Bills make strange picks on second day

[Don't Panic]

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/SPORTS03/704300330


Both Levy and coach Dick Jauron defended the selection of Edwards. They said the Bills were going to pick a quarterback sometime in the draft, probably on the second day, but when Edwards was still there in the third round, they claimed it was a no-brainer.

Still, with J.P. Losman their admitted No. 1 guy, it was a mystery why providing competition for backup Craig Nall was a priority, especially when they go into the season staring at the possibility that Kiwaukee Thomas, Ashton Youboty or Jabari Greer will be one of their starting cornerbacks.

They definitely filled the need at running back with Lynch, and added to the position with the selection of Wright, though, again, with Anthony Thomas set as the backup, it was uncertain why they needed a running back at this stage of the draft.


I have no problem with the talent level of either of these players, but I have to agrere that we overlooked a pretty big concern position with a lot of guys left on the board at CB. I guess they really feel like Youboty is ready to come in and get the job done. Its funny, I was praying we wouldn't draft a CB in the 1st, but I had no idea we wouldn't draft one altogether!

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I think they believe that either Youboty or Bassey will really step up this year. Youboty was drafted last year in anticipation of losing Clements and was intended to be his replacement. At some point, they have to put him out on the field and find out if he can do that--you don't draft a guy to replace another guy and then bring in someone else even less experienced to replace the guy who was leaving.... Now, that would be stupid.

Now, if the guy that you drafted to replace the guy who is leaving ultimately can't get the job done when you put him on the field, then, you'd like to have someone else that you can put out there instead. The Bills have a guy who is just as big and fast as anyone that they could have drafted at those spots in the draft. I haven't seen him practice or play, but Levy and the coaches have and they may have decided that the guy that they have won't be any worse (or might even be better) than the guys that they could have drafted in Rounds 3 and 4. I know that they aren't stupid men, so I have to believe that they know more about the player that they have than I do and that they are sensible enough to have made a rational decision when they decided to draft the guys at the positions that they drafted rather than take a CB when they could have.

As I have explained in another thread, everyone seems to forget that the Bills picked up a very raw, but very athletically gifted CB last year named Eric Bassey and put him on their practice squad. After seeing Bassey work for them for a year, Levy and Jauron and the defensive coaches just may feel that they could not have drafted any rookie with more to offer the team than they already have in Bassey. If that is the case, then, it would make sense that they would not see drafting a back-up CB in the 3rd or 4th Round as being as much of a priority as some of us (myself included, BTW!) did.

But, of course, a lot of people, even Bills fans, don't know a thing about Eric Bassey or that he is even on the Bills' roster. And, many more, seem to feel that only players who've been drafted on Day One of the draft can ever become good football players, let alone starters in the NFL. Now, I don't know if Bassey can play well enough to fill the need that the Bills have, but I have to believe that Marv Levy and Dick Jauron, being intelligent men who know what Bassey's abilities and development are like, would not have let what appeared to be such an obvious need for the team go unaddressed in the draft without a reason. And, that reason could only be that they know something about Youboty and Bassey that we don't......

[Dr. Lecter]

Why do people think they need to draft a CB in the 3rd round to start because last year's 3rd round pick is not ready?

The thought pattern is illogical.

[CSFAN]

Why do people think they need to draft a CB in the 3rd round to start because last year's 3rd round pick is not ready?

The thought pattern is illogical.

What a great way to put that....how true!

I feel better already...

[Jan Reimers]

Why do people think they need to draft a CB in the 3rd round to start because last year's 3rd round pick is not ready?

The thought pattern is illogical.
Thanks, Doc. I think people feel that Youboty is a washout because he didn't play much last year. The truth is, he was somewhat inexperienced coming out to begin with, then missed a lot of preseason due to the OSU exam schedule and his mother's death. We also had 2 veterans starting in front of him.

He still has the same skill set as he had last year when he was thought by many to be a low first round pick. With a season under his belt, and the full preseason coming up, I see no reason why he won't be ready.

[HHURRICANE]

I think they believe that either Youboty or Bassey will really step up this year. Youboty was drafted last year in anticipation of losing Clements and was intended to be his replacement. At some point, they have to put him out on the field and find out if he can do that--you don't draft a guy to replace another guy and then bring in someone else even less experienced to replace the guy who was leaving.... Now, that would be stupid.

Somebody gets it!!

[Don't Panic]

Why do people think they need to draft a CB in the 3rd round to start because last year's 3rd round pick is not ready?

The thought pattern is illogical.

I don't really see it as start/not start but as "this is an area where we could use some help, so let's try to bring some people in here to compete." Bassey sounds great, as do Youboty, Greer and Thomas. But none of these guys has proven that they can handle the laod. This is why a guy like Brian David would have made a lot of sense... he have a lot of youth, some veteran help would add a nice balance. I guess they figured that since they already have a lot of youth, adding more would be a bad direction to take. Let's just hope the guys they did pick end up being solid contributers... especially Wright.

[ShadowHawk7]

How can Wright be a contributor when he'll be behind Lynch and Thomas, AT BEST?

It's just unsettling to hear straight from Marv that we were considering Revis round 1 (in top 3), and that we indeed had a need there, but we neglected it the entire draft.

Instead we got a backup QB, 3rd string RB, backup H-back/FB/TE/Benchwarmer, and a 5th string DE. I just don't understand.

[mysticsoto]

How can Wright be a contributor when he'll be behind Lynch and Thomas, AT BEST?

It's just unsettling to hear straight from Marv that we were considering Revis round 1 (in top 3), and that we indeed had a need there, but we neglected it the entire draft.

Instead we got a backup QB, 3rd string RB, backup H-back/FB/TE/Benchwarmer, and a 5th string DE. I just don't understand.

I think the idea is that they see Wright behind Lynch in the future. If he's not this year, then next year he will be as A-train gets older, slower and gets knocked out of 2nd string.

I'm disappointed b'cse I think next year we could have obtained a high prospect in a lower round. It appears that Marv and company are not considering what strengths next year's draft may have. Marv himself said he doesn't pay attention to next year b'cse things can change with injuries, next year production, etc.

I still don't like the pick myself, personally. I'm just saying, that appears to be the logic that they followed...

Were I GM, I would have rathered Zak DeOssie at that point. He is huge and pretty fast for his size and would make a great future MLB. At the very least, he could backup and provide good depth!

[feelthepain]

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/SPORTS03/704300330



I have no problem with the talent level of either of these players, but I have to agrere that we overlooked a pretty big concern position with a lot of guys left on the board at CB. I guess they really feel like Youboty is ready to come in and get the job done. Its funny, I was praying we wouldn't draft a CB in the 1st, but I had no idea we wouldn't draft one altogether!

I think Edwards was an excellent pick for the Bills. This pick will force JP to be a better player.

[Don't Panic]

I think Edwards was an excellent pick for the Bills. This pick will force JP to be a better player.

I think he could turn out (2-3 years) to be a really solid pick. I don't quite understand how anyone could think he will compete with JP (If we wanted to go in that direction we could have taken Quinn... or is Edwards better than Quinn??), but it is a great luxury to be able to have a couple of years to learn the pro game before ever having to prove yourself on the field. JP now has a nice window to fully establish himself as our franchise QB for the decade. If he does, we have a solid backup and trade value (a la Schaubb); if he doesn't, we have a guy who knows the system/team/coaches (assuming they're still here!) who can step right in.

[gr8slayer]

I would have been extremely pissed off if Marv decided to draft a CB early. He and Jauron know that you don't need greatness from the CB spot.

[Don't Panic]

I would have been extremely pissed off if Marv decided to draft a CB early. He and Jauron know that you don't need greatness from the CB spot.

Very true. Too bad there wasn't someone they liked in picks 3-7 though. Hopefully one of the two UDFA will pan out for depth.

[gr8slayer]

Very true. Too bad there wasn't someone they liked in picks 3-7 though. Hopefully one of the two UDFA will pan out for depth.
We're doing fine depth wise.

Greer, Thomas, McGee, Youboty, and you know they aren't done signing people, and the June cuts haven't happened yet so I'm really not that worried about it.

If we were playing more man up I would be freaking out right now but were not, we are a Zone Defense.

[gr8slayer]

I think Edwards was an excellent pick for the Bills. This pick will force JP to be a better player.
Losman has no pressure on him from Edwards or Nall, it's his job to lose.

I think it will be great to watch Edwards and Nall go at it for #2 though.

The biggest reason I like the Edwards pick is not so much as an insurance policy but because I can see him working out kind of like Shaub did for ATL. Give it a year or two, let someone's QB go down for the year and then ship him off for more than he's worth like they did with Shaub.

[Don't Panic]

We're doing fine depth wise.

Greer, Thomas, McGee, Youboty, and you know they aren't done signing people, and the June cuts haven't happened yet so I'm really not that worried about it.

If we were playing more man up I would be freaking out right now but were not, we are a Zone Defense.

Once again, good point. As I said earlier, they must feel Youboty is ready to step in and start.

[Meathead]

i hate to say it the another difficult reality of todays nfl is sometimes you cant hold onto your own studs forever and/or all at the same time. if for example losman evans pos and lynch were all to become elite players in three or four years its likely youre faced with a choice of which one(s) to let walk. if edwards is ready by then he will still be relatively cheap and give the bills more options to work with