UpstateSwagger Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I've been browsing the boards for the last few months eagerly soaking in any Bills draft knowledge I can. During that time I've noticed some trends that have driven me up the wall. Two of the biggest issues of these -- and believe me, there are plenty -- is the recent love of Devin Thomas and Keith Rivers. Devin Thomas is throwing up all the "I could be a total bum" red-flags that he can, but because a few of the talking heads are high on him, no one seems to notice or care. For starters, the guy caught 6 passes for 90 yards as a sophomore at Michigan State. Yes... six catches. As a junior he did step his game up and hauled in 79, a number that is quite deceptive. As a moderate follower of MSU football let me tell you, when the experts say he has had problems holding onto the ball they are making a gross, gross understatement. The guy has a couple of old frying pans for hands. Devin Thomas also does not fit the big, red-zone threat receiver that we've all been clamoring for since Fairchild took his sorry ass gig to Colorado State. He's only 6'2" and registered a very pedestrian 28" vert at the combine. We need a long receiver who can go up and get the ball; Devin Thomas is not that guy. I would much rather see us go Limas Sweed at 11. He is a producer, period. That is if we really have to go WR. He is the long-armed answer to our munchkin troupe of receivers. Devin Thomas is two years away from being a producer. And don't give me that "he has return potential" crap. We've got all the returners we need. I honestly don't see why Devin Thomas is any more coveted than an Andre Caldwell type guy. Caldwell only gives Thomas an inch and about 10 pounds but he has been a consistent producer at a big time program, has a similar 40 time and a better vert. Oh yeah, he can also be had in the late second or early third. I think Thomas' decision to leave school early could also be indicative of the kind of guy he is. Being a guy who obviously could have benefited from an extra year of learning how to be an effective receiver, why did he come out after one pretty good year? There's no way he could have predicted Malcolm Kelly would make such an ass of himself and he should still be rated as about the fourth wideout on the board. The guy ran up big stats in meaningless games for the most part and needed another year of being the guy in my opinion. He should have stayed in college and I don't want this guy being babysat for the next two seasons on the Bills #11 dime. As far as Keith Rivers goes, he has been dubbed "the man" in this years weak LB class. Any comparison between Rivers and Patrick Willis is a flagrant insult to Patrick Willis. Now granted, Keith Rivers was a very serviceable player on some really good USC defenses. He put up pretty good numbers in his career and put up pretty good numbers in his workouts. These are all very indicative of what Keith Rivers is... pretty good. He isn't super athletic or super physical he is a good tackler but not great. I think that Jerod Mayo will turn out to be a better pro than Rivers. He is clearly a more physical player when it comes to shedding blocks and finishing at the point of impact and he is a more athletic predatory type of player to begin with. Honestly, I would like to see the Bills make a move on Harvey the DE from Florida. At 270 and with the explosiveness he is capable of, I think he is an instant upgrade as far as edge rusher goes. If not him than Sweed or Hardy would provide us with the size and instant production we are so desperately in need of. I also wouldn't be upset with DRC or McKelvin if they're there. I'm sick of the blow-hards who say that a talented, super-athletic corner is not worth it in our Cover 2 defense. That is asinine, give it up. We haven't been the same since Nate left we could use a stud at corner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 OK- so your first post ever on this board you want to dictate which draft prospects we can discuss? BTW Devin Thomas rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfanincuse Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the board. This is an excellent first post well thought out and i agree with you. I like Thomas but i have only seen highlight videos so ill take your word about his dropping passes over a highlight video. The more i read i feel Sweed would be the best option so i hope the Bills go there. As for Rivers i doubt the Bills are even looking at him sriously at 11 unless they feel they will lose Crowell in FA next year? (sorry if thats wrong i thought i read that somewhere) But i do agree Jared Mayo will be much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpstateSwagger Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 OK- so your first post ever on this board you want to dictate which draft prospects we can discuss? I am no facist and would never want to stifle discussion. That's what I'm doing... discussing. Feel free to talk about any prospect you want. I am simply of the opinion that certain prospects -- and Bills players for that matter -- for whatever reason get the ball rolling behind them on these boards and things get pretty fantastical among the trolls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSNBDSC Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 ... Albert or Harvey for me also ... they can get what they're looking for in a big WR in the second round ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I am no facist and would never want to stifle discussion. That's what I'm doing... discussing. Feel free to talk about any prospect you want. I am simply of the opinion that certain prospects -- and Bills players for that matter -- for whatever reason get the ball rolling behind them on these boards and things get pretty fantastical among the trolls. I also would like to see Harvey drafted....but I dont see the need to downplay one prospect in order to make my 1st round pick look better..... I think EITHER guy would help.......just not a wideout at 11. Harvey is a much more solid pick at that position. I think that if we do take Harvey then we had better make a move to get back into the late 1st and take a wideout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Can we please get off Devin Thomas and Keith Rivers... If you wanna try that's up to you but you don't need to let us know. K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpstateSwagger Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 I too would like to see us move back up into the first -- but I'm not convinced that it's necessary. I think if we stay put we have a very good chance of getting a top-tier wideout. This year's wideout class does not boast a marquee super-prospect but it is extremely deep. Guys like Jordy Nelson, Marcus Monk and Earl Bennett are going to be there later. I have watched all three of those players and think that they could impact as much as the "top prospects" in this draft. I'm not so sure this team's WR position is as dire as it is made out to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 FWIW, the combine acknowledged their vertical leap test was incorrectly giving players less than anticipated results Vertical Leap Problems It's apparent Rivers is benefitting from a weak LB class, though some guys like Jarrod Mayo and Curtis Lofton are getting more attention. Thomas' lack of consistent production is something to consider, especially with such a high pick. Either way, I don't see the Bills going WR in the first, especially considering the value isn't there. It's either CB (ugghhh) or perhaps DE if the front office wants to plan for the future. (Schobel and Denney both over 30) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpstateSwagger Posted April 13, 2008 Author Share Posted April 13, 2008 If you wanna try that's up to you but you don't need to let us know. K. What are you trying to say? Am I to believe I'm literally the only one of us that has been physically on top of these two large men in a homosexual way?? Get outta' here!! I was born at night... but not last night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ans4e64 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I agree with you about Thomas, DRC, and Mayo. Devin Thomas is a joke. I don't agree with you on Rivers. I don't think we'll take him or need to, but I do think he is a great player. Unlike the rest of the players you mentioned, there is nothing in Rivers' history that would lead us to believe he wouldn't be successful. He played at a great program, on a great defense, put up great numbers, and great combine numbers. I don't see where a team could go wrong with him. In the pros, I think he'll be more of a Lance Briggs style of player; makes a lot of tackles, not super physical, but always around the ball. Good post, and welcome to the board. You don't seem like the typical teenage retard we've been getting lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I've been browsing the boards for the last few months eagerly soaking in any Bills draft knowledge I can. During that time I've noticed some trends that have driven me up the wall. Two of the biggest issues of these -- and believe me, there are plenty -- is the recent love of Devin Thomas and Keith Rivers. Devin Thomas is throwing up all the "I could be a total bum" red-flags that he can, but because a few of the talking heads are high on him, no one seems to notice or care. For starters, the guy caught 6 passes for 90 yards as a sophomore at Michigan State. Yes... six catches. As a junior he did step his game up and hauled in 79, a number that is quite deceptive. As a moderate follower of MSU football let me tell you, when the experts say he has had problems holding onto the ball they are making a gross, gross understatement. The guy has a couple of old frying pans for hands. Devin Thomas also does not fit the big, red-zone threat receiver that we've all been clamoring for since Fairchild took his sorry ass gig to Colorado State. He's only 6'2" and registered a very pedestrian 28" vert at the combine. We need a long receiver who can go up and get the ball; Devin Thomas is not that guy. I would much rather see us go Limas Sweed at 11. He is a producer, period. That is if we really have to go WR. He is the long-armed answer to our munchkin troupe of receivers. Devin Thomas is two years away from being a producer. And don't give me that "he has return potential" crap. We've got all the returners we need. I honestly don't see why Devin Thomas is any more coveted than an Andre Caldwell type guy. Caldwell only gives Thomas an inch and about 10 pounds but he has been a consistent producer at a big time program, has a similar 40 time and a better vert. Oh yeah, he can also be had in the late second or early third. I think Thomas' decision to leave school early could also be indicative of the kind of guy he is. Being a guy who obviously could have benefited from an extra year of learning how to be an effective receiver, why did he come out after one pretty good year? There's no way he could have predicted Malcolm Kelly would make such an ass of himself and he should still be rated as about the fourth wideout on the board. The guy ran up big stats in meaningless games for the most part and needed another year of being the guy in my opinion. He should have stayed in college and I don't want this guy being babysat for the next two seasons on the Bills #11 dime. As far as Keith Rivers goes, he has been dubbed "the man" in this years weak LB class. Any comparison between Rivers and Patrick Willis is a flagrant insult to Patrick Willis. Now granted, Keith Rivers was a very serviceable player on some really good USC defenses. He put up pretty good numbers in his career and put up pretty good numbers in his workouts. These are all very indicative of what Keith Rivers is... pretty good. He isn't super athletic or super physical he is a good tackler but not great. I think that Jerod Mayo will turn out to be a better pro than Rivers. He is clearly a more physical player when it comes to shedding blocks and finishing at the point of impact and he is a more athletic predatory type of player to begin with. Honestly, I would like to see the Bills make a move on Harvey the DE from Florida. At 270 and with the explosiveness he is capable of, I think he is an instant upgrade as far as edge rusher goes. If not him than Sweed or Hardy would provide us with the size and instant production we are so desperately in need of. I also wouldn't be upset with DRC or McKelvin if they're there. I'm sick of the blow-hards who say that a talented, super-athletic corner is not worth it in our Cover 2 defense. That is asinine, give it up. We haven't been the same since Nate left we could use a stud at corner Welcome to the board, i believe the scouts will take the best player on the board within reason, (doubt they draft QB but who knows), i think there are zero non oline offensive players worth the pick at 11. so im for Harvey, or Ellis and i doubt we trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go_bills Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I certainly admire your passion, but ultimately there are three simple truths here: All we Bills fans can do is speculate, debate, and make cases for the guys who will be realistically avaible at our draft slots. Our opinions don't mean a damn thing, it's just for fun. The Bills staff already has their homework done, has their draft board pretty much set, and knows who "their guys" are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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