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The Bills' off-season has seen them shed starters across the defense, with star CB Nate Clements, MLB London Fletcher-Baker, and OLB Takeo Spikes all leaving the team. In addition, wantaway halfback Willis McGahee was dealt to
· Top five areas of need:
1. Cornerback: The Bills were third in the league in 2006 at stopping No. 1 wide receivers; they were below-average in stopping every other kind of receiver: No. 2 receivers, slot receivers, tight ends, running backs, H-Backs, tackle-eligibles, ends, flankers, rovers, the whole bunch. Now that Clements is out of the picture, the Bills defensive backs simply need to play better. While they have a young secondary that can be expected to improve some, using their first-round pick on Leon Hall or Darrelle Revis would be a bright idea.
2. Linebacker: The loss of Fletcher-Baker and Spikes leaves the Bills with a gaping hole at two linebacker spots. Considering that the Bills were 29th in the league in stopping the run in 2006, and the Bills defensive line is mostly set in stone as a smallish foursome dedicated to rushing the passer, the linebackers will not only have to match the departed veterans' play, but improve on it. Angelo Crowell started in Spikes' stead in 2005, and there is talk that he might move to the inside, but he's a useful fourth/fifth linebacker being stretched into a starting role. In addition, the move from the outside to the middle is a difficult one that many players struggle with, let alone marginal ones. This is usually where someone from the team will talk about how Crowell's skill set is better suited for the inside, but if his skill set was actually suited for the inside, he'd have been there already.
3. Running back: The reason that running back is third isn't because the need is any less pressing, but instead that it's easier to find one or two cheap running backs who can be close to a successful tandem while frying bigger fish (and dousing them in hot sauce). In truth, the best move would be to grab Dillon for a season or two and get his last 400 carries, which would solidify a very solid offense and allow the Bills to focus their draft resources on the defense.
4. Wide receiver: There's a huge drop-off between the first three needs and this one. While the Bills have a stud receiver in Lee Evans, the lack of talent across from him (Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, and Peerless Price) is not enough to keep double coverage away from him. While Reed and Parrish are speedy receivers who can stretch a defense, the Bills would benefit from having a bulkier target who can keep linebackers from dropping too deep into their zones.
5. Tight end: Speaking of, while Robert Royal was competent in 2006, he'd been one of the worst tight ends in football in 2005. The truth is likely that Royal is somewhere in the middle. Bringing in a tight end to supplant Royal would be a good idea, helping out the Bills' passing attack and with the blocking up front.
· Who they hope falls to them: While there is some research being conducted into the effects of heavy college workloads on backs once they get to the NFL, the Bills would find it tough to pass up Adrian Peterson if he fell to them at 12.
· Who they will have to settle for: "Settle" being a relative term, the Bills could find themselves sitting at the No. 12 spot with Paul Posluszny available. With Posluszny's experience at playing both outside and inside linebacker, he could replace Fletcher-Baker as the heart of the defense and keep Crowell outside, where the Bills are better off.
· Who they may have their eyes on in later rounds: With recent history littered with SEC backs who went onto success after being drafted in the latter stages of the draft (including stars like Rudi Johnson and Stephen Davis as well as starters Justin Griffith, Domanick Davis, Fred Beasley, and Patrick Pass), the Bills might want to take a stab at Florida halfback DeShawn Wynn if he gets to Day 2 of the draft.
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