R. Rich Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 First off, I had a great time up in WNY. I started off the festivities Friday afternoon @ Nick Tahous (where else?), getting my customary garbage plate. G. Host made the trip up w/ me, and we were joined by todd, Bobblehead (I'm giving that Monday plate idea serious thought), Jay and a friend of his from work, and LancasterSteve, a welcome blast from the WNYTBDGPS past. We had a nice chat on what we thought the Bills might do and what we hoped they wouldn't do. And, we ate. And ate. Saturday was the draft party @ RICH. I was skeptical w/ how it was going to be, w/ all season ticket holders invited instead of just the club seat owners. But, it went off w/out a hitch. The food was good, and we had a great view of a bunch of TVs in our own "Draft Central". Mark VI joined us, as usual, as did Jack and Jay (w/ his son). I had entirely too much good food that day, as I thought I'd go into a coma or something. The choice of beers were limited, but @ least they had an alternative to Pudweiser, unlike the previous couple years when they held the party @ Dave & Busters and Anheuser Busch catered the affair. The horror! Now, as for the draft itself.... Round 1: Aaron Maybin, DE PENN STATE I liked the pick from the standpoint that the Bills got a badly needed pass rusher, one w/ an incredible first step who should be able to generate pressure consistently from the edge. That's something the Bills haven't had in many years. As for his lack of bulk, that is something that will have to be corrected, and I do feel that he will work to get stronger in order to become an asset in the run defense also. Not a perfect pick, but man is his speed off the edge needed! Round 1: Eric Wood, C/G, Louisville Mark and I were happy that the Bills were able to address the interior OL w/ a big, mean, and nasty player who should greatly help limit the number of times that DTs just walk the OL back into the QB and collapse the pocket. His versatility to play either guard or center is just an added plus. Round 2: Jairus Byrd, CB/S, Oregon The Bills obviously still feel that the deep middle is a problem, so they targeted Byrd, a ballhawk w/ pretty decent size (5-10, 206) to help in that area. He has corner coverage abilities, but his speed will probably keep him @ safety, where the Bills need him more anyway. This could end up being a very good pick for the Bills. Round 2: Andy Levitre, G/T, Oregon State Another interior OL player w/ a mean streak; gotta love that. He could probably fill in @ RT, but I think he'll end up being a guard. He could end up starting for the Bills in the not too distant future. Like opening week. I have to hope that w/ the Bills drafting guys w/ this kinda demeanor along w/ their toughness and ability, their days of being soft up the middle are coming to an abrupt end. Good! Round 4: Shawn Nelson, TE, Southern Miss This could be a real steal for Buffalo. This guy is a solid receiving threat who has the frame to put on a bit more bulk and become a decent blocker as well. After watching the tragedy that was Robert Royal, Nelson should be a relief. Hopefully his arrival and the signing of Owens can actually give the Bills enough receiving options that defenses will have to play them honestly. Imagine that. Round 5: Nic Harris, S/LB, Oklahoma I wasn't thrilled @ him being drafted, but I wasn't disappointed either. The key is going to be whether Harris can make the transition from safety to linebacker and give the Bills a player who can actually hold up on the edge vs the run. If not, the search continues. If so, they took care of a glaring need w/ a 5th rounder. Not bad. Round 6: Cary Harris, CB, USC I remember seeing Harris deliver some hard shots on receivers in a USC backfield that was chock full of big hitters. If his hamstring problems don't hinder him, maybe he can help deliver some big hits for Buffalo in nickel or dime packages. Considering they used a 6th round pick on him, it's not catastrophic if his injuries hinder him. Round 7: Ellis Lankster, CB, West Virginia To round out their draft, the Bills added another corner to the mix. I profess to not knowing a whole lot 'bout this guy, but he seems to be a very productive player from what I've read. That's what the Bills need: more depth in the secondary to match up w/ the spread offenses of teams like the Patriots. So, if this guy can come in and contribute, then they've done okay for themselves. Overall, I didn't think this was a bad draft. Could they have tried to add a prospect @ LT? Sure they could have. But, considering the Bills had players @ the tackle positions and had only three players of any consequence to fill the three interior OL positions, they did good by adding a couple really tough players to help fill the middle. Overall, the line should be improved. Now, they shouldn't be satisfied and should still look for a good OT prospect, so if Levi Jones is healthy enough, they should look into bringing him in. But I do expect the interior of the Bills' line to be a bit more stout next season and shouldn't see as many instances where centers and guards are walked back into the QB en route to giving up sacks or just breaking down plays. Adding a good receiving TE prospect may also mean that Trent Edwards will have a reliable short option if the wideouts cannot get separation and find open spots. Nic Harris could be a guy that helps to solidify the weak side in terms of run defense. And Lankster and Cary Harris may be able to provide good play in nickel and dime situations. There are no guarantees, but if the guys the Bills drafted are as good as advertised, the Bills will have done a very good job of filling some big needs.
LabattBlue Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 Nice write up! Even if only four of the top five picks end up being quality starters within two years. I'd be ecstatic.
Rubes Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 Mark VI joined us, as usual. Nice to hear he's still around. Thanks for the write-up, nice work!
flomoe Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 Great write up. IMO, this might be one of the better "need/quality" drafts for the Bills in a long time. Until you reach round 7, you can't disagree with the Bills addressing both need and quality with any of their picks. In reference to Lankster, the need for more depth at corner and special teams still qualifies as a need pick with quality, so in that sense, the Bills were 8 for 8. On a side note, doesn't Maybin have a lot of similarities to Jason Taylor of 4-7 years ago, if not longer? I don't like Taylor only because of him being a Dolphish but he was a damn fine pain in the a$$ for the Bills for a number of years and Maybin appears to have the same first lethal step, the long arms and the not-overly bulky frame to keep him one half step ahead of the would be RT's he is probably going to face. I wasn't sold on Maybin at all but the more I look at him, the more I see nothing but trouble for opposing offenses in passing situations this upcoming season and beyond.
Chandler#81 Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 Nice write up -with one glaring ommision: What beer DID they serve????
Lori Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 As usual, your opinion is anything BUT meaningless, Rich. Good stuff, and I'm sorry I didn't get to hear your insight first-hand.
Pete Posted April 29, 2009 Posted April 29, 2009 Nice well thought out analysis, thanks! I agree with all your assessments. We could use another some more big hitters in the secondary- and maybe Cary Harris brings that. All in all I am quite pleased with our draft and think we are finally turning the corner
spartacus Posted April 30, 2009 Posted April 30, 2009 Great write up. IMO, this might be one of the better "need/quality" drafts for the Bills in a long time. Until you reach round 7, you can't disagree with the Bills addressing both need and quality with any of their picks. In reference to Lankster, the need for more depth at corner and special teams still qualifies as a need pick with quality, so in that sense, the Bills were 8 for 8. On a side note, doesn't Maybin have a lot of similarities to Jason Taylor of 4-7 years ago, if not longer? I don't like Taylor only because of him being a Dolphish but he was a damn fine pain in the a$$ for the Bills for a number of years and Maybin appears to have the same first lethal step, the long arms and the not-overly bulky frame to keep him one half step ahead of the would be RT's he is probably going to face. I wasn't sold on Maybin at all but the more I look at him, the more I see nothing but trouble for opposing offenses in passing situations this upcoming season and beyond. the challenge, as it has been for a decade, is stopping the run on 1st and 2nd down to get to a passing situation where Maybin can be turned loose.
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