MVP
April 21st, 2006, 10:03:56 PM
Talking Draft with Levy and Modrak
by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist
The Bills held their annual draft luncheon and several topics concerning the club's positional needs and the talent and abilities of various were discussed by General Manager Marv Levy and Assistant General Manager Tom Modrak.
Below are some of the more noteworthy responses from the two members of the Bills' front office as they answered questions from the Western New York media.
Marv Levy's comment highlights from the Bills Draft luncheon
Where they're at in the final evaluation process right now
ML: "We're in the process of fine tuning grades. There are so many elements that go into picking the players besides athletic ability like performance, character assessments and medical condition to name a few. We find we're pretty much through the initial covering of the offense. We have just a few more offensive linemen that we'll be covering. We'll be going heavily into the defensive side of it next week."
Will you have final say on who is selected?
ML: "I'm never going to bring it down to a final say. I think in the 12 years that I coached here I can only remember one time where I said, 'No we're going to take this guy.' And that was Shane Conlan who we took instead of some guy that wound up going to jail."
Do you feel you'll come out of draft with some offensive and defensive linemen?
ML: "I think we will, certainly. That's my guess. I can't tell you exactly who we're going to take or what our strategy is going to be because they're affected by what our opponents, all 31 of them do."
What's your philosophy on addressing the offensive and defensive lines?
ML: "On the defensive line you need depth. You can no longer play with your starting four. You have to play in waves of defensive linemen. I don't care how great a miler somebody might be because if you have four guys each run a 440-yard dash they're going to be faster than the fastest miler."
"On the offensive line the one caution is he isn't going to do it this year very often. The offensive lineman is rarely going to be a quick fix unless he's a Tony Boselli or Anthony Munoz."
How do you approach your pick at 8 knowing there's a possibility that a number of trades could happen in front of you?
ML: "My opinion is don't try to be too smart with all the dealing. We're not going in with the philosophy that we're going to wheel and deal on draft day. Maybe we're more likely to trade down on draft day to be honest with you. On draft day if we're knocked out with somebody that's there then fine."
If you trade down will it be because you want more players that come cheaper?
ML: "It won't be a move to cheapen the price we pay for players if we move down. It would be a move down if at 8 there's no one that really knocks us out any more than a guy we can get four spaces later. That's what would motivate us."
Tom Modrak's comment highlights from the Bills Draft luncheon
Will the new schemes affect their grading of players?
TM: "Somewhat. Initially we talk with the coaches and try to get definitions of what they're looking for. Even now we're still talking about whether or not a guy fits. That's when we really rely on the coaches and they do a great job of helping us identify the traits that they want. That's what is happening right now as much as anything. We try to paint a picture of what it is and see how he fits. There are guys on our board that are down a little bit, but will go up a bit because they fit for us."
Is there offensive line depth in Rounds 2, 3, 4?
TM: "I think it's decent. The difficult part of that question is if there is a good position, like cornerback is this year, but there are other positions that aren't strong at all, like if there are no wide receivers then there will be a run on cornerbacks sooner to fill the void and it will make that list of corners shorter."
"The big guys are going to go. That old axiom is true and teams try to get their offensive and defensive linemen early. There will be a number in those rounds so I could see it (10 coming off the board.)"
Is there anybody besides D'Brickashaw Ferguson on the offensive line that's a top ten value?
TM: "Not at this point. He is the clear top lineman and after him there is a separation."
Is Winston Justice a top 15 or 20 pick?
TM: "I think that's where he'll go. If I was doing my board I'd feel pretty good that he'd go in the top 20."
Are you less likely to take a skill position player if one slips instead of offensive or defensive lineman in light of what happened to your lines last year?
TM: "First, we do need to address the offensive and defensive lines. When we made those picks they were made based on talent and people we liked and for need at the time. I don't know that the process of trying to rebuild your offensive and defensive lines ever ends in terms of adding people to it. You've got four or five on the field all the time and you're always in a rotation situation particularly on the defensive line. That's a fair assumption that we want to get better and add to them."
If Vernon Davis slips to 8, would he be hard for you to pass up?TM: "It would be hard to pass up. He's a talented guy. That's one of those decisions where we'd take the whole 15 minutes. He's a very talented guy that you don't get that often. We have some players (at tight end) now and we're in better shape than we were."
What is your assessment of Brodrick Bunkley?
TM: "He's a high-motor guy who is a three-technique who could be a one (technique). He had great workouts and a very good Senior Bowl. He competed well at the Senior Bowl, had a good career at Florida State. He's athletic and has size. He's quick enough to be a three technique, he's a guy that needs to have some quickness off the ball, but he's stout enough that he can hold up as a one, so that's an advantage for him."
Can Bunkley handle a steady diet of nose tackle in the NFL?
TM: "I don't know if anybody can anymore. At that position you want a rotation going as much as you can. 60 or 65 plays for those big guys are awful tough because they wear down. But he could have his share of regular reps at a good level."
Is Haloti Ngata a fit (for Buffalo)?
TM: "Yes. He's a little bit different than Bunkley. Ngata is pretty much a one or two gap, run down plugger, push the pocket kind of guy. Bunkley is more of an edge guy. But Ngata is (a fit.)"
Is Michael Huff a corner or a safety?
TM: "On some boards he probably is a corner. On our board he is a safety, but that doesn't mean he couldn't play corner. At the very least from the safety position he could step up and play the third wideout which would keep you from making a substitution. He's athletic and a bright articulate kid. We had him in for a visit and everything we've been able to get on him it's obvious that he's a guy whose mind is on football. He's a very good athlete who has good speed and ran in the 4.3s."
http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3725
by Chris Brown, Lead Journalist
The Bills held their annual draft luncheon and several topics concerning the club's positional needs and the talent and abilities of various were discussed by General Manager Marv Levy and Assistant General Manager Tom Modrak.
Below are some of the more noteworthy responses from the two members of the Bills' front office as they answered questions from the Western New York media.
Marv Levy's comment highlights from the Bills Draft luncheon
Where they're at in the final evaluation process right now
ML: "We're in the process of fine tuning grades. There are so many elements that go into picking the players besides athletic ability like performance, character assessments and medical condition to name a few. We find we're pretty much through the initial covering of the offense. We have just a few more offensive linemen that we'll be covering. We'll be going heavily into the defensive side of it next week."
Will you have final say on who is selected?
ML: "I'm never going to bring it down to a final say. I think in the 12 years that I coached here I can only remember one time where I said, 'No we're going to take this guy.' And that was Shane Conlan who we took instead of some guy that wound up going to jail."
Do you feel you'll come out of draft with some offensive and defensive linemen?
ML: "I think we will, certainly. That's my guess. I can't tell you exactly who we're going to take or what our strategy is going to be because they're affected by what our opponents, all 31 of them do."
What's your philosophy on addressing the offensive and defensive lines?
ML: "On the defensive line you need depth. You can no longer play with your starting four. You have to play in waves of defensive linemen. I don't care how great a miler somebody might be because if you have four guys each run a 440-yard dash they're going to be faster than the fastest miler."
"On the offensive line the one caution is he isn't going to do it this year very often. The offensive lineman is rarely going to be a quick fix unless he's a Tony Boselli or Anthony Munoz."
How do you approach your pick at 8 knowing there's a possibility that a number of trades could happen in front of you?
ML: "My opinion is don't try to be too smart with all the dealing. We're not going in with the philosophy that we're going to wheel and deal on draft day. Maybe we're more likely to trade down on draft day to be honest with you. On draft day if we're knocked out with somebody that's there then fine."
If you trade down will it be because you want more players that come cheaper?
ML: "It won't be a move to cheapen the price we pay for players if we move down. It would be a move down if at 8 there's no one that really knocks us out any more than a guy we can get four spaces later. That's what would motivate us."
Tom Modrak's comment highlights from the Bills Draft luncheon
Will the new schemes affect their grading of players?
TM: "Somewhat. Initially we talk with the coaches and try to get definitions of what they're looking for. Even now we're still talking about whether or not a guy fits. That's when we really rely on the coaches and they do a great job of helping us identify the traits that they want. That's what is happening right now as much as anything. We try to paint a picture of what it is and see how he fits. There are guys on our board that are down a little bit, but will go up a bit because they fit for us."
Is there offensive line depth in Rounds 2, 3, 4?
TM: "I think it's decent. The difficult part of that question is if there is a good position, like cornerback is this year, but there are other positions that aren't strong at all, like if there are no wide receivers then there will be a run on cornerbacks sooner to fill the void and it will make that list of corners shorter."
"The big guys are going to go. That old axiom is true and teams try to get their offensive and defensive linemen early. There will be a number in those rounds so I could see it (10 coming off the board.)"
Is there anybody besides D'Brickashaw Ferguson on the offensive line that's a top ten value?
TM: "Not at this point. He is the clear top lineman and after him there is a separation."
Is Winston Justice a top 15 or 20 pick?
TM: "I think that's where he'll go. If I was doing my board I'd feel pretty good that he'd go in the top 20."
Are you less likely to take a skill position player if one slips instead of offensive or defensive lineman in light of what happened to your lines last year?
TM: "First, we do need to address the offensive and defensive lines. When we made those picks they were made based on talent and people we liked and for need at the time. I don't know that the process of trying to rebuild your offensive and defensive lines ever ends in terms of adding people to it. You've got four or five on the field all the time and you're always in a rotation situation particularly on the defensive line. That's a fair assumption that we want to get better and add to them."
If Vernon Davis slips to 8, would he be hard for you to pass up?TM: "It would be hard to pass up. He's a talented guy. That's one of those decisions where we'd take the whole 15 minutes. He's a very talented guy that you don't get that often. We have some players (at tight end) now and we're in better shape than we were."
What is your assessment of Brodrick Bunkley?
TM: "He's a high-motor guy who is a three-technique who could be a one (technique). He had great workouts and a very good Senior Bowl. He competed well at the Senior Bowl, had a good career at Florida State. He's athletic and has size. He's quick enough to be a three technique, he's a guy that needs to have some quickness off the ball, but he's stout enough that he can hold up as a one, so that's an advantage for him."
Can Bunkley handle a steady diet of nose tackle in the NFL?
TM: "I don't know if anybody can anymore. At that position you want a rotation going as much as you can. 60 or 65 plays for those big guys are awful tough because they wear down. But he could have his share of regular reps at a good level."
Is Haloti Ngata a fit (for Buffalo)?
TM: "Yes. He's a little bit different than Bunkley. Ngata is pretty much a one or two gap, run down plugger, push the pocket kind of guy. Bunkley is more of an edge guy. But Ngata is (a fit.)"
Is Michael Huff a corner or a safety?
TM: "On some boards he probably is a corner. On our board he is a safety, but that doesn't mean he couldn't play corner. At the very least from the safety position he could step up and play the third wideout which would keep you from making a substitution. He's athletic and a bright articulate kid. We had him in for a visit and everything we've been able to get on him it's obvious that he's a guy whose mind is on football. He's a very good athlete who has good speed and ran in the 4.3s."
http://www.buffalobills.com/news/news.jsp?news_id=3725