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The most obvious example is first-round pick Marshawn Lynch. He's as strong as he is elusive, a player who can catch passes out of the backfield and change directions as quickly as a character in a Sega Genesis version of Madden. That being said, many pre-draft words were spoken arguing that Lynch wasn't going to be enough of an impact player to justify his high selection. What that analysis ignored is that, for a roster that is bankrupt of running backs, Lynch provides a tremendous value. Taking the best rusher when your current top guy is Anthony Thomas is a much wiser plan than adding a guy at a position at which the Bills were stocked just because some geek draftniks rated the hypothetical other player higher.
The same can be said of second-rounder Paul Posluszny, who will hopefully baffle offensive coordinators in the same way his name baffles spell checkers. It's a case where they not only got a steal of a pick but also lowered the collective blood pressure of Bills fans who noticed the team didn't quite have enough starting linebackers. Filling an immediate need with a guy who became a starter the moment his name was called is much better than it would have been adding a flashy guy at a redundant position: They could have chosen, say, ex-USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett -- who was still unselected -- and the fact that this would have been lunacy wouldn't have stopped the franchise's previous G.M., Tom Donahoe, from opting for the skill player.
For Bills fans, it has to be a different and refreshing change of approach from the way Donahoe handled the draft, namely the way he often grabbed the alleged best player still on the board in lieu of adding someone the Bills could have, you know, used. The epitome of the Donahoe era was taking Willis McGahee; of the several dozen reasons why this was a bad idea, the core problem was that they already had their starting running back in Travis Henry. Choosing McGahee was like buying a second radio for a car that didn't have tires.
The same can be said of second-rounder Paul Posluszny, who will hopefully baffle offensive coordinators in the same way his name baffles spell checkers. It's a case where they not only got a steal of a pick but also lowered the collective blood pressure of Bills fans who noticed the team didn't quite have enough starting linebackers. Filling an immediate need with a guy who became a starter the moment his name was called is much better than it would have been adding a flashy guy at a redundant position: They could have chosen, say, ex-USC receiver Dwayne Jarrett -- who was still unselected -- and the fact that this would have been lunacy wouldn't have stopped the franchise's previous G.M., Tom Donahoe, from opting for the skill player.
For Bills fans, it has to be a different and refreshing change of approach from the way Donahoe handled the draft, namely the way he often grabbed the alleged best player still on the board in lieu of adding someone the Bills could have, you know, used. The epitome of the Donahoe era was taking Willis McGahee; of the several dozen reasons why this was a bad idea, the core problem was that they already had their starting running back in Travis Henry. Choosing McGahee was like buying a second radio for a car that didn't have tires.
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