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Foxsports: AFC East offseason review
The Answer disagrees with this assement, especially in regards to Lynch and POZ....
Buffalo Bills
Draft Review
Let's rewind. The Bills drafted Willis McGahee with their first-round pick in 2003, right after giving Travis Henry a big extension. Without any leverage, the Bills held onto Henry for an unhappy season before dealing him to Tennessee for a third-round pick. McGahee lasted till this season, at which point he was unhappy and requested a move. The Bills traded him for two third-rounders and a seventh-rounder. Finally, the Bills used their first-rounder this year on a running back, California's Marshawn Lynch, and he might be the worst of the three. When you consider that only eight of the 20 top backs in football according to our 2006 DPAR stats were first-round selections, you'll understand why there is hesitance to approve of Buffalo's pick.
Lynch is a relatively safe bet as far as running backs go; he's an intelligent, agile runner who doesn't have to come off the field on passing downs. While he ran a 4.47 40, it's a combine time not matched by his actual speed in pads. He'll be better than Anthony Thomas, but he's not a big-play back by any means. The Bills would have been better off trading down and drafting an offensive lineman, or drafting cornerback Leon Hall to replace Nate Clements. Instead, Buffalo plugged more resources into a position they've yet to fill optimally.
Their second-round pick was a much better one. They traded one of the third-rounders from the McGahee deal to move up and draft Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, an intelligent, instinctual linebacker who showed the ability to play in the middle toward the end of his final year at school. If his skills there are as good as reported, he will be the starter from day one, moving Angelo Crowell to the outside, where he's better suited. Or, as Crowell said on Sirius NFL Radio, "... I would kind of prefer to play on the outside just because that's what I'm used to." While Crowell will need to improve his coverage skills in 2007, he can take lessons from Keith Ellison, who will be on the other side of Posluszny and was superb in his zone coverage.
Remaining Needs Getting Lynch pushes the Bills out of any Michael Turner discussions. Defensive tackle Darwin Walker wants a new contract and is going to hold out until he gets one; if John McCargo looks good in his return from injury, the Bills might be more hesitant to actually give Walker what he wants, although it seems silly to trade Takeo Spikes for a guy who doesn't show up. Depth at cornerback and a starting wide receiver remain on the Bills' to-do list; the only receiver left on the market of any substance is former 49ers wideout Antonio Bryant, who would likely be available at a bargain-basement price. Quick, before the Patriots notice!
Undrafted Free Agents Florida wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius should really make the team over Peerless Price; Cornelius is small (5-foot-10), but he's a football player with great instincts and legitimate speed who will be a useful special teams guy somewhere. He might have a career similar to ... "
~The Answer
Buffalo Bills
Draft Review
Let's rewind. The Bills drafted Willis McGahee with their first-round pick in 2003, right after giving Travis Henry a big extension. Without any leverage, the Bills held onto Henry for an unhappy season before dealing him to Tennessee for a third-round pick. McGahee lasted till this season, at which point he was unhappy and requested a move. The Bills traded him for two third-rounders and a seventh-rounder. Finally, the Bills used their first-rounder this year on a running back, California's Marshawn Lynch, and he might be the worst of the three. When you consider that only eight of the 20 top backs in football according to our 2006 DPAR stats were first-round selections, you'll understand why there is hesitance to approve of Buffalo's pick.
Lynch is a relatively safe bet as far as running backs go; he's an intelligent, agile runner who doesn't have to come off the field on passing downs. While he ran a 4.47 40, it's a combine time not matched by his actual speed in pads. He'll be better than Anthony Thomas, but he's not a big-play back by any means. The Bills would have been better off trading down and drafting an offensive lineman, or drafting cornerback Leon Hall to replace Nate Clements. Instead, Buffalo plugged more resources into a position they've yet to fill optimally.
Their second-round pick was a much better one. They traded one of the third-rounders from the McGahee deal to move up and draft Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny, an intelligent, instinctual linebacker who showed the ability to play in the middle toward the end of his final year at school. If his skills there are as good as reported, he will be the starter from day one, moving Angelo Crowell to the outside, where he's better suited. Or, as Crowell said on Sirius NFL Radio, "... I would kind of prefer to play on the outside just because that's what I'm used to." While Crowell will need to improve his coverage skills in 2007, he can take lessons from Keith Ellison, who will be on the other side of Posluszny and was superb in his zone coverage.
Remaining Needs Getting Lynch pushes the Bills out of any Michael Turner discussions. Defensive tackle Darwin Walker wants a new contract and is going to hold out until he gets one; if John McCargo looks good in his return from injury, the Bills might be more hesitant to actually give Walker what he wants, although it seems silly to trade Takeo Spikes for a guy who doesn't show up. Depth at cornerback and a starting wide receiver remain on the Bills' to-do list; the only receiver left on the market of any substance is former 49ers wideout Antonio Bryant, who would likely be available at a bargain-basement price. Quick, before the Patriots notice!
Undrafted Free Agents Florida wide receiver Jemalle Cornelius should really make the team over Peerless Price; Cornelius is small (5-foot-10), but he's a football player with great instincts and legitimate speed who will be a useful special teams guy somewhere. He might have a career similar to ... "
~The Answer
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