Dr. Trooth Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 I don't think it's just the Bills picks. I've been around a while... and this has got to be the worst draft clas I've ever seen. After round five, it just flat out seems to drop off.
BuffaloBilliever Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 Agreed, but there are some gems. I think we got two, one with massive upside and Fly Guy.
BillsVet Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 I don't think it's just the Bills picks. I've been around a while... and this has got to be the worst draft clas I've ever seen. After round five, it just flat out seems to drop off. I don't think there's a true decision maker at OBD. IMO, Brandon is doing the humble thing (by virtue of not knowing personnel as much) and delegating a lot to Jauron. This is being done to prevent any excuses should, and I only mean should, Jauron be given the ax at the end of the season. Remember, Jauron's been present for three drafts now, and Additionally, Modrak has given his input, but being chief scout, isn't going to make picks. Therefore, I see Jauron pretty much running the show. Perhaps not all the picks have his signature, but certainly many of them. This is what happens where no bonafide GM with a proven talent evaluation background is present. People say Donahoe didn't build the OL in the draft. Well, what have the Bills done the past 3 years to develop homegrown NFL prospects? Merz and Pennington were cut, leaving only Butler. Last year, Buffalo selected exactly zero OL. This year, they took a chance on a developmental prospect. Meanwhile, they've gone with 3 FA's, Peters who Donahoe lucked into, and Butler. Behind them? Preston, a Donahoe pick, journeyman Whittle, and street FA Kirk Chambers. Meanwhile, the Pats have a homegrown-heavy OL that is smart, although not quite what they were in the regular season. Why is it difficult to draft OL in the 4th round or higher for this franchise?
Ramius Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 I don't think it's just the Bills picks. I've been around a while... and this has got to be the worst draft clas I've ever seen. After round five, it just flat out seems to drop off. I'm guessing that most drafts fall off after the first 3-4 rounds. You have the top 100 players, who go rounds 1-3. There may be 50 or so more players that teams think are NFL caliber. that takes you through round 4 and some of 5. To me, after that top 150, theres no difference in the next 150-200 players. That means theres no difference between your average 5th rounder and a UDFA. All of them should be considered projects whom you hope might someday develop into something.
ax4782 Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 I don't think there's a true decision maker at OBD. IMO, Brandon is doing the humble thing (by virtue of not knowing personnel as much) and delegating a lot to Jauron. This is being done to prevent any excuses should, and I only mean should, Jauron be given the ax at the end of the season. Remember, Jauron's been present for three drafts now, and Additionally, Modrak has given his input, but being chief scout, isn't going to make picks. Therefore, I see Jauron pretty much running the show. Perhaps not all the picks have his signature, but certainly many of them. This is what happens where no bonafide GM with a proven talent evaluation background is present. People say Donahoe didn't build the OL in the draft. Well, what have the Bills done the past 3 years to develop homegrown NFL prospects? Merz and Pennington were cut, leaving only Butler. Last year, Buffalo selected exactly zero OL. This year, they took a chance on a developmental prospect. Meanwhile, they've gone with 3 FA's, Peters who Donahoe lucked into, and Butler. Behind them? Preston, a Donahoe pick, journeyman Whittle, and street FA Kirk Chambers. Meanwhile, the Pats have a homegrown-heavy OL that is smart, although not quite what they were in the regular season. Why is it difficult to draft OL in the 4th round or higher for this franchise? Way to leave out the three best OL that we have, which we also acquired in FA during the recent tenure. Dockery, Walker and Fowler (who isn't great, but he's good enough for now). To say that Buffalo hasn't tried to invest in the O-Line is load of crap, and I for one am sick of hearing all the bs whining. They invested 80 mil in total contracts to the O-Line last year. The line was actually very good. They gave up the fewest sacks in franchise history at 26, and were one of the highest rated passing lines in the league. They also led Lynch to the fifth rated rushing yards last season. They have done a fine job with improving the O-Line. Not to mention that Butler is actually looking very good at the RG position which gives us three veteran back-ups that can come in and play. I'm so sick of people whining who don't pay attention to anything the team actually does, and only live in their own little universe of whine.
BillsVet Posted April 27, 2008 Posted April 27, 2008 Way to leave out the three best OL that we have, which we also acquired in FA during the recent tenure. Dockery, Walker and Fowler (who isn't great, but he's good enough for now). To say that Buffalo hasn't tried to invest in the O-Line is load of crap, and I for one am sick of hearing all the bs whining. They invested 80 mil in total contracts to the O-Line last year. The line was actually very good. They gave up the fewest sacks in franchise history at 26, and were one of the highest rated passing lines in the league. They also led Lynch to the fifth rated rushing yards last season. They have done a fine job with improving the O-Line. Not to mention that Butler is actually looking very good at the RG position which gives us three veteran back-ups that can come in and play. I'm so sick of people whining who don't pay attention to anything the team actually does, and only live in their own little universe of whine. The Bills spent 75M last season for a LG and RT. How many teams spend this kind of money for a G and RT? Not many. Fowler is a body that is thrown around like a rag doll. One common denominator last year was an inability to run the ball up the middle, Fowler's home. You can't tell me there wasn't a guy they liked at C available in Rounds 5 or 6. What is fifth rated rushing yards anyway? Buffalo was 15th in the league in rushing, and Lynch fell just short of 4 ypc. Additionally, this team lucked into Jason Peters. Had they not, this OL would still have serious issues, as LT is the most important OL position hands down. Buffalo has exactly one player drafted on this team (Butler) who was expected to contribute as an OL. Peters was not, and I'd remind fans of DJ, Marv, et al. that #71 was a Donahoe UDFA. It cannot be said enough, you build with good QB play, and superior OL and DL. Fringe positions like WR and CB are not as instrumental to a team's success. The OL depth continues to be a problem, in light of Whittle, Preston, and Chambers being those top backups you're referring to. This is not good.
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