.  Miller is about Buffalo drafting replacements for slot CB and safety and I like Martin but I just don't worry much about those spots.......especially early in the draft.  You can find those guys cheap in UFA or later in the draft in the Bills system).

 

3. Nick Saldiveri G (Jaelyn Duncan OT........I think there will be comparable guard talent available later in the draft and Duncan has an outside shot at becoming an adequate LT in the future or maybe a good RT so the value is with Duncan, IMO.   He could be a bust but in this draft I like the risk here.)

 

4.Jordan Battle S (Kyu Blu Kelly CB.........I just like this guy as a fit in the Bills system.........I don't love the pick but solid player with ball skills that I'd rather draft than a comparable safety-only type)

 

5. Eric Gray RB (Nick Broeker G..........this is a good spot for a tackle who can play guard like Broeker.   I tend to think he will go earlier but I think he'd be a good value and potential starting G with the ability to get you thru a game or two at a tackle position down the line.   I like Gray but I think the difference between Gray and a UDFA option isn't big.   Athletic Auburn MLB Owen Pappoe was another consideration for me here.  I think he has an average MLB ceiling which would be ok here.......but since I think job #1 of any organization is to prop up your star QB I think it's an easy choice)

 

6. Tavius Robinson DE (Jake Witt OT......Witt is an athlete getting some hype as a potential developmental LT.   Shot in the dark here but I think a player like that can get thru and end up on the PS for a year and then you see what you have in year 2.   Don't love much of the talent left at this point on his board and for the most part I think the non-premium position players are close enough that you can get similar talent in UDFA. )

I hate Johnston and Addison and most of the Wr’s in this draft. 

[HappyDays]

I like the first 3 picks a lot. I would take that now if I could. I don't know enough about the round 4 and beyond players to say if I like those picks.

 

I'm surprised by how many people have grown to hate Quentin Johnston as a prospect. Feels like early in the process he was the clear #1 WR, and now he's a guaranteed Kevin White level bust. I understand the body catching and the hands. But everything else about him gives you true WR1 potential. The Bills have needed a YAC receiver that can play outside since John Brown fell off a cliff. Out of the realistic options, to me Johnston is the ideal 1st round pick for us. Fills a need, great upside, immediately adds a play style that doesn't currently exist on the roster. What am I missing?

 

Addison is the opposite of how I feel about Johnston. Everyone else loves him as a potential pick for us. Me, I struggle to see a high ceiling and question how well his body type will hold up in the pros. It feels like a very safe pick, like the player he is in year one is the player he'll always be. I guess that's fine... just not my cup of tea in the 1st round.

 

Not as much as to say on Martin and Saldiveri, just that I know I want us to draft a replacement for Poyer or Hyde this year and I know that I want OL drafted somewhere in the mid rounds. If you took Bergeron in the 2nd round and a safety prospect in the 3rd round I'd be good with that too.

[BADOLBILZ]

3 minutes ago, NastyNateSoldiers said:

I hate Johnston and Addison and most of the Wr’s in this draft. 

 

Yes a lot of people are underwhelmed by this group of WR but I will say that at this time last year........the 2023 class was headlined by arguably the two top producing 2021 receivers in CFB(Njigba and Addison.  

 

Marvin Harrison Jr is a stud of the 2024 class but after that there isn't a player who stands out like Njigba and Addison.

 

A bunch of players could break out and the overall class of players in general will probably be a bit deeper because this years class was depressed a bit by NIL payments that kept some players in school..........but I don't think it promises to be like the 2018-2022 classes at WR in round 1 next year either.

[Dan in Owego]

This years first round may end up with some huge surprises for us draftniks, which often is the case in these "weaker" drafts.

[OldTimer1960]

1 hour ago, Herb Nightly said:

This is an awful draft...too many DBs and Saldeverdi is a tackle...etc.

DBs are people too.  
 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

33 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

I like the first 3 picks a lot. I would take that now if I could. I don't know enough about the round 4 and beyond players to say if I like those picks.

 

I'm surprised by how many people have grown to hate Quentin Johnston as a prospect. Feels like early in the process he was the clear #1 WR, and now he's a guaranteed Kevin White level bust. I understand the body catching and the hands. But everything else about him gives you true WR1 potential. The Bills have needed a YAC receiver that can play outside since John Brown fell off a cliff. Out of the realistic options, to me Johnston is the ideal 1st round pick for us. Fills a need, great upside, immediately adds a play style that doesn't currently exist on the roster. What am I missing?

 

Addison is the opposite of how I feel about Johnston. Everyone else loves him as a potential pick for us. Me, I struggle to see a high ceiling and question how well his body type will hold up in the pros. It feels like a very safe pick, like the player he is in year one is the player he'll always be. I guess that's fine... just not my cup of tea in the 1st round.

 

Not as much as to say on Martin and Saldiveri, just that I know I want us to draft a replacement for Poyer or Hyde this year and I know that I want OL drafted somewhere in the mid rounds. If you took Bergeron in the 2nd round and a safety prospect in the 3rd round I'd be good with that too.

 

 

I like Johnston a lot better than a guard or RT.   I know that much.   Why people think it's ever a great idea to draft the worst athletes on the field in round 1........especially when they see so many good ones allowed to hit UFA and so many good ones drafted much later..........I just have no idea.   I'll reach a little bit for a LT in round 1 but fat guys with guard feet?  Nope.

 

Like I said with regard to the Addison/Johnston options..........I can just see a situation where the Bills either retain Gabe Davis or find an elite WR1 in the draft and then you end up with the outside-only, body-catching Johnston on the sidelines.  I don't expect either to be true WR1's but I think Addison will play all 3 positions well enough to be hard to get out of the lineup.  And I expect he will find a way to stay healthy just like I expect Johnston to be because they both have been to this point.

 

If you told me that the next 3 WR drafts were going to be like 2015-2017 I would certainly lower my expectations in round 1 even further but I hope it doesn't come to that.

   

[OldTimer1960]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

I like the first 3 picks a lot. I would take that now if I could. I don't know enough about the round 4 and beyond players to say if I like those picks.

 

I'm surprised by how many people have grown to hate Quentin Johnston as a prospect. Feels like early in the process he was the clear #1 WR, and now he's a guaranteed Kevin White level bust. I understand the body catching and the hands. But everything else about him gives you true WR1 potential. The Bills have needed a YAC receiver that can play outside since John Brown fell off a cliff. Out of the realistic options, to me Johnston is the ideal 1st round pick for us. Fills a need, great upside, immediately adds a play style that doesn't currently exist on the roster. What am I missing?

Addison is the opposite of how I feel about Johnston.

I’m looking at this draft thinking that it is weak, but there are players who can contribute and be decent to good starters in the coming years when the Bills NEED cheap players to offset huge contracts for Allen, Diggs, Miller and White.

 

I think that while Allen is healthy, he is good enough to give them a championship chance every year, unless they get into cap hell.  I think that consistently being in contention gives you a better chance for a championship than 1 “all-in” season does.

 

For me, I want to find a decent to good contributor, preferably to help Allen on OL or WR or TE.  Doesn’t have to be - and likely isn’t- a superstar.

 

When I watch Quentin Johnston, my view is of an unrefined athlete who happens to play WR.  His size is not exceptional, speed is fine, but route running doesn’t look NFL-caliber and his catch technique is really sub-standard.  Now, he has some good-sized hands that flash ability, but I don’t want to bet on him improving (by a lot) his hands.  None of this means that I am right, but I’d shy away from Johnston.

Edited April 23, 2023 by OldTimer1960

[Norcalbillsfan]

This mock makes me sad. So underwhelming in every position 

[BADOLBILZ]

13 minutes ago, Norcalbillsfan said:

This mock makes me sad. So underwhelming in every position 

 

 

Imagine telling Bills fans in February that McGovern, Harty and Sheffield was going to be their first week UFA haul. 

 

Don't worry..........whoever the Bills actually pick will likely be a list of even more obscure names to the average fan but there will be spin galore about it to make everyone feel like they got some real potential.    "This guy was all mid-mountain conference 5 times after transferring from West Virginia as a sophomore and holds the state HS shot-put record in South Dakota"