Bills 6th Round Pick (#1) : Dorian Strong - CB - VA Tech

[NewEra]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

It's wild to me how some people think the offence was a problem.

 

At the end of the day they scored 29 points on the road in arrowhead. (Would have been 31 if it wasn't for the two point attempts). it's extremely rare for a a team to come close to that in arrowhead in a playoff game. You shouldn't need 34 points to win a playoff game on the road against a top 5 defence.

 

The defence is by far the biggest problem on this team and it's not even close. 

We scored 36 and still lost.  🤪 

[BillsFan130]

7 minutes ago, NewEra said:

We scored 36 and still lost.  🤪 

Hahaha. Ya I think the expectation for our offence is a bit unrealistic for some people 

 

Chiefs offence last year did absolutely nothing against Houston or philly in the playoffs. 29 points against the Cheifs should Have been a two score win

But Chiefs absolutely carved up the bills defence and Mahomes had his highest EPA in his career... lol

 

Edited 8 hours ago by BillsFan130

[NeverOutNick]

11 minutes ago, NewEra said:

We scored 36 and still lost.  🤪 

Are we surprised? Andy Reid is the goat and McD could have the Philly D and still play prevent D against him and lose 

[NewEra]

23 minutes ago, NeverOutNick said:

Are we surprised? Andy Reid is the goat and McD could have the Philly D and still play prevent D against him and lose 

 

I don’t think McD is a bad defensive mind. He’s shown capable of holding the chiefs scoring down-  shrivels in the playoffs.  As does our DL, which has played like crap in every season ending loss since 17 leveled up in 2020

 

[FireChans]

47 minutes ago, BillsVet said:

 

From 2017-2025 including the trades I'm aware of (Benjamin, Diggs, and Cooper) Buffalo's allocated 47% of their draft value to offense, 52.7% to defense, and the rest is ST.  

 

From 2021-2025, they've taken it to another level.  Offense is 37.5% compared to 62.2% on defense.  

 

I happened to do this without seeing the thread and I wanted to see it myself anyway. 

 

Clearly we just need 100% defense 0% offense and that will make the difference of stopping Andy Reid in the playoffs!

 

- TBD on this glorious day

[BillsFanForever19]

1 hour ago, Doc Brown said:

Playoffs:

Broncos defense ranked  - 3rd in points allowed.  7th in Yards allowed.  Put up 31 points.

Ravens defense ranked  -  9th in points allowed.  10th in  yards allowed.  Put up 27 points.

Chiefs defense ranked  -  4th in points allowed.   9th in yards allowed.  Put up 29 points.

 

All I've heard the last five years is how the defense failed Josh in the playoffs which is true.  We invest a lot of resources into the defensive side of the ball this off-season and now some fans are complaining we're not helping Josh enough on offense.  Damned if you do.  Damned if you don't.

 

Did you read my second to last paragraph? 

 

I'm not saying we shouldn't have put a lot of resources into the Defense. It needing to be upgraded was never a question. It was a necessity.

 

What I'm saying is you could have done that AND upgraded the Offense more than just replacing one of Cooper and Hollins with Palmer - which may or may not be an upgrade if he's the same kind of guy he was in LA statistically. 

 

I'm all for upgrading the Defense and I'm glad we put resources into doing so. But I don't agree that solely upgrading the Defense and simply rolling it back (with Hollins and Cooper out and Palmer in) on Offense was the right move.

 

There's still time though for an added piece there and I hope one comes.

Edited 7 hours ago by BillsFanForever19

[Richard Noggin]

9 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Clearly we just need 100% defense 0% offense and that will make the difference of stopping Andy Reid in the playoffs!

 

- TBD on this glorious day

 

Oh the magnificent angst on display on day three of the NFL draft!

 

Such drama! Such unheralded/amateur expertise! Such oversimplifications of rather incredibly complicated and interrelated outcomes! Such certainty! 

[FireChans]

8 minutes ago, Richard Noggin said:

 

Oh the magnificent angst on display on day three of the NFL draft!

 

Such drama! Such unheralded/amateur expertise! Such oversimplifications of rather incredibly complicated and interrelated outcomes! Such certainty! 

I am certainly very confident that we spent almost all of our draft capital on defense this year.

 

Do you disagree with that amateur expertise lmao

[Richard Noggin]

1 minute ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Did you read my second to last paragraph? 

 

I'm not saying we shouldn't have put a lot of resources into the Defense. It needing to be upgraded was never a question. It was a necessity.

 

What I'm saying is you could have done that AND upgraded the Offense more than just replacing one of Cooper and Hollins with Palmer - which may or may not be an upgrade if he's the same kind of guy he was in LA statistically. 

 

I'm all for upgrading the Defense and I'm glad we put resources into doing so. But I don't agree that solely upgrading the Defense and simply rolling it back (with Hollins and Cooper out and Palmer in) on Offense was the right move.

 

There's still time though for an added piece there and I hope one comes.

 

I think your point is fair, in that many of us fans and possibly many in the Bills org would have preferred to draft speed/production to WR room earlier on day three (Royals and Horton and hung around for a while, among others; but then again, why DID they go later than commonly projected online?). I suspect the Bills actually LOVE their WR depth entering 2025, with a top 4 of Palmer, Shakir, Coleman, and Samuel, plus Virgil and Shavers and Prather and Shenault and Hamler. There is some "hope as a strategy" happening here wrt Coleman and Palmer, and the depth guys, but you have to draft and ultimately count on development at certain positions each year. Hence the importance of drafting.

 

Took 3rd round Spencer Brown a few years to sort himself out, and didn't always look promising along the way. Bernard was a perceived liability in his 2nd season when injuries thrust him into starting role. 

 

Maybe Allen helps a bunch of his skill guys "play up" and maybe some of them also simultaneously "step up." I'm excited to see if Kincaid and Coleman take needed steps, or if next year's draft goes heavy on offensive weapons. Probably should either way, just to maintain healthy pipelines. RB and WR and possibly even TE are on track to have unfilled slots in 2026. 

 

It's ultimately understandable that fans see Houston and Kansas City and Green Bay and Cincinnati and even Baltimore (and others) investing MUCH more heavily in the WR position than Buffalo has, and they get frustrated. I've been hoping for another day two/early day three WR each of the last two drafts. Specifically wanted Franklin as he "slid" last year, and wanted Royals or Horton as they "fell" this year. No way to know if the general consensus will turn out to be right, or if the Bills will be vindicated by progress in the existing ranks. This season will likely clarify a few ongoing questions about how effectively the Bills build and coach their roster.

[Doc Brown]

35 minutes ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Did you read my second to last paragraph? 

 

I'm not saying we shouldn't have put a lot of resources into the Defense. It needing to be upgraded was never a question. It was a necessity.

 

What I'm saying is you could have done that AND upgraded the Offense more than just replacing one of Cooper and Hollins with Palmer - which may or may not be an upgrade if he's the same kind of guy he was in LA statistically. 

 

I'm all for upgrading the Defense and I'm glad we put resources into doing so. But I don't agree that solely upgrading the Defense and simply rolling it back (with Hollins and Cooper out and Palmer in) on Offense was the right move.

 

There's still time though for an added piece there and I hope one comes.

I did.  You said the offensive numbers were inflated because we played bad defenses.  I countered showing that they put up 27+ points in all three playoff games against top 10 defenses.  Nobody after the Chiefs game said man our lack of a vertical threat at WR cost us our first Super Bowl appearance in 31 years.  It was we can't get to the passer and our secondary minus Benford was absolutely dreadful.  I just get sick of hearing over the years that McDermott's defense let us down again in the playoffs and out of the other side of their mouth say man Josh needs more help.  Again, I was pounding the table for DK Metcalf because he was the only realistic option that could've made this offense scary as hell.  Once that ship sailed I was fully prepared to accept the fact that we were going to just run it back on offense and hope we go heavy in free agency and the draft attacking our defensive deficiencies. 

 

This was the first off-season I've seen them attack their defensive problems aggressively as they did.  Would I have liked them to take a day three swing at a WR like Marquez Stevenson or what the Chiefs did with that Royal kid this year to maybe stress the defense a little more vertically.  Sure.  Not at the expense of fixing this defense though.

1 hour ago, NewEra said:

We scored 36 and still lost.  🤪 

Complementary football.  I'll complement the offense in that game and that's it.

[Kirby Jackson]

7 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

LOL.  You've got your agenda.  I won't interrupt.

They scored enough points until they didn’t. It’s not an agenda. It’s a fact. 2 years in a row they had the ball with a chance to win and didn’t. They didn’t have enough people besides Josh, and the backs, to make a play. They fell short. You can say, yeah but they scored 47 against the Jags so they’re good enough. I hold them to a higher standard. If you think that the skill players on this team are good enough, we strongly disagree.

Edited 2 hours ago by Kirby Jackson

[Kirby Jackson]

6 hours ago, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Exactly. So many people just go to the 2nd highest scoring offense (or whatever it was) - while neglecting that a lot of that was piling it on bad Defenses during the Regular season.

 

In the Playoffs, against good Defenses, we pretty much had to rely on Cook and Josh running around hoping someone would get open. That lack of verticality and guys who could get separation made things very difficult on us when it mattered. 

 

This isn't to say we didn't need to upgrade the Defense or that the Defense didn't let us down more. But when it comes to winning a Championship, especially if we were to run into that Eagles team that steamrolled on both sides of the Ball through the playoffs, I worry that just fixing the Defense isn't enough.

 

We need better play from the Pass Catching core. And we seem to be, not just hoping, but relying on Coleman, Kincaid, and Samuel to all be more than what they were last season. And Palmer to be more than he's been throughout his career.

Exactly!! This is pretty much perfectly said. It’s way more articulate than my frustrated ramblings. They were good enough until they weren’t.
 

They are pretty much betting on the offensive guys improving but the defensive guys needed replacing. I’m suggesting that BOTH areas needed some upgrading in addition to improvement. They didn’t have to ONLY address a part of it with additions. If they would have added Jalen Royals or Luther Burden or D’onte Thornton or even Tory Horton, I wouldn’t have an issue. They would have attempted to upgrade that spot with speed. 

[Kirby Jackson]

5 hours ago, NewEra said:

Good grief.  The defense was a much bigger problem than the O.  It wasn’t even close.  
 

yes, we didn’t score at the end…the guy that we traded up for and used a 1st rd pick dropped the ball that hit him in the arms.  The guy we used our first pick on last season had 1 catch for 12 yards.  Let’s act like a 4th-7th round pick is going to be the difference.  
 

you don’t care what the stats say- fine.  Don’t.  Watch the game.  It’ll be very clear that our offense is MUCH better than our defense.  It was putrid. KC bent our d over the last 2 season.  2 seasons in which their offense was carried by their defense.

 

and the last paragraph-  🤷🏻‍♂️ “they had to______ in this draft” ….According to you.  So many people act as if they know everything.  Ever think that they don’t see things in the same way as you?  
 

Maybe they think Palmer is better than you do.  Maybe they didn’t like the WR prospects available in each rd as much as you.  Maybe they think there is still a chance to add a WR in FA.  Maybe they think they can trade for one if things don’t pan out.  “They had too______” bs.  No, they didn’t.  If they did, our 2025 season is over before it began.  And it’s not.  

Lol, I literally said that 3 of the 4 needs were defense. Of course it needed more fixing! No one is arguing that. The offense needed 1 guy added!! They used the 240th pick on a guy that isn’t fast enough to fill the role. 
 

Using Coleman as an example to support the investment is not a good argument. He was the 8th or 9th WR selected after 2 trade downs. He was universally thought of as an extremely flawed prospect. Guess what, he wasn’t very good. That’s not a credit to the staff. It’s an indictment of the staff. It would have been very, very easy to fix the pass catchers in 2024. It was considered the greatest draft ever for WR prospects. They failed. They added Coleman, MVS, Hamler, Claypool, Isabella, and Hollins. They were forced to trade a 3rd for 1/2 a season of Amari Cooper. They entered 2025 needing to fix it again in a much tougher environment to do so. They signed Josh Palmer, who I think is a pretty decent player and a Mack Hollins upgrade. That’s it. That’s what’s been done. They actually took a bad group and got worse without trying to get better. It’ll be more of Josh needs to be Superman. 
 

They have openly said that they needed to do that. Anyone with a brain can see it. I don’t blindly look at what happens and say, “they must know better than me.” I didn’t want Coleman last year. I wanted Worthy, Ladd or Legette at that spot. With the exception of Legette, I’d be right at this point. It’s not about being right though. The point is, they don’t always know best. They’ve done a bad job with the pass catchers. 

[Kirby Jackson]

5 hours ago, BillsVet said:

 

From 2017-2025 including the trades I'm aware of (Benjamin, Diggs, and Cooper) Buffalo's allocated 47% of their draft value to offense, 52.7% to defense, and the rest is ST.  

 

From 2021-2025, they've taken it to another level.  Offense is 37.5% compared to 62.2% on defense.  

 

I happened to do this without seeing the thread and I wanted to see it myself anyway. 

 

So basically from the time that Josh Allen became one of the games best players until now, they spent 37.5% of their value trying to help him and 62.2% of the time trying to get acceptable on the other side of the ball? Cool. If you add FA dollars in that time frame (I’m not asking you to do that) it will further illustrate the point. 

[Doc Brown]

41 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

They scored enough points until they didn’t. It’s not an agenda. It’s a fact. 2 years in a row they had the ball with a chance to win and didn’t. They didn’t have enough people besides Josh, and the backs, to make a play. They fell short. You can say, yeah but they scored 47 against the Jags so they’re good enough. I hold them to a higher standard. If you think that the skill players on this team are good enough, we strongly disagree.

I don't really disagree with anything you say here but our offense should've never been in that spot both games to being with.  I think the difference is you think there was a WR prospect in this draft past the second round that could've made a difference as far as stressing defenses vertically.  I didn't.  The real missed opportunity was Beane not trading for Metcalf when it would've only cost us pry a 2nd and a 5th?  After that my thought was fix the damn defense in the draft and free agency.

[Kirby Jackson]

20 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

I don't really disagree with anything you say here but our offense should've never been in that spot both games to being with.  I think the difference is you think there was a WR prospect in this draft past the second round that could've made a difference as far as stressing defenses vertically.  I didn't.  The real missed opportunity was Beane not trading for Metcalf when it would've only cost us pry a 2nd and a 5th?  After that my thought was fix the damn defense in the draft and free agency.

Totally fair. I’m with you on DK too. At that price I thought that he could have transformed the offense and is a perfect fit for what they need. Maybe there’s another trade out there (albeit not as good)? The WGR guys were suggesting Alec Pierce from the Colts. He would check that box for me. He led the NFL in YPC last year. 
 

To me Royals, Lambert-Smith, Thornton, ***** (1st pick of the 4th but his name is not getting through the filter 🤣), Arian Smith, Watkins, Lane, or even Tez Johnson would have addressed that need. My frustration comes from the fact that there wasn’t just 1 or 2 guys yesterday that could have been your vertical guy and you missed. You had so many chances to secure one. I thought entering yesterday that was your biggest hole left (you could argue another DT too). None of those guys are perfect prospects but IMO any of them could have added that vertical threat that they’re missing. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Kirby Jackson

[MarlinTheMagician]

11 hours ago, Donuts and Doritos said:

How many cornerbacks do we need?

We got two perimeter corners, Hairston and a back-up (Strong).  Both great picks, IMHO.  Beane already said Hancock will play safety and back-up the slot.  Both of those are big time needs.  So love that pick too.  When Rapp leaves, Bishop is more of a strong safety.  Hancock more of a free.  When Tre White and Dane Jackson leave, it is Benford, Hairston, and Strong as our primary back-up.  That is definitely not excessive.  This all seems like excellent team building for now and the future to me.