Steely Dan Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Per TSN these are the Bills picks: (No link to TSN I'm taking it from the magazine) Link 1) Brandon Pettigrew (TE) Height: 6'5" Weight: 263 College: Oklahoma State Conference: Big 12 Hometown: Tyler, TX High School: Lee View Combine Page Featured Prospects Overview Regarded by many as the most complete tight end in the 2009 NFL Draft, Pettigrew has not only proven to be a clutch short-area receiver, but an outstanding blocker. A physical open-field runner, he has gained more than 40 percent of his yardage after the catch. He has also shown his pedigree as a pass catcher, becoming the first tight end in school history to amass more than 100 receptions (112) in a career. Playing for a team known more for its running game, Pettigrew is likely to become just the second tight end in school history to hear his name called in the first round of the draft, joining Reuben Gant (1974, Buffalo). Playing in the Big 12 Conference, a league that has produced numerous NFL tight ends, many opposing coaches agree that Pettigrew is that rare breed with unlimited potential, regarding him as the best product to play that position since the league expanded from eight teams in 1996. Ranked ninth overall on the school's receiving yardage record list with 1,450, Pettigrew averaged more than 54 knockdown blocks per season for the Cowboys. Pettigrew was one of three players from Robert E. Lee High School to earn All-State honors in 2003. Despite playing primarily as a blocker, he was rated as the best tight end in Texas by numerous recruiting services. The All-District and All-East Texas choice also competed on the defensive line. Pettigrew enrolled at Oklahoma State in 2004, spending the season as a red-shirt after turning down offers from Texas A&M, Texas Christian, Southern Methodist and Arkansas. In 2005, he started nine games, including the last seven, for the Cowboys. He gained 128 yards with a touchdown on 11 catches (11.6 avg). He delivered 30 knockdowns and also recorded a solo tackle. The following season, Pettigrew was firmly entrenched as the team's starting tight end, leading the squad with eight touchdown-resulting blocks. He finished third on the team with 24 receptions, gaining 310 yards (12.9 avg) with four touchdowns. He also excelled on special teams, recording six tackles (3 solos) and recovered a fumble. As a junior, Pettigrew captured All-Big 12 Conference honors. He was credited 540 yards and four scores on 35 receptions (15.4 avg), third-best on the team. He paced the league's tight ends with 10 touchdown-resulting blocks and also made a solo tackle. Off-field issues occupied most of Pettigrew's 2008 spring and summer, and he was further hampered by a high ankle sprain early in the campaign that would sideline him for three games. He was still named a finalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation's top tight end. He snared a career-high 42 passes, ranking second on the squad. He totaled 472 yards (11.2 avg) with four touchdowns, as he posted 43 knockdowns and two solo tackles, but failed to score for the first time during his collegiate career. With professional scouts regularly visiting Oklahoma State leading up to the draft, OSU tight ends coach Doug Meacham noted, "Brandon is a classic tight end. In the era of increasingly athletic players and spread offenses, the college tight end has become more of an oversized receiver. But not in Stillwater, where even in the spread, they run the ball nearly 50 times a game. In today's game, you see a lot of tight ends that split out a majority of the time. Brandon can go down inside and grind with the best of 'em, then he can get out and mismatch linebackers or safeties. He's an every-down guy. "Once last season, Pettigrew came to the sidelines begging his coaches to call a play to his side of the field. A running play. That's what makes him special. Plenty of tight ends will beg for the ball, trying to get their receiving numbers up. But Pettigrew wants to win, whether he's scoring touchdowns or opening holes for others to score them." Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Trooper Taylor said, "With his 6-foot-6, 265-pound frame, athletic ability and soft hands, Pettigrew would have a future in the NFL. His brutally physical blocking makes him a likely first-round draft choice. I've had tight ends that like to catch and not block, and ones that could block, but couldn't catch. But I've never had the combination like this. Whatever NFL team takes him is going to have them a special gem." High School Attended Robert E. Lee (Tyler, Texas) High School, earning All-State honors in 2003... Despite playing primarily as a blocker, he was rated as the best tight end in Texas by numerous recruiting services...The All-District and All-East Texas choice also competed on the defensive line. IMO, there a better value TE's in the second or third round. Link 2) Eric Wood C Height: 6'4" Weight: 310 College: Louisville Conference: Big East Hometown: Cincinnati, OH High School: Elder View Combine Page Featured Prospects Overview Wood is the picture of durability. The unquestioned leader of the Cardinals' front wall, he finished his career with 49 consecutive starts at center, the second-longest streak in school history behind Travis Leffew (51, 2002-05). It was also the sixth-longest streak among active NCAA players last season, topped by Andrew Hartline of Central Michigan (51), Andrew Gardner of Georgia Tech (51), Jason Phillips of Texas Christian (50), Dallas Reynolds of Brigham Young (50) and Clint Sintim of Virginia (50). Called by many the "most prepared player in the nation," Wood has been known to be found in the wee hours of the morning still examining game tapes in the film room, preparing for his upcoming opponent. He not only brings incredible knowledge and instincts to the field, but plays with the true nastiness that has scouts comparing him to the NFL's old time centers like Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tim Grunhard of the Kansas City Chiefs. Performing as his team's Iron Man is nothing new for Wood. He started every game in his final two seasons at Elder High School, as the team compiled a 28-2 record during that span. As a 15-game starter at offensive tackle, he guided the school to its second straight state title with a 31-7 win over St. Edward's High as a senior, picking up all-league first-team accolades. As a junior, Wood started at both offensive guard and tackle, in addition to lining up at tight end, earning all-district honorable mention. He also earned a pair of letters playing on the basketball team, picking up all-league recognition during his final campaign. Wood enrolled at Louisville in 2004, turning down scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Ohio University, Cincinnati, Indiana and Columbia. He spent that season performing on the scout team, but a stellar performance in 2005 spring drills earned him the starting center position, a job he would maintain throughout his playing career. He was a consensus Freshman All-American, adding Academic All-Big East Conference honors, as he delivered 85 knockdowns and had touchdown-resulting blocks on nine of the team's 41 scores on the ground. As a sophomore, Wood received All-Big East Conference second-team recognition. He started all 13 games, registering 79 knockdowns to go with 10 touchdown-resulting blocks. He made all the line calls, as the offense ranked second in the country, averaging 475.31 yards per game. He also posted a pair of tackles. In 2007, Wood led the nation's sixth-ranked offense, picking up All-Big East first-team honors. He collected 86 knockdowns and 11 touchdown-resulting blocks. He was one of the few bright spots on a turnover-prone offense, grading 83.25 percent for blocking consistency. He helped the team average 488.0 yards per game, but the Cardinals' running game was halted, placing 64th in the country (146.08 ypg) after finishing 12th the previous season (185.31 ypg). For the second season in a row, Louisville failed to make the bowl season in 2008. Wood continued his stellar play, receiving third-team All-American and first-team All-Big East honors. The offense scored only 34 times, with Wood ranking second among the nation's centers with 16 touchdown-resulting blocks. He graded 87.08 percent for blocking consistency and made 78 knockdowns as the Cardinals averaged 376.67 yards per game. He also recorded an assisted tackle. High School Attended Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) High School...Started every game over the course of his final two seasons, as the team compiled a 28-2 record during that span...As a 15-game starter at offensive tackle, he guided the school to its second-straight state title with a 31-7 win over St. Edward's High as a senior, picking up All-League first-team accolades...As a junior, Wood started at both offensive guard and tackle, in addition to lining up at tight end, earning All-District honorable mention...Also earned a pair of letters playing on the basketball team, picking up All-League recognition during his final campaign. I'd love this pick but they will not take a C that early. I wish they would but I highly doubt it. Link 3) Tyrone McKenzie (OLB) Height: 6'2" Weight: 243 College: South Florida Conference: Big East Hometown: Riverview, FL High School: Riverview Overview A double-transfer who originally signed with Michigan State, McKenzie transferred first to Iowa State and then to South Florida in an attempt to be closer to his mother, who was struggling with health issues. Scouts love that regardless of which uniform he wore, McKenzie always produced. The versatile linebacker has put up 100-plus tackles at middle linebacker for the Cyclones (129 in 2006) and on the strong side (114 in 2007, 116 in '08) for the Bulls. A solid performance with yet another team -- the South team during the Senior Bowl -- could have secured his status as a first-day selection. High School Ranked among Florida's top 50 prospects by the Tampa Tribune ... First-team All-Hillsborough County selection by the Tampa Tribune ... Second-team all-county pick by the St. Petersburg Times ... Played in the Dec. 6 Hillsborough County All-Star Game in Raymond James Stadium ... Rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior for coach Dan O'Regan at Riverview (Fla.) High School ... Averaged 7.7 yards per carry in 2003 ... Produced four 200-yard rushing games as a senior, including an 80-yard TD run ... Picked up 230 yards vs. Jefferson ... Rushed 20 times for 205 yards and four TDs vs. Brandon ... Had 165 yards and three TDs vs. King, scoring on runs of 4, 45 and 19 yards ... Suffered a broken leg in the second game of his junior year and missed the remainder of the 2002 season ... Qualified for the 2004 state 4A track championships in the 110 hurdles. This is probably too early to take him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lets_go_bills Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 Not too bad. No DE in the first three picks makes me nervous. But it could happen. We have too many needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DazedandConfused Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 If this turns out to be true I would be: 1. Disappointed if we took Pettigrew as this team does not strike me as having a reasonable plan B of a strong blocking/pass catching threat to go if Pettigrew gets knocked out of the game or is hobbled by an injury so he can play but is ineffective, or like about 1/2 of first round picks turns out to be a disappointment. I think second TE according to the Bills depth chart is a good ST guy but not a good plan B or much of a TD threat in 2 TE sets. The injured as a rookie Fine may one day be a good pass catcher but is not good enough all around that I can see why he was option 3 on a troubled TE Bills last year. I think this team is a better team if it focuses on getting real OL players and dispenses with the traditional TE sets to do more 3 WRs. You do want to muscle up at times in the redzone but I would be more inclined to go H-backs than waste resources trying to find the 2 TEs we would need to make a TE oriented O work. 2. I like Wood a lot. Even better with the pick-up of Hamgartner we have a player who can fill the hole left by the departure of Dockery but also gives us a plan B at C if Wood does not prove to be good enough to play as a rookie. 4. I would be pleased if MacKenzie is still there when we make our third pick. The Bills seem to like LBs capable of playing the middle as well as outside LB and the sturdy MacKenzie fits this description well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurman#1 Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 If this turns out to be true I would be: 1. Disappointed if we took Pettigrew as this team does not strike me as having a reasonable plan B of a strong blocking/pass catching threat to go if Pettigrew gets knocked out of the game or is hobbled by an injury so he can play but is ineffective, or like about 1/2 of first round picks turns out to be a disappointment. I think second TE according to the Bills depth chart is a good ST guy but not a good plan B or much of a TD threat in 2 TE sets. The injured as a rookie Fine may one day be a good pass catcher but is not good enough all around that I can see why he was option 3 on a troubled TE Bills last year. I think this team is a better team if it focuses on getting real OL players and dispenses with the traditional TE sets to do more 3 WRs. You do want to muscle up at times in the redzone but I would be more inclined to go H-backs than waste resources trying to find the 2 TEs we would need to make a TE oriented O work. I really don't get what you're saying here. You're saying that since we don't even have a legit #2 TE, much less a #1, that that should stop us from getting a #1? I think you've got your logic backwards or something. If you have a hole somewhere, filling it is generally considered a GOOD idea. And you don't need 2 TEs to work a TE-using offense. Not unless you're using two TEs on one play, which is certainly not necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 How many magazines do these guys have out there? I just bought the The Sporting News Draft Guide '09 and their three round mock draft has the Bills taking... 1st Aaron Curry OLB WF 2nd Travis Beckum TE WIS 3rd Johnathan Luigs C ARK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 (No link to TSN I'm taking it from the magazine) Thanks for all the hard work in posting their (copywrited, BTW) material. Since that stuff was printed two months ago, it's value's akin to last week's toilet paper, however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted April 10, 2009 Author Share Posted April 10, 2009 I really don't get what you're saying here. You're saying that since we don't even have a legit #2 TE, much less a #1, that that should stop us from getting a #1? I think you've got your logic backwards or something. If you have a hole somewhere, filling it is generally considered a GOOD idea. And you don't need 2 TEs to work a TE-using offense. Not unless you're using two TEs on one play, which is certainly not necessary. I was wondering the same thing when I read that. I think he means that the Bills need an OL more than a TE right now and he's right but, the best guards and C's aren't going to go before the second round. How many magazines do these guys have out there? I just bought the The Sporting News Draft Guide '09 and their three round mock draft has the Bills taking... 1st Aaron Curry OLB WF 2nd Travis Beckum TE WIS 3rd Johnathan Luigs C ARK This is from this weeks magazine and is based on a lot more data than the draft guide is. Thanks for all the hard work in posting their (copywrited, BTW) material. Since that stuff was printed two months ago, it's value's akin to last week's toilet paper, however... This is from this weeks magazine. The only thing from the mag is choice of guys. The writeups are courtesy of NFL.com and since I linked them I don't think it's a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoring is not hardy Posted April 10, 2009 Share Posted April 10, 2009 I think that we are going to draft Pettigrew, but it will be with our second pick. Whether that pick is from a traded player, or we just move up by packaging picks. Pettigrew is ready to start , and I don't think you can say that about any other TE in this class. Derek Fine will not be our opening day starter. I think the FO is pretty set on getting Pettigrew, the guy screams Buffalo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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