SI.com Mock draft

[Jeff1220]

Has the Bills taking CB Leon Hall with the #12 pick.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/don_banks/01/26/mock.draft1.part1/index.html


12 CB Leon Hall Michigan Sr. 5-11 195
We'll go straight need pick here, giving the Bills the draft's top-rated cornerback in anticipation of them losing Nate Clements in free agency. Hall is a proven performer.

He also goes with the Raiders taking Russell at #1.

[DraftBoy]

Pass on Hall, he got smoked twice on national TV by Ted Ginn and Dwayne Jarrett

[patmoran2006]

I REALLY dont think LEvy drafted McCargo and Youboty on day one with the expectation of them being first year pro bowlers.. We invested a lot into them and im SURE we're going to develop them as starters..

So I REALLY dont see us taking a corner or a DT in the first round this year. We will probably address both spots in either FA or later in the draft, but I just cant see us going those spots in round one.

The only spot I dont see us being able to strengthen in FA at all is RB, the crop sucks and Willis is in his last year.. If Lynch is there at 12 I really see him being the pick.

If not, I could see us going WR or LB or possibly trading down a bit and taking an OL..

[patmoran2006]

IM also still hell bent on Losman getting a better TE than Robert Royal.

[OpIv37]

I REALLY dont think LEvy drafted McCargo and Youboty on day one with the expectation of them being first year pro bowlers.. We invested a lot into them and im SURE we're going to develop them as starters..

So I REALLY dont see us taking a corner or a DT in the first round this year. We will probably address both spots in either FA or later in the draft, but I just cant see us going those spots in round one.

The only spot I dont see us being able to strengthen in FA at all is RB, the crop sucks and Willis is in his last year.. If Lynch is there at 12 I really see him being the pick.

If not, I could see us going WR or LB or possibly trading down a bit and taking an OL..

I'm hoping you're wrong about Levy and just think that way because of Tom Donahoe spending 5 years without ever admitting a mistake. We need help at DT and CB, so if someone is there who can be an immediate contributor, I hope Marv pulls the trigger.

[patmoran2006]

Immediate help as in FA-- Yes
Round one of the draft?- No.. It makes his draft picks last year look bad then.

[kernowboy]

My concern about Lynch that in a poor RB class, he may be overvalued

At WR, with so much money invested and Fairchild never having the biggest WRs then we may go with what we have

At CB, I think they want to see what Youboty is really made of but may use a R4 to pick someone up, who may eventually be a nickel

At DT, I agree that we may look for a 1-tackle only.

Assuming we cannot get our needs in FA they I would like a draft of

R1 - trade down, LB, look at Timmons, Willis, Posluzny. I'd prefer the latter but would be happy with any of them
R2 - a TE, Miller likely will be gone but Greg Olsen may be around. With Shelton gone a 2 TE set would look good
R3a - a NT, someone Paul Soliai, or if he slides Justin Harrell, maybe the Cavs NT Keenan Carter to rotate with Kyle Williams
R3b - the extra pick from the R1 trade, which could equate to someone like Mike Jones on the OL to compete with Merz if we cannot pick up anyone in FA.

Not spectacular but a solid draft

[ICE74129]

I stick with ILB or RB in round one as what the bills will pick.

[RockStar36]

I know I've been against it, but if Lynch is available at 12 it would be difficult to pass on him.

[patmoran2006]

Lynch.. or Jarrett

[OpIv37]

Immediate help as in FA-- Yes
Round one of the draft?- No.. It makes his draft picks last year look bad then.

that's what I'm saying- I hope Marv makes the right picks for the team instead of the ones that won't make him look bad- that's the kind of garbage TD pulled.

[kernowboy]

Immediate help as in FA-- Yes
Round one of the draft?- No.. It makes his draft picks last year look bad then.

Whitner, Simpson and Williams provided immediate help. None of the picks were busts ... Ellison and Pennington contributed - Youboty, McCargo and Merz all did ok in often limited playing time and retain considerable upside and despite the calls for a RT and his very slow progress, I think Butler with bulk could come good, maybe even moving Pennington to RG

A draft of similar quality in 2007 will leave this fan happy

[evol4276]

i really want lynch.... i hate to say it but its true..

[kernowboy]

Lynch is in danger of getting excessively overhyped due to the acute lack of depth in the RB class this year

[Philagape]

http://www.joancrawfordbest.com/mommie2.jpg

"NO RUNNING BACKS IN THE FIRST ROUND ... EVVEERRRRRRR!!!!"

[LifetimeBillsFan]

IM also still hell bent on Losman getting a better TE than Robert Royal.

There really isn't one in this draft that is that much more athletic than Royal. I think the Bills will probably look for a TE in the mid-to-late rounds, but, most likely, it will be a Cieslak type hard-working, blocker-type. Until the Bills improve their offensive line to the point where they don't have ot keep a TE in to help in pass protection all of the time, I don't think it will matter if they have a better TE or not.

Just look at Daniel Graham: The guy is big, athletic, able to get deep, but his numbers suffered the last couple of years because the Pats chose to keep him in to help out their young offensive linemen. Yes, they threw the ball a lot to Watson, but Watson was not strictly used as a TE--he was often used in two-TE sets or as an H-back in the slot.

With the way the Bills have had to use their TEs to help their offensive line the last couple of years and limited their playbook for much of last season, we really haven't even seen what the TEs that they have can do. Besides which, the passing offense that Fairchild was running with Martz in St.Louis primarily used its TEs as blockers--albeit, with the occasional throw to the TE mixed in--and relied on its WRs to be the primary weapons in the passing game, often in 3- and 4-WR sets. In this offense, an athletic TE with deep speed is something of a luxury and would be wasted until the Bills straighten out their offensive line woes.

[Throne Logic]

It seems as though no TE in the draft would be an improvement over Royal, so what's the point?

I don't believe in drafting an RB in Round One. You can do just as well later in the draft.

We don't need a Round One CB pick. We drafted Youboty for Nate's replacement. He was heralded as a steal. Let's see what we've got.

LB's are available in the latter rounds. Buffalo has done well with the Day Two LB picks.

WR is my bet. I agree with PatMoran in that Jarrett seems to fit the bill, so to speak.

[jamze132]

I hope that we shore everything up through FA so we can have the flexibility to go BPA.

[YardRat]

that's what I'm saying- I hope Marv makes the right picks for the team instead of the ones that won't make him look bad- that's the kind of garbage TD pulled.

I think Marv settled that issue with his first draft choice as a GM.

[jpdex12]

Immediate help as in FA-- Yes
Round one of the draft?- No.. It makes his draft picks last year look bad then.

The TE's in this year's draft just plain SUCK!

[Ron Burgundy]

I like Zach Miller.

I'm curious as to why anybody is interested in Carter from Virginia.

[gonzo1105]

you guys still want Lynch with his sexual assault charge lol

[Tatonka]

i would much rather have bush in round two, personally.

[Talk0fNewYork]

If Jarrett is there at 12, pull the trigger (big target, great hands, makes plays in big games) perfect for our offense, but if not take Lynch.

[Bert102176]

Espn has the drafting him at 12 also and I hope they don't

[Spiderweb]

I'm hoping you're wrong about Levy and just think that way because of Tom Donahoe spending 5 years without ever admitting a mistake. We need help at DT and CB, so if someone is there who can be an immediate contributor, I hope Marv pulls the trigger.

While times may have changed (FA), Levy has said in the past that one's best rookies are last years. I recall Henry Jones riding the pine, but in year two.....I also remember when Reuben Brown became a first year starter, that it was said he was breaking the Levy philosophy....

Trouble is that these days, production is needed quicker, especially when trying to turn a team around (ala...our Bills)...

So this year must have surprised Marv in that we did get production from Whitner and Simpson, and hopefully they'll be much improved this coming year. Also Ellison surprised and played well all things considered. I wasn't as thrilled with Pennington's play at RT, but truth is that he played better at RT than Gandy did at LT so the move proved to make sense.

[kernowboy]

I like Zach Miller.

I'm curious as to why anybody is interested in Carter from Virginia.

Carter is a decent sized NT from Virginia, not the fastest but a fairly effective run stuffer, who is nimble on his feet, can tie up blockers and occasionally get into the backfield. All of these are qualities that Tim Anderson doesn't have ... we need someone to rotate with Kyle at the 1-tackle - personally I'd rather continue with the youth movement

I have previously suggested him as a possible Day1 candidate but he is likely to be around on Day2.

Here's a scouting report you loath

"- Keenan Carter (DT) Virginia: Carter's college career has been plagued by injuries that have severely limited his time on the field. When healthy, the nose tackle is an active and aggressive player who finds his way to the football. If he checks out medically, he could be a steal for someone"

[Ron Burgundy]

Carter is a decent sized NT from Virginia, not the fastest but a fairly effective run stuffer, who is nimble on his feet, can tie up blockers and occasionally get into the backfield. All of these are qualities that Tim Anderson doesn't have ... we need someone to rotate with Kyle at the 1-tackle - personally I'd rather continue with the youth movement

I have previously suggested him as a possible Day1 candidate but he is likely to be around on Day2.

Here's a scouting report you loath

"- Keenan Carter (DT) Virginia: Carter's college career has been plagued by injuries that have severely limited his time on the field. When healthy, the nose tackle is an active and aggressive player who finds his way to the football. If he checks out medically, he could be a steal for someone"


Oh, I know exactly who Keen is. I've met him several times.

I was just curious as to why anyone would want him, and where you were getting your information. It's hard to tell how good he really is because he doesn't play. He has massive issues and he wouldn't even start on our line next year.

[Jeff1220]

While times may have changed (FA), Levy has said in the past that one's best rookies are last years. I recall Henry Jones riding the pine, but in year two.....I also remember when Reuben Brown became a first year starter, that it was said he was breaking the Levy philosophy....

Trouble is that these days, production is needed quicker, especially when trying to turn a team around (ala...our Bills)...

So this year must have surprised Marv in that we did get production from Whitner and Simpson, and hopefully they'll be much improved this coming year. Also Ellison surprised and played well all things considered. I wasn't as thrilled with Pennington's play at RT, but truth is that he played better at RT than Gandy did at LT so the move proved to make sense.

This year was pretty surprising in rookie contributions across the league. I can't remember a year that had as many rookies make an impact as in 2006. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come, with college coaches better preparing their players for the NFL game. It's good to see production from picks immediately when usually the start coming into their own just in time to fly via FA.

[Mahdi]

I like Zach Miller.

I'm curious as to why anybody is interested in Carter from Virginia.
Experts say that Olsen is the best TE to come out of THE U.

[Ron Burgundy]

Experts say that Olsen is the best TE to come out of THE U.

If he is, I haven't seen it. He doesn't have nearly the measurables, or the stats, of a Shockey or Winslow. Maybe he's a way better blocker. But I want a big, fast, receiving-type tight end. If we snag Daniel Graham in FA, though, that'd be just fine.

OT: That's the dumbest nickname in sports, next to THE OSU.