http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/2007/03/bills-draft-wasgood210307.html
"It would be hard to find a team with a better top to bottom draft last year than the <ACRONYM title="Buffalo Bills News">Buffalo Bills</ACRONYM>."
All props to Marv and OBD. The one beef I have with this article is the biggest bust comment at the end, but at least they had the so far there to cover their collective buts. Still, wouldn't McCargo be the name that belongs in that spot?
I'm not sure that any of the Bills picks last season has proven to be a "bust" just yet. Three of the four draft picks who did not contribute significantly (McCargo, Youboty and Butler) suffered setbacks that were really not of their own making, two of them resulting from injuries and the other from the death of his mother.
Considering that McCargo was beginning to come on and had nearly equal numbers to those logged by Ngata (and better than those of Bunkley) at the time of his injury and that his season was prematurely cut short by an injury, I'm not sure that it is entirely fair to label him as a "bust". I would give McCargo an 'incomplete" for the season much in the same way that I would give Butler, who was also hampered by a slow-healing shoulder surgery in the off-season, an "incomplete" as well. Of course, both of these players must now bounce back from their injuries and begin to make contributions to the team to avoid meriting the "bust" label, but I think it would be premature to apply it after only one season.
As for Youboty, it would similarly be unfair to characterize such a young man who not only lost his mother, but was suddenly thrust into the role of being the head of his family, arranging funerals for her on two continents, and assuming the role of caretaker for his younger brother and sister as being a "bust" because he was unable to make much of a contribution to the team at the same time. However, like McCargo and Butler, Youboty, having lost that time and having failed to earn significant playing time after returning from Africa, now has a lot to prove if he, too, is to avoid being tagged with the "bust" label. And, perhaps, he, more than McCargo and Butler, is under more pressure to perform well this season because he is being expected to replace the departed Nate Clements as the Bills starting CB, a position where a young player's mistakes are magnified because they are a lot easier for fans to see.
I agree with the basic premise of the article that the Bills had an excellent draft last year, but I don't think it was necessary or, given the circumstances involved, warranted for the author to label any of the players who did not contribute significantly last year as a "bust" just yet. There have been some fine players over the years who, for various reasons (often as a result of injuries, but not always), did not contribute much to their teams their first and sometimes even second season(s) in the league who went on to have superb Pro Bowl laden and even HOF careers. I'm not saying that that will necessarily be the case with McCargo, Youboty and/or Butler, but I am saying that it is still far too early to say that it won't be, either.