I cant believe the negativity of this board

[Haven Moses]

He was our best CB in those games. You can't say he sucks.

Did you watch either Patriot game?

 

When they go 4 wide, you think McGee, McKelvin, Corner, and Youboti are good enough?

[Guest dog14787]

Again, I hope not ,but it is looking that way. I want this team to win and all we really added was T.O. , we needed other FA additions on O line and the D line. Experience over intuition.

 

 

I like what TE's can do for a offense and you must admit Shawn Nelson is an intriguing prospect. Nelson posted some good numbers in College despite being double teamed most of the time. If he can beef up a little and get up to speed quick he might make an impact early on in for the Buffalo Bills.

 

The draft wasn't all that bad now that I'm over my initial reaction for passing on Pettigrew. Many people are talking about how well the Buffalo Bills did and that Maybin may be the guy that put us over the top.

 

I'm OK with 5 of the picks, the last two, I'm not so sure.

[Haven Moses]

I like what TE's can do for a offense and you must admit Shawn Nelson is an intriguing prospect. Nelson posted some good numbers in College despite being double teamed most of the time. If he can beef up a little and get up to speed quick he might make an impact early on in for the Buffalo Bills.

 

The draft wasn't all that bad now that I'm over my initial reaction for passing on Pettigrew. Many people are talking about how well the Buffalo Bills did and that Maybin may be the guy that put us over the top.

 

I'm OK with 5 of the picks, the last two, I'm not so sure.

The last 2 are for special teams anyhow

[Kelly the Dog]

Really?

Byrd: 6-0 210 4.6 speed

Reed: 5-11 200 4.6 speed

 

Both were highly productive (Ints PDs)

Both take good angles to the football

Both read the QB well

Both tackle in the run game well

Both have great instincts

Both have good route recognition

Both have great hands

Both have great anticipation

 

 

Shall i go on?

 

There are some differences, but they are very similar players. Byrd played FS in high school and it's his natural position.

Both have two feet too. Is that a similarity? Byrd does not play nearly as explosively as Reed. I'm talking about watching their games on the field. Byrd is pretty good when the ball is in the air and takes good angles but he usually reads and reacts. Reed anticipates way more, IMO. Byrd doesn't usually jump plays or take chances or cover space anything like Reed does. He's also shorter and stockier (he's 5'10" not 6').

[RayFinkle]

True. But all it does is lessen the LBs by one, the same way on offense it lessens a back by one and adds a WR (for the most part, as sometimes it is two). It makes a team carry an extra WR and an extra CB compared to the other positions that have two starters but doesn't at all change the post or concept that you shouldn't spend too many picks on the secondary or at WR or at any of the other groupings when you have holes everywhere. And especially when you have five to eight players at the same position ahead of them on the depth chart. Again, either of the two CBs was probably a good choice. Two straight of the same thing, when we already picked another CB turned safety and SS turned LB was too much.

Good point. I'll counter with three.

 

1. These are late round draft picks. If you are drafting for need late in the draft, your season is already over. You draft whoever you have graded out the best.

 

2. When you play in the same division as Tom Brady, you can never have enough quality depth at DB.

 

3. I'd bet cold hard cash one of the later picks was Bobby April's.

[Magox]

Both have two feet too. Is that a similarity? Byrd does not play nearly as explosively as Reed. I'm talking about watching their games on the field. Byrd is pretty good when the ball is in the air and takes good angles but he usually reads and reacts. Reed anticipates way more, IMO. Byrd doesn't usually jump plays or take chances or cover space anything like Reed does. He's also shorter and stockier (he's 5'10" not 6').

I like the signing of Jarius Byrd! Just about every draft geek thinks that he is a true football player, with a real nose for the ball. Great pick!

[Kelly the Dog]

Good point. I'll counter with three.

 

1. These are late round draft picks. If you are drafting for need late in the draft, your season is already over. You draft whoever you have graded out the best.

 

2. When you play in the same division as Tom Brady, you can never have enough quality depth at DB.

 

3. I'd bet cold hard cash one of the later picks was Bobby April's.

Then take him. Not two of him. To me our best special teamers are not necessarily CBs (excluding returners) they are just as often LBs and WRs.

[Fingon]

Both have two feet too. Is that a similarity? Byrd does not play nearly as explosively as Reed. I'm talking about watching their games on the field. Byrd is pretty good when the ball is in the air and takes good angles but he usually reads and reacts. Reed anticipates way more, IMO. Byrd doesn't usually jump plays or take chances or cover space anything like Reed does. He's also shorter and stockier (he's 5'10" not 6').

ESPN says he's 6-0. Again, there are differences, with the major difference being that Byrd doesn't gamble as much as Ed Reed. They are actually remarkably similar in certain aspects of their games. I haven't seen a DB with Byrd's ball skills since maybe Ed Reed.

[Kelly the Dog]

I like the signing of Jarius Byrd! Just about every draft geek thinks that he is a true football player, with a real nose for the ball. Great pick!

I like the pick, too, and really like Byrd's potential. If he becomes a ball hawk in the pros and is the playmaker he was in college in the pros, it will help us a ton. It doesn't necessarily transfer although it may. He seems like a tremendous kid, too.

[todd]

You do realize that we have an abundance of CBs, making it possibly our most depthed position (thanks to the addition of Florence), right?

 

Considering you need to play 3cbs against the pats pretty much the whole game, I don't see a problem with that.

[May Day 10]

for what its worth, Tim Graham doesnt sound too impressed with the Bills' draft

[Pete]

for what its worth, Tim Graham doesnt sound too impressed with the Bills' draft

what did he say?

[Fingon]

what did he say?

he Buffalo Bills traded Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters a week before the draft and didn't select a tackle.

 

You can look at this three ways: 1) the Bills are confident veteran Langston Walker and second-year project Demetrius Bell can handle the tackle positions; 2) they might be working on a trade for someone Levi Jones after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Andre Smith; or 3) Buffalo's front office doesn't know what it's doing.

 

Buffalo went with Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin, Louisville center Eric Wood, Oregon defensive back Jairus Byrd, Oregon State guard Andy Levitre, Southern Miss tight end Shawn Nelson, Oklahoma linebacker/safety Nic Harris, Southern California cornerback Cary Harris and West Virginia cornerback Ellis Lankster.

 

Maybin and Wood can easily be justified as first-round choices. But the Bills are adding a variable to Wood's future by moving him to guard after he started 49 straight games as Louisville's center.

 

What's with all the defensive backs?

 

The Bills seemed to have their secondary penciled out heading into the draft: Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin or Drayton Florence at cornerback and Donte Whitner, Bryan Scott and George Wilson at safety.

 

McKelvin was the 11th player chosen overall last year. He is expected to step in for Jabari Greer, a free agent who went to the New Orleans Saints. The Bills brought in Florence for help. Ashton Youboty and Reggie Corner also are on the roster.

 

Whitner was the eighth overall pick in 2006.

 

Within the next nine picks after the Bills selected Levitre, three tackles went off the board. The Minnesota Vikings took Oklahoma's Phil Loadholt. The New England Patriots drafted Houston's Sebastian Vollmer. The New York Giants chose Connecticut's Will Beatty.

[Kelly the Dog]

ESPN says he's 6-0. Again, there are differences, with the major difference being that Byrd doesn't gamble as much as Ed Reed. They are actually remarkably similar in certain aspects of their games. I haven't seen a DB with Byrd's ball skills since maybe Ed Reed.

 

One of the reasons he fell on draft boards was because when he got to the combine he measured 5'10" and not 6'. Watching him during games, or even on all the highlight reels, he always looked short and stocky to me. I am not at all down on him in any way, I like the pick a lot. If, like I said just above, his instincts and angles and anticipation translates to the pros. Some guys it's that split second too slow that negates a lot of talent. I'm looking forward to watching him play, and I actually think he has a very good chance to start opening day (if Jauron doesn't kitty out about starting a rookie)

[May Day 10]

what did he say?

 

my personal jury is out, but here is mr graham's analysis on the AFC East

 

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nflnation?tag=a...20analysis%2009

 

The Buffalo Bills -- stuck on 7-9 for three straight seasons -- made some head-scratching picks, ignoring tackle and loading up on defensive backs, a position that was relatively healthy.

Riskiest move

 

The Buffalo Bills traded Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters a week before the draft and didn't select a tackle.

 

You can look at this three ways: 1) the Bills are confident veteran Langston Walker and second-year project Demetrius Bell can handle the tackle positions; 2) they might be working on a trade for someone Levi Jones after the Cincinnati Bengals drafted Andre Smith; or 3) Buffalo's front office doesn't know what it's doing.

 

Buffalo went with Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin, Louisville center Eric Wood, Oregon defensive back Jairus Byrd, Oregon State guard Andy Levitre, Southern Miss tight end Shawn Nelson, Oklahoma linebacker/safety Nic Harris, Southern California cornerback Cary Harris and West Virginia cornerback Ellis Lankster.

 

Maybin and Wood can easily be justified as first-round choices. But the Bills are adding a variable to Wood's future by moving him to guard after he started 49 straight games as Louisville's center.

 

What's with all the defensive backs?

 

The Bills seemed to have their secondary penciled out heading into the draft: Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin or Drayton Florence at cornerback and Donte Whitner, Bryan Scott and George Wilson at safety.

 

McKelvin was the 11th player chosen overall last year. He is expected to step in for Jabari Greer, a free agent who went to the New Orleans Saints. The Bills brought in Florence for help. Ashton Youboty and Reggie Corner also are on the roster.

 

Whitner was the eighth overall pick in 2006.

 

Within the next nine picks after the Bills selected Levitre, three tackles went off the board. The Minnesota Vikings took Oklahoma's Phil Loadholt. The New England Patriots drafted Houston's Sebastian Vollmer. The New York Giants chose Connecticut's Will Beatty.

[Fingon]

 

One of the reasons he fell on draft boards was because when he got to the combine he measured 5'10" and not 6'. Watching him during games, or even on all the highlight reels, he always looked short and stocky to me. I am not at all down on him in any way, I like the pick a lot. If, like I said just above, his instincts and angles and anticipation translates to the pros. Some guys it's that split second too slow that negates a lot of talent. I'm looking forward to watching him play, and I actually think he has a very good chance to start opening day (if Jauron doesn't kitty out about starting a rookie)

There is no way that Ko Simpson will start, so i think he stands a very good chance of being the #1 FS. Especially since he is good at things that rookie DBs usually struggle at (reading QBs, recognizing coverage, taking the right angles... etc.)

[C.Biscuit97]

for what its worth, Tim Graham doesnt sound too impressed with the Bills' draft

 

 

I respect the guy's skills and everything he brings to the board, but no offense, his opinion doesn't mean much (as any does any media member). Everyone has an opinion and these guys aren't paid scouts or former front office types. I love the draft and time will tell how it plays out.

[Fingon]

I like how TG considers a 2nd rounder, and 2 late round picks loading up on DBs. The last two guys picked will probably hit the practice squad, or simply be STers.

[Lori]

Graham:

The Buffalo Bills -- stuck on 7-9 for three straight seasons -- made some head-scratching picks, ignoring tackle and loading up on defensive backs, a position that was relatively healthy.

 

Maiorana:

Don’t laugh. Seriously, you’re not going to believe it, but the Bills closed the draft by selecting another cornerback. Does there come a point when you truly do have enough cornerbacks? Ellis Lankster played at West Virginia after starting his career in junior college, and he’s just another seventh-round guy who will try to make the squad on special teams.

 

So in review, the Bills took a defensive end, two interior offensive linemen, four defensive backs (one of which they project as a linebacker) and one tight end.

 

One thing we know for sure: There’s going to be quite a competition for spots in the secondary this summer at St. John Fisher College. Too bad there won’t be much competition at outside linebacker where they really need to find an upgrade for Keith Ellison.

 

And wouldn’t it have been nice if the had at least tried to bring a capable offensive tackle in to compete with holdovers like Kirk Chambers and Demetrius Bell.

 

Now we get to hear Russ Brandon, Tom Modrak and Dick Jauron explain why they needed to spend their last three picks on defensive backs.

 

Sully:

5:59 p.m. -- Bills have made their pick in the seventh round. What else? Another cornerback: Ellis Lankster of West Virginia. I guess you can never have enough defensive backs. It's worth noting that Terrence McGee will be a free agent after this season. They took Leodis McKelvin in the first round last year and also drafted Reggie Corner. They took Jairus Byrd in the second round in this draft. Looks like they're bolstering the secondary in case McGee goes the same route as Jabari Greer.

 

The late run on CBs will be mentioned more than once going forward.

[Guest dog14787]

Considering you need to play 3cbs against the pats pretty much the whole game, I don't see a problem with that.

 

It doesn't surprise me if DJ's specialty is DB's, I believe he played Safety in College and he knows the position well.

 

If it equates to beating the patriots somehow then I'm all for it, and your right, it will probably take the best defensive backfield in the league to shut down Shady Brady and the Belicheat.

 

Gotta watch Jauron though, we would have a whole team of DB's if it was up to him.