New "Bills Digest" issue is out

[OnTheRocks]

If yer interested. The pre-draft issue.

Not much that you have already seen in every other mock draft on the net, but there is an interview with Russ Lande, who is a former scout for the Browns,and Rams and is now the publisher of "GM Jr. Guide to the Draft"

 

He says if Leon Hall is there that is who the Bills would take.

[The Dean]

If yer interested. The pre-draft issue.

Not much that you have already seen in every other mock draft on the net, but there is an interview with Russ Lande, who is a former scout for the Browns,and Rams and is now the publisher of "GM Jr. Guide to the Draft"

 

He says if Leon Hall is there that is who the Bills would take.

 

 

Wouldn't shock me.

[Sketch Soland]

No one should be surprised if we pick Hall in the 1st, imo. One of our starting CB's is coming off a year where he by all accounts took a step back (perhaps just getting acclimated to a new system, however, but maybe not), whereas our other starting CB.....has yet to be determined.....and the most likely candidate is a promising second year player who is pretty much a rookie considering the time he missed in training camp, preseason etc.

 

If I had to bet, I do not think we will take Hall because we are high on Youboty and want to give him a fair shot, but I would not be surprised if Hall is our pick. I think it all depends on how we judge the LB value at our spot in the 1st. But, it could also be a situation where we want to start Youboty and Hall and make McGee a nickle corner for good, so, lots of possible scenarios could see a pick of Hall, imo....

[Mike32282]

If yer interested. The pre-draft issue.

Not much that you have already seen in every other mock draft on the net, but there is an interview with Russ Lande, who is a former scout for the Browns,and Rams and is now the publisher of "GM Jr. Guide to the Draft"

 

He says if Leon Hall is there that is who the Bills would take.

 

I almost flipped out when I saw that interview. But keep in mind that it was most likely done before the Takeo Spikes trade.

[Pyrite Gal]

No one should be surprised if we pick Hall in the 1st, imo. One of our starting CB's is coming off a year where he by all accounts took a step back (perhaps just getting acclimated to a new system, however, but maybe not), whereas our other starting CB.....has yet to be determined.....and the most likely candidate is a promising second year player who is pretty much a rookie considering the time he missed in training camp, preseason etc.

 

If I had to bet, I do not think we will take Hall because we are high on Youboty and want to give him a fair shot, but I would not be surprised if Hall is our pick. I think it all depends on how we judge the LB value at our spot in the 1st. But, it could also be a situation where we want to start Youboty and Hall and make McGee a nickle corner for good, so, lots of possible scenarios could see a pick of Hall, imo....

 

I will be surprised though. Not so much because they like Hall but because if they pick him it means they cannot use the 1st rounder on a more immediate pressing need for this team (we probably need 3 RBs as there are significant questions whether both Shaud Williams or Jackson deserve to be on the roster this year and we need 2 LBs as both starters F-B abd TKO are gone).

 

Though there is a large question whether an immediate starter can be found at either spot at #12, drafting Hall also would mean the Bills were not able to pull off a trade to increase our draft resources to meet our various needs.

 

Hall would also be a surprise for me cap wise as it would give the largest contract we have to a player at a position where we decided as early as last off-season that a CB was not worth the average of the top 5 CBs salary too the Bills virtually regardless of how well NC played, I think this is true for the Bills since in the Cover 2 as we employ it, the scheme does not allow a playmaking CB to make big plays.

 

Just as Dre Bly was quite vocal about stating his dislike for their Cover 2 which was developed by Jauron, so too with our Cover 2 where the MLB exceeded the INT totals of both CBs combined.

 

The Bills have little option on the current roster at starting RB (A-Train is a great back-up but he last was a starter in 2003, the maximum # of starts at RB for him was 13, and even then he produced fairly McGahee like numbers just surpassing the 1,000 yard mark that season) and the likely MLB option Crowell merely creates another OLB need for us added to the TKO need,

 

I would be surprised by a Hall pick not as any sense of Hall as a player but it meaning we would be likely going to the season without using the #1 to meet this need either by selecting a player they like or trading down for more draft resources,

[R. Rich]

I almost flipped out when I saw that interview. But keep in mind that it was most likely done before the Takeo Spikes trade.

 

This team needs a quality corner every bit as much as they need a MLB. Either would be a good move.

 

The worst thing any team can do on draft day is go in there looking for one particular position and/or player.

[Sketch Soland]

I will be surprised though. Not so much because they like Hall but because if they pick him it means they cannot use the 1st rounder on a more immediate pressing need for this team (we probably need 3 RBs as there are significant questions whether both Shaud Williams or Jackson deserve to be on the roster this year and we need 2 LBs as both starters F-B abd TKO are gone).

 

Though there is a large question whether an immediate starter can be found at either spot at #12, drafting Hall also would mean the Bills were not able to pull off a trade to increase our draft resources to meet our various needs.

 

Hall would also be a surprise for me cap wise as it would give the largest contract we have to a player at a position where we decided as early as last off-season that a CB was not worth the average of the top 5 CBs salary too the Bills virtually regardless of how well NC played, I think this is true for the Bills since in the Cover 2 as we employ it, the scheme does not allow a playmaking CB to make big plays.

 

Just as Dre Bly was quite vocal about stating his dislike for their Cover 2 which was developed by Jauron, so too with our Cover 2 where the MLB exceeded the INT totals of both CBs combined.

 

The Bills have little option on the current roster at starting RB (A-Train is a great back-up but he last was a starter in 2003, the maximum # of starts at RB for him was 13, and even then he produced fairly McGahee like numbers just surpassing the 1,000 yard mark that season) and the likely MLB option Crowell merely creates another OLB need for us added to the TKO need,

 

I would be surprised by a Hall pick not as any sense of Hall as a player but it meaning we would be likely going to the season without using the #1 to meet this need either by selecting a player they like or trading down for more draft resources,

 

Yes, you make good points and I agree with you in general. I personally hope we draft a LB in the 1st round unless Peterson falls to us at 12 (not going to happen, of course). However, I can make a credible case for us drafting a CB at 12 and Hall seems to be the most likely suspect (although with Marv and Co., one never knows, as last year's draft certainly showed). The biggest chink in the case for drafting Hall is the contract issue, although it certainly would be nowhere as near as large as Clements so I'm not sure that is a deal breaker of the possibility of drafting CB at 12. All I'm saying is that I will not be surprised if we pick Hall. We may have an eye on a RB or LB that we think we can get in the 2nd or 3rd round or one that we can trade up to get at the end of the 1st round, which would also allows us to take Hall if we wanted in the 1st.

[Fewell733]

I will be surprised though. Not so much because they like Hall but because if they pick him it means they cannot use the 1st rounder on a more immediate pressing need for this team (we probably need 3 RBs as there are significant questions whether both Shaud Williams or Jackson deserve to be on the roster this year and we need 2 LBs as both starters F-B abd TKO are gone).

 

Though there is a large question whether an immediate starter can be found at either spot at #12, drafting Hall also would mean the Bills were not able to pull off a trade to increase our draft resources to meet our various needs.

 

Hall would also be a surprise for me cap wise as it would give the largest contract we have to a player at a position where we decided as early as last off-season that a CB was not worth the average of the top 5 CBs salary too the Bills virtually regardless of how well NC played, I think this is true for the Bills since in the Cover 2 as we employ it, the scheme does not allow a playmaking CB to make big plays.

 

Just as Dre Bly was quite vocal about stating his dislike for their Cover 2 which was developed by Jauron, so too with our Cover 2 where the MLB exceeded the INT totals of both CBs combined.

 

The Bills have little option on the current roster at starting RB (A-Train is a great back-up but he last was a starter in 2003, the maximum # of starts at RB for him was 13, and even then he produced fairly McGahee like numbers just surpassing the 1,000 yard mark that season) and the likely MLB option Crowell merely creates another OLB need for us added to the TKO need,

 

I would be surprised by a Hall pick not as any sense of Hall as a player but it meaning we would be likely going to the season without using the #1 to meet this need either by selecting a player they like or trading down for more draft resources,

 

 

3 rbs? With A-Train and Shaud/Jackson I think we probably only "need" 1, but could use 2. Also we only need 1 starting lb - Ellison was basically a starter last year and should be even better this year. Either a starting caliber SAM or the Middle need to be gotten with maybe another for depth at SAM.

 

I'd be surprised by Hall because it basically means that they don't think Youboty is up for being a starter yet. I do think we'll bring in a first day corner though to compete for the job - but a first rounder basically would be expected to start right away.