Bills Draft 2000--Yikes!

[Bossman]

Here's a 20/20 Hindsight possible draft of players that were still on the board from that horrid draft for the first few rounds:

 

1) Keith Bulluck instead of Erik Flowers

 

2) Brad Meester instead of Travares Tillman

 

3) John St. Clair instead of Corey Moore

 

4) Clark Haggans instead of Avion Black

 

To be fair to the that last Butler/Smith draft for the Bills, they were drafting late in every round due to their 11-5-0 record from 1999, and as you can see above, there was not a plethora of talented players left drafting so low in every round.

 

Still, for John Butler, he went out with a wimper. He could have tried to trade up to get some better talent - that really was a horrible effort!

 

The problem with this type of thinking is that you have the Bills drafting out of position. Obviously the Bills were looking for defensive help and you have them taking two offensive linemen in the first 3 picks. If you look at the list of available players at the positions where the Bills drafted there really isn't anyone that stands out. As a matter of fact, that whole draft looked to be on the weak side.

[metzelaars_lives]

So I didn't really get into the Bills until 2002 or so, and consider myself an avid fan now. But, holy crap, who the hell are these people? I knew Flowers was a bust, Morris is still good in a limited roll, but yikes. Draft's like this one set you back YEARS...wait, I guess that makes sense

 

You talk about them like they're a band. So who put you on to them? Was it late nights all stoned with your buddies listening to old Van Miller bootlegs from the early 90's?

[oddoublee]

The only player worth a damn actually had his best years in NE and Miami...LOL

Go Bills

[QB Bills]

Lazily pasted this from Bills Daily site. Wow, what a rotten draft! Dig the "Draft Grade" at the bottom.

 

 

 

1) Erik Flowers 6-4 1/8, 270, 4.73 - He's a player who was moving up the charts on certain teams but was always high on the Bills chart. He is much bigger than he played at last year but hasn't lost any of his speed. He was considered a pure pass rusher before gaining nearly 30 pounds. He was a hybrid linemen/linbacker but is now just a lineman. He may be a Marcellus Wiley clone. Will help let the Bills keep using their rotation. Was a junior college transfer who is considered a gym rat by scouting director Dwight Adams.

 

2) Travares Tillman 6-1, 195, 4.55 - Tillman has good size for a safety and is known better for his run stuffing ability and is an above average tackler. His pass defense needs some work and he is not considered a ball hawk. He is supposedly better suited for strong safety than free safety which makes this pick a bit of a surprise. Nevertheless, look for him to be given a chance at the starting free safety position.

 

3) Corey Moore OLB 5-11, 222, 4.6 - The Bills went for the second pass rusher in the first three rounds by picking Moore. He is an explosive athlete who moves very well. He's downfall is his height, but he projects to be an outside linebacker but has played some strong safety. He will be a bit of a project, so don't expect him to step in and start in Gabe Northern's old spot. He will probably see the field as an extra pass rusher in obvious passing situations. Mel Kiper called him "perhaps the greatest defensive player in College Football this past season."

 

4) Avion Black WR Tennessee St. 6-0, 180, 4.4 - Fast small player who the Bills got to replace Kevin Williams as a kick, and possibly a punt returner. He is a junior who was slated to return for his senior year before being called ineligible. Mel Kiper seems to like him. He has good speed, a good vertical leap, and scored three touchdowns on returns while catching 47 passes as a receiver. He will have an immediate impact as a returner but may not be polished enough to step in as third receiver.

 

5) Sammy Morris RB Texas Tech 5-11 3/4, 222 4.6 - Morris is a tweener that can play both tailback and fullback but his best games last year were at the tailback position. He missed two seasons in college because of academic ineligibility. Excellent receiver out of the backfield, may be another Shawn Bryson type of back. Will probably make the team taking Gash's spot.

 

6) Leif Larsen DT UTEP 6-4 1/4, 305, 5.080 - He's a big and powerful tackle in the mold of Pat Williams possibly. The Norway native is 25 years old and is still a project because he hasn't played much organized football. He has tremendous upside and will have a chance to learn the game behind Ted Washington and Williams. Possibly headed for the practice squad.

 

7) Drew Haddad WR Buffalo 5-10 1/2, 186, 4.65 - Another small wide receiver from a small, local school. Like Black, chosen earlier, Haddad returns kicks and punts giving the Bills two new options at replacing Kevin Williams. He's not very fast but is sure handed and runs good routes. Considering the lack of receivers the Bills have, he may have a good chance of making the team at least as a punt returner. He will probably get Kamil Loud's roster spot.

 

7) Deshon Polk LB Arizona 6-1 1/2, 233 - Another example of taking the best available athlete. He projects to playing inside here, probably backing up Sam Cowart. He is better in pass coverage than at run stuffing. He is also a good special teams player.

 

 

2000 DRAFT GRADE

On paper this seems to be a lot of reaching for certain picks. Keep in mind, the Bills history of drafting is considered one of the best, if not the best in the league. They definitely deserve the benefit of the doubt. Flowers was a player coming up on everybody's board and should be a solid player. They may have reached a bit for Tillman in the second round, he may have been there in the third round. Moore was a steal in the third and so was Morris in the fifth. Black may be the sleeper pick of the draft for the Bills, he will become a solid returner. The late round picks were initially used to fix the many holes in the special teams unit. B

Sammy Morris? The only guy to ever knock someone out cold with a helmet to the shoulder? That guy is a beast.

[Wagon Circler]

Don't be too quick to judge. It takes a little while for some players to develop.

I don't remember Corey Moore at all. Did he ever appear in a game?