1st round pick options

[Telecom]

In trying to decide who will be available when our ist round pick comes up I accumulated a list of players that I would like for us to get.
QB- Manning, Roethlisburger
WR- Fitzgerald, Williams Roy, Williams Reggie
TE- Winslow Jr.
T- Gallery, Andrews
DE- Udeze, Smith
DT- Harris
CB- Gamble
S- Taylor

Thirteen names and I stretched by putting Gamble on the list.
For the Bills to get one of the players they have slotted we need someone in front of us to either pick one or both of the running backs (Jones, Jackson). Pick either Starks (DT) or a linebacker. Detroit/Pittsburgh could easily grab a running back. Houston seems high on Starks. I could easily see TD trading back if someone does not slip to us, especially if both RB's are on the board when we pick.

[Range Roamer]

The more I see of River's, the more I feel confident that he should be worthy of a number 13 pick.

[Telecom]

If none of my most wanted picks are not available and no trade back scenarios come up I would not be opposed to selecting Rivers at 13.

[Flatlander]

My draft board would look like this:

1. Manning, QB
2. Roethlisberger, QB
3. Fitzgerald, WR
4. Harris, DT
5. Gallery, OT
6. Taylor, S
7. Udeze, DE
8. Winslow, TE
9. Roy Williams, WR
10. Andrews, OL
11. Reggie Williams, WR
12. Will Smith, DE
13. Wilfork, DT

There may be a RB or 2 that gets taken ahead of us and perhaps a LB or CB. I believe that if we'll come out of free agency sith a CB if we don't sign Winfield, so I didn't put any on the list. I definitely wouldn't take a RB.

My gut feel is that at best 2 RB's will be taken ahead of us. I think the pick will be Reggie Williams.

[Telecom]

Nice list Flatlander. I totally agree that Detroit and to a lesser extent Pittsburgh could easily pick a RB. Do not forget about Was at #5. Joe Gibbs would love to have a beast like Jackson. I also agree that Williams would be an excellant choice at 13 if he falls that far.

[Pablo]

I have noticed a number of people suggesting offensive tackle and I wondered if maybe Bills should be considering an upgrade at guard.
Considering the R. Brown situation plus the guard options that currently include Tucker and Puccillo (and yes, Sobieski and Sullivan) concerns me some. The tackles inlcude Williams, Jennings, Price plus Sobieski and Sullivan.

I think guard might be more of a concern.

[Pablo]

yes, a nice list of possibilities. Free agency comigns and goings will affect the final wish list.

[TigerJ]

There's a chance someone in the top twelve might go for a linebacker. That could push someone down. Linbackers who may be worthy of a pick in the top half of round one include Teddy Lehman and DJ Williams.

[35Pete]

We don't need a tackle. We need at guard and a center.

[35Pete]

I'd take a RB with pick #13

[Buffalo13]

Frankly, I don't see any RBs being taken before we draft. Jones and jackson are good backs, but i don't think they are worth a top 10 pick.

I also don't see Gamble going before our pick, there are a lot of good corners in this draft and many "experts" seem to be saying that he could have used another year in school.

That being said, I would be happy with any of the other players mentioned but i agree with range roamer that Rivers is looking more worthy of the 13th pick every time i see him play. An interior lineman would be great, but probably won't be necessary after free agency.

does anyone else agree that we really could use a special teams difference maker like a DeAngelo Hall from VT?

[Telecom]

Picking Hall at 13 would be a good value pick Buffalo 13. As I have stated earlier we would be getting the first CB picked in the draft and with AW status a good corner may come in handy.

35Pete, I agree that we need a guard or center more than a tackle. However there are no G's or C's warranting a pick at#13. If by chance either Andrews or Gallery fall that far we would be fools to not select one of them as one of our tackles could easily be switched to guard now that we have more depth at that position.

[Sabot55]

Look for Buffalo to trade down and pick Will Smith, unless Donahoe lands a top flight DE this offseason.

[Figurita20]

I think Wilfork will be among that list. He has weight problems but the guy is a force in the middle of the line even when double teamed. If he's there at 13 I would take him, no doubt.

[Bflojohn2]

Kenechi Udeze would solve our LDE problem for.... oh say 10 to 12 years!! This guy is all effort and production! 16 and 1/2 sacks on his season with 3 in the Rose Bowl. In this league it's how well you throw the ball and how well you defend against the passing game. Udeze would provide constant pressure and would make everyone around him better! Without question!!! The Bills might be a LDE away from being a truly dominant "D" in this league....Think about it?!?!

[Napalm]

Originally posted by 35Pete
I'd take a RB with pick #13


WHY?

[Flatlander]

I think Shawn Andrews can play guard as well as right tackle. He's not a left tackle, but Gallery is. Gallery would move Jennings inside to center, so that would upgrade the line. But Gallery definitely will be taken by #13. We'd have to trade up something like 6-8 spots and that would cost our 2nd round pick. I'm not sure if I'd do that.

[statehack]

At 13th you draft need, not position, the Bills have many needs.
You have to carefully evaluate each players worth and then make assumptions about what the teams ahead of you are likely to pick, while preparing for curve balls along the way. Whatever position is strongest on your board by your pick should be at a position that best fills one of your teams top three needs, or a rare talent that has fallen will be your best pick.

The hardest thing is evaluating your own teams talent level acurately, as we are all human and tend towards optimism in our own affairs. I like TD as our GM, although he rightly is taking heat, I trust him to come through for the people of Buffalo and its sportsfans. We all certianly deserve a small taste of success.

So instead let me say that I think our positions of need are being poorly evaluated by the Joe Sportsfan in Buffalo. Pundits in the general media as well as radio all seem to have needs in various areas but none concur much on which is the greatest. Even Buffalo's top-3 needs seem unclear based on popular perception.

But WR and QB aren't really needs... QB is deep, and we can grab a decent talent possibly through the 4th round. WR's generally don't blossom in the NFL untill thier Junior or Senior year so only rare talent warrants a pick at this position. DB's maybe warranted since you can never have enough and they can impact as rookies. LB's should always be a pillar of strength but the Bills have talent, though I miss Spoon. DE's have rookie impact, but more typically thier Sophmore year in the NFL. RB's are deep we hope, I like that, Thurman Thomas was nothing without Kenny Davis, and maybe Robb Riddick. I wish Willis would wear #22 and pull the switch when the D wasn't lookin....but hopefully we are fully insured against broken wheels... And a vetran QB is probably the best fit to fall back on while Travis Brown and some 2nd-4th round QB tries to earn each other a pink-slip. TE would be sweet with Dave Moore being 35 and a FA next year opens a need, but Winslow never makes it to #13 so what else is open?

Special Teamer might not be so foolish since that is the forgotten 1/3 of the game. (Thank you Marv) But I don't see any we couldn't find deeper in the draft. Lineman can't trust them to be dependable enough thier 1st year unless line around them is solid and "gelled' a year or more.

Trade up for Winslow. Use that extra pick we got for O.Gary and move up. It doesn't have to be much really... and you can always package in a talent player that lacks team chemistry.

But is that what the Bills need to put them over the top? I have know idea, but I do seem to remember how much fun Bledsoe had with Curtis Martin and Ben Coates. Its just a feeling I have, mind you, but I remember staring at the TV last April looking at McGahee on the Cell thinking snatch him, Go ahead, take a chance, bold mind you since I didn't have my reputation and my family's subsistance riding on this... but exhilirating when moments later TD did just that! I immediately had second thoughts, felt if that was my wacko pick, and our GM did the same thing he must intoxicated! We proceeded to "take" the same four players out of 6 picks. I feel that way again, about Winslow, but who am I? Just a crazy PHAN who loves his team.

Yeah, We got a couple Good TE's but I think we Develop talent along the Lines, and TE is part of that. Besides, if I could throw Ralph's cash around, I would seriously consider Terrell Owens, with Shaw and Reed not to mention Aiken developing with Bledsoe, we could do a Ram-style offense. Of course Owens brings the baggage, and Darrell Jackson out of Seatle would be a more fiscal route to taking heat off Moulds. I still Think Reed going to start to mature and envision 5-targets for Drew that will all get mis-matches against the best D's.... Pipedream Right?

Next two picks might both go to DL to shore that question mark. Free Safety is another area that has to be looked at. But with the #2 overall Defense its not like we have any glaring needs exactly, You can always go the FA route on a wiley vet.

This was my First post here, hopefully there will be many more, sorry about being long winded, but as an introduction to the forum I wanted to get my general view to the record. Thanks for any repies, and play nice.

:handhold:

[Mehser]

Good first post statehack and welcome to the Range. :toast:

[Sabot55]

Originally posted by Bflojohn
Kenechi Udeze would solve our LDE problem for.... oh say 10 to 12 years!! This guy is all effort and production! 16 and 1/2 sacks on his season with 3 in the Rose Bowl. In this league it's how well you throw the ball and how well you defend against the passing game. Udeze would provide constant pressure and would make everyone around him better! Without question!!! The Bills might be a LDE away from being a truly dominant "D" in this league....Think about it?!?!

Totally agree. But the real question is if Udeze is available at 13, especially if his workout at USC's Pro Day goes well.

[35Pete]

If Udeze falls to 13 (which I doubt) then we would have succeeded in both drafting a need position and taking the best available player. This would warrant a A+ grade for the 1st round pick.

[Telecom]

Nice post Statehack. The only way we get a player that you have so eloquently written about is if someone in the first 12 picks grabs a running back, reaches for one of the corner backs or linebackers. If Udeze is available when we pick TD will pull a hamstring running up to the podium. We are more than likely going to pick a CB as that seems to be the spot where the best player available will be. Rivers is the oddball in all of this! His draft position seems to be in question ATT.

[dwightdrane]

Originally posted by Telecom
Nice post Statehack. The only way we get a player that you have so eloquently written about is if someone in the first 12 picks grabs a running back, reaches for one of the corner backs or linebackers. If Udeze is available when we pick TD will pull a hamstring running up to the podium. We are more than likely going to pick a CB as that seems to be the spot where the best player available will be. Rivers is the oddball in all of this! His draft position seems to be in question ATT.

A CB? Really? Only way I see that is if we lose Winny and dont sign another CB, cause then we would be stuck w/ Nate & McGee and nooooone else. It would be Gamble, Hall or Strait. But we might get a good corner in round 2. Too many corners available in FA to spend a 1st or a 2nd on one. We need OL, DE, WR, FS, QB.

[statehack]

Dwight,

OL? Better addressed in free agency if at all.
WR? Who will make an impact?
DE? ok sounds great, but nothing at #13

We could trade up for a DE.... But the cost? We would have to spend more than for Winslow I think. Dunno.

DB, makes some sense, let's see who is available first....

QB??? C'mon not #1 overall.... When a draft class is deep at a spot you can afford to wait.... The thinnest area that is a need is a better choice.... again I stick by TE Winslow after trading up.

[TigerJ]

The Bills really don't have as many critical needs as one might expect of a 6-10 team. I think guard may be one of them. There is no guard who would be a reasonable value at 13. I don't see the wisdom of drafting Shawn Andrews and turning him into a guard. He could probably make the shift, but why try it. There are some good guards available later on. Vernon Carey has played every line position. He's going to be a great lineman in the NFL, maybe better than Andrews, and will go maybe ten spots lower than 13. Buffalo could trade down. There are also decent guards available in the next to rounds, or the Bills could look at free agency.

I don't discount the WRs in this draft. I think some of them could make an impact in this draft. I wouldn't be shocked if Buffalo drafted one in round one.

As Udeze climbs the charts and Will Smith drops, it's starting to look less likely Buffalo would take either at 13. Udeze may be gone and Smith may be considered a reach by draft day. There are a couple free agent alternatives, and there could be decent guys available later in (Dare I say it?) the second round.

I think Winslow will be gone and Troupe is a reach.

I don't think Buffalo takes Rivers at 13, though they could trade down and get him.

DB is going to depend on Winfield and free agency.

[statehack]

I'd Have to agree John, getting a stud DE at 13 would be awesome but your man won't go that low, and the rest are "reach" picks... You have to get value for that #13....

[35Pete]

Originally posted by Bflojohn
Kenechi Udeze would solve our LDE problem for.... oh say 10 to 12 years!! This guy is all effort and production! 16 and 1/2 sacks on his season with 3 in the Rose Bowl. In this league it's how well you throw the ball and how well you defend against the passing game. Udeze would provide constant pressure and would make everyone around him better! Without question!!! The Bills might be a LDE away from being a truly dominant "D" in this league....Think about it?!?!

John. You and I think alike. Excellent posting

[35Pete]

Originally posted by napalmdeath
WHY?

Naplam. The RB pick at #13 was meant to be a joke.

[Napalm]

Originally posted by 35Pete
Naplam. The RB pick at #13 was meant to be a joke.


I know

LOL

[Sabot55]

TigerJ-

That is exactly what I was thinking. That's why I think Buffalo may pick a CB, as I posted in my mock draft thread.

[swami jr]

In February, I'm not willing to rule out any scenario.

However...

Originally posted by statehack
Trade up for Winslow. Use that extra pick we got for O.Gary and move up. It doesn't have to be much really... and you can always package in a talent player that lacks team chemistry


The Gary pick is a seventh rounder I believe (our only seventh rounder because we traded one away), and who would be that player on our team? First of all, would the other team want this player, and second of all, Winslow could potentially be a talented player that lacks team chemestry himself. (I like him as a prospect, but we shouldn't get rid of a guy for one reason and aquire another guy disreguarding that very same quality).

Originally posted by statehack

Next two picks might both go to DL to shore that question mark. Free Safety is another area that has to be looked at. But with the #2 overall Defense its not like we have any glaring needs exactly, You can always go the FA route on a wiley vet.

How would that shore the question mark? Depth at DT maybe, but it's not easy to find a starting DE in the second and third rounds, but like I said before, I won't rule anything out.

Don't get me wrong though statehack, you made some good points. For example: special teams being the forgotten third, look at free safety, and WRs need time to develop.

Speaking of WRs though, we don't need a guy to be the next Anquan Boldin, though that wouldn't hurt. All we want is someone like last years' Kelley Washington or Nate Burelson. They did enough to garner attention and stretch the field, and made catches when they had to. That's why I like Devery Henderson. However, I could easily see Donahoe grab a WR in free agency, just as I could see him taking a guard. He always likes to go into drafts without glaring deficiencies.

One last thing, is that many people have said certain defensive positions aren't as much of a need becuase we finished number 2 in the league last year. We cannot afford to take that for granted. Not only are there things for us to improve on with the defense, but if we don't try to make upgrades, we will digress. Does anyone here think our defense was better than New England's, Carolina's, Philadelphia's, Tennesee's and Baltimore's (since Dallas finished #1)?

[statehack]

Very Interesting.....

Sporting News has Udeze going to Bills at #13.... and looking over thier picks, its tough to argue with thier logic. As crazy as it may seem but I backoff my Trade up for Winslow for Drew, and say sit tight and wait for Udeze..... If he really falls to #13 then that would be the Bills best value of any.... I thought Udeze would go 4 different teams ahead, but who knows until the 15th?

:homer:

[Sabot55]

Originally posted by swami jr


How would that shore the question mark? Depth at DT maybe, but it's not easy to find a starting DE in the second and third rounds, but like I said before, I won't rule anything out.

Don't get me wrong though statehack, you made some good points. For example: special teams being the forgotten third, look at free safety, and WRs need time to develop.

It won't be easy to find a impact DT/DE in the second round. DT is a better bet because of depth, and the lack of ipact DE's this year. If Udeze is there, he's the pick.

Originally posted by swami jr


Speaking of WRs though, we don't need a guy to be the next Anquan Boldin, though that wouldn't hurt. All we want is someone like last years' Kelley Washington or Nate Burelson. They did enough to garner attention and stretch the field, and made catches when they had to. That's why I like Devery Henderson. However, I could easily see Donahoe grab a WR in free agency, just as I could see him taking a guard. He always likes to go into drafts without glaring deficiencies.



I like Devery Henderson as well. He's looking more and more like a second rounder... which is where I am thinking about Ben Watson to fill our TE need.

I also like Devard Darling of Washington State. Depends on how he runs.