The "who I would've drafted instead" re-draft, 2024 edition. Are you smarter than the GM?

[The Firebaugh Kid]

I think it’s pretty safe to say everybody wanted Franklin. He went from our potential first round pick to a day 3 guy basically. Given all the time we spent with him they must’ve heard or seen something that scared them away. 

[Kaenon]

My redo:

 

Pick 33: WR Keon Coleman, Florida State

 

Pick 60: CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Mizzou

 

Pick 95: DT McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M

 

Pick 128: S Jaden Hicks, Washington State 

 

Pick 141: C/G Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Georgia

 

Pick 160: LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington

 

Pick 168: DE Javon Solomon, Troy

 

Pick 204: T Tylan Grable, UCF

 

Pick 219: CB Daequan Hardy, Penn State

 

Pick 221: WR Brendan Rice, USC

[soflabillsfan1]

22 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Wasn't Boogie drafted off the COVID off season? You know, the one that GMs couldn't go to Pro Days, do as much deep digging as usual? Couldn't get in person with the draftees? 

 

You know, the season that NFL GMs were pretty much relegated to having only slightly more information available to them than fans normally do? And they missed on that pick? Shocker.

Not true but not a bad excuse.

[FireChans]

24 minutes ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Wasn't Boogie drafted off the COVID off season? You know, the one that GMs couldn't go to Pro Days, do as much deep digging as usual? Couldn't get in person with the draftees? 

 

You know, the season that NFL GMs were pretty much relegated to having only slightly more information available to them than fans normally do? And they missed on that pick? Shocker.

Oh man, that must be why every other second round pick by every other GM was a bust. Or was it because COVID only happened in Erie County?

31 minutes ago, soflabillsfan1 said:

We double dipped on DE in a weak draft but didn't grab two WR's in a loaded draft.  Pretty head scratching.

Only two explanations are incompetence or malfeasance.

[amprov56]

13 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

I don’t have access to a tiny fraction of the data Beane does.  I run IVF labs.  It would be like having folks here tell me I’m wrong about what embryo to transfer when they haven’t even had high school biology.

Awesome post!!!!

[SCBills]

Ray Davis is a good player, but gives me heavy Devin Singletary vibes, albeit bigger and a better receiver.  That’s a good player in theory, but I just don’t get excited by it.  Hope he proves me wrong and plays every game like he did against UF. 

 

Just felt like we could’ve scooped up an RB2 later.. maybe where we drafted our LB6 in the next round, and instead took a WR in RD4 … minor gripe though. 
 

Im of the belief there’s another shoe or two to drop in the WR room before we get to camp, so I’m resigned to a wait and see approach.  
 

Im actually coming around on Keon Coleman over McConkey.  Coleman has heavy Tee Higgins vibes, and as long as Allen is going to adjust to what that means, I see the vision. 
 

Otherwise, I’m good.  Bishop, Carter and Solomon should all have roles on the Defense this year and Van Pran could absolutely challenge for the starting Center spot this Summer. 

Edited April 28 by SCBills

[oldmanfan]

8 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Oh man, that must be why every other second round pick by every other GM was a bust. Or was it because COVID only happened in Erie County?

Only two explanations are incompetence or malfeasance.

We already have double dipped with Hamler and Shorter.   What makes you think a 6th round WR is better than these guys?

[FireChans]

1 minute ago, oldmanfan said:

We already have double dipped with Hamler and Shorter.   What makes you think a 6th round WR is better than these guys?

Hamler? The guy who caught 12 balls in the last 3 years?

 

Yeah, I think there’s a chance Beane could’ve found a guy to do better than that lmao

[oldmanfan]

Just now, FireChans said:

Hamler? The guy who caught 12 balls in the last 3 years?

 

Yeah, I think there’s a chance Beane could’ve found a guy to do better than that lmao

Because he was injured.  Let’s see him healthy.  
 

We get you.  If they had taken 3 WRs you be on here complaining we did nothing to fortify other areas.  Or if they had taken say Leggette you’d be screaming they should have taken Coleman.  And so on.

[BuffaloBillyG]

16 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Oh man, that must be why every other second round pick by every other GM was a bust. Or was it because COVID only happened in Erie County?

Only two explanations are incompetence or malfeasance.

Saying every other pick is a bit overzealous, and I think you're intelligent enough to know that.

 

And while there were a few good picks in round 2 that draft there are a lot of misses early (rounds 1 and 2). Without the time this morning to contrast and compare earlier seasons it looks to the eye to be a higher number of misses league wide then an average year.

 

When you combine the lack of normalcy that year with what looks in retrospect to have been a fairly weak draft class, yeah, it played into that pick. 

[FireChans]

Just now, oldmanfan said:

Because he was injured.  Let’s see him healthy.  
 

We get you.  If they had taken 3 WRs you be on here complaining we did nothing to fortify other areas.  Or if they had taken say Leggette you’d be screaming they should have taken Coleman.  And so on.

Hilarious. I’ve been begging to draft a WR for 3 years. I’m on record this off-season debating hard against taking Coleman with @Alphadawg7 and @HappyDays predraft. 
 

I actually have courage in my convictions, rather than saying our WR room is solved by Hamler (who cannot stay healthy at the NFL this far) and has 12 rec in 3 seasons combined and Shorter, an unproductive college WR who was a stashed fifth rounder last year. 
 

Your analysis is post-hoc to a T. The moves we did were great because we did them. No one was arguing Shorter and Hamler solved our problems 4 days ago lol

[Solomon Grundy]

As a former manager, you'd interview prospects to gauge their "true" interest of being part of your team. Their body language, their enthusiasm of meeting/speaking with you. Is Buffalo somewhere that you can call home and truly mean it. Maybe with some of the interviews, Beane felt that some prospects weren't meant for Buffalo regardless of their talent level. If so, I'd applaud that. We don't want any malcontents. 

[BuffaloBillyG]

23 minutes ago, soflabillsfan1 said:

Not true but not a bad excuse.

Care to expound on this? 

[oldmanfan]

Just now, FireChans said:

Hilarious. I’ve been begging to draft a WR for 3 years. I’m on record this off-season debating hard against taking Coleman with @Alphadawg7 and @HappyDays predraft. 
 

I actually have courage in my convictions, rather than saying our WR room is solved by Hamler (who cannot stay healthy at the NFL this far) and has 12 rec in 3 seasons combined and Shorter, an unproductive college WR who was a stashed fifth rounder last year. 
 

Your analysis is post-hoc to a T. The moves we did were great because we did them. No one was arguing Shorter and Hamler solved our problems 4 days ago lol

So they drafted one this year.  Be happy.

[Buckets]

Mitchell 

[K D]

14 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

I don’t have access to a tiny fraction of the data Beane does.  I run IVF labs.  It would be like having folks here tell me I’m wrong about what embryo to transfer when they haven’t even had high school biology.

As a sperm donor I am absolutely smarter than the GM!

[90sBills]

1 hour ago, soflabillsfan1 said:

We double dipped on DE in a weak draft but didn't grab two WR's in a loaded draft.  Pretty head scratching.

DL will always be more vital for team success than WR - McD. 

[soflabillsfan1]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBillyG said:

Care to expound on this? 

2021 Pro Days had HC, scouts and personnel in attendance.

[PBF81]

15 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

I don’t have access to a tiny fraction of the data Beane does.  I run IVF labs.  It would be like having folks here tell me I’m wrong about what embryo to transfer when they haven’t even had high school biology.

 

Start working on a protocol WR that will be ready for us in 23 years.  

 

😁

 

 

[PBF81]

As a GM I would have drafted some WRs in rounds 1 & 2 in the five drafts prior to this one, or at least a few in round 3.  

 

Tough to lay the current situation at the feet of those that would have built the team around Allen rather than focusing on defense continually.