Drafting a DE In RD 1

[Bmax]

Brainer....With the Bills only getting 26 sacks .. Schobel having a subpar year.... Kelsey a avg pass rusher .. and Denney banged up.. I guess they could get a free agent cheap .. Then again look at how much money Justin Tuck got from the Giants ...10 sacks and 30 mill with a 16 mill signing bonus...

I'd rather draft Gholston and pay him a rookie Contract..With Denney contract dumped next year.. the Bills could be in better shape with a better player...


Bmax

[YardRat]

I think the DE's will be better with a much-more needed upgrade at DT and LB.

[Owen DeBoard]

I think the DE's will be better with a much-more needed upgrade at DT and LB.
Good post. Its not hard to figure out that our DT are terrible. That is the biggest need on defense.

[Bmax]

I agree If Dorsey or Ellis last to 11 the Bills would take them in a heartbeat...that 's very unlikely.. Dorsey no way Ellis slight chance....Sure we could wait to rd 2 or 3 and get a De .. Big drop off in talent....

I think we can get a DT in FA or RD 3 or 4- Rubin -Iowa St.

Gholston may not even be available at 11....It all depends. Sure OLB is a bigger need .. But I don't Think Rivers or Connor or any other LB in the draft is a good selection at 11....Rey M. from USC was a guy who was worthy of that high a pick... It's still early but i don't see any OLB or DT prospects moving up that high.

Kelly could climb into the top 15 with a great combine. The DE position has top prospects that could be there for the picking at 11 ...Harvey and Gholston The combine and workouts will tell us where we sit at 11 and what positions and players are worthy of the 11 pick.


Bmax

[kernowboy]

Whilst I've heard some decent things about Gholston I've also heard some negatives such as he can be easily taken out of the game. Sneior veterans will find this easier to do than college guys no matter how talented they are.

With so much invested in the DEs we currently have and with a poor interior I'd rather look to cut a DT to make space.

At the moment we have McCargo, Williams, Triplett, and Jefferson. Jefferson is just to make up the numbers and Triplett has done nothing.

In FA there is Randy Starks and Albert Haynesworth and thats about it.

Drafting Pat Sims and Dre Moore would make our interior a whole lot healthier.

I'm not so concerned at LB as a decent DT rotation will help out. I think Crowell-Poz-Ellison are potentially above average with DiGiorgio and Wire providing reasonable depth but if we can snap up Teddly Lehman for the SLB and move Angelo over to the other wing, we'll have one of the top corps in the league.

But we must have DTs who can keep blockers off this unit

[Night Train]

Help at either DE or DT is a must, if we ever expect to stop the run and compete with the upper tier teams. You can't put it all on the LB's.

That and a tweek to a failing Defensive scheme.

[patmoran2006]

While getting a DE should be a priority, I doubt it will be. You gotta remember how much money we have invested in Kelsay and Schobel already, so that rules out an impact FA.

The best shot at getting a good DE in my opinion is via the draft, maybe in round three using one of our two picks on one who can develop.

[HHURRICANE]

DE should now be our #1 pick with Hargrove gone.

[TacklingDummy]

DE should now be our #1 pick with Hargrove gone.

Why? Hargrove wasn't first round talent and could be replaced through Free Agency easily.

DT or WR is the Bills #1 need.

[Jan Reimers]

I still think WR and DT are bigger needs, but I agree that we need a DE early, too. Hargrove's situation makes it even more important.

[Jan Reimers]

Why? Hargrove wasn't first round talent and could be replaced through Free Agency easily.

DT or WR is the Bills #1 need.
It's scary, TD, you and I are starting to think alike.

[HHURRICANE]

Why? Hargrove wasn't first round talent and could be replaced through Free Agency easily.

DT or WR is the Bills #1 need.

Simple. You have 3 DEs right now. Denny, Kelsay, and Schobel with most of us agreeing that this is not a dominant group.

I agree that WR is huge but I actually put DT behind DE.

[Yasgur's Farm]

I've changed my mock because of Hargrove... And because I truely believe Schobel would make a better pass rushing OLB than DE at 242 pounds.

1- DE Calais Campbell
2- TE Fred Davis
3a- WR Adarius Bowman
3b- CB Charles Godfrey
4- DT Frank Okam
5a- DE Chris Harrington
5b- C Jamey Richard
6- ILB Ben Moffitt
7a- OG Shannon Tevage
7b- OT Breno Giacomini

[Wys Guy]

Brainer....With the Bills only getting 26 sacks .. Schobel having a subpar year.... Kelsey a avg pass rusher .. and Denney banged up.. I guess they could get a free agent cheap .. Then again look at how much money Justin Tuck got from the Giants ...10 sacks and 30 mill with a 16 mill signing bonus...

I'd rather draft Gholston and pay him a rookie Contract..With Denney contract dumped next year.. the Bills could be in better shape with a better player...


Bmax

Another smart contract extension by the Bills for Schobel who's 31 next season, eh.

LOL (in futile disgust)

[raphael120]

If we throw the money we did at Schobel and Kelsay and draft another DE in round 1 (which will also command a large amount of money) I will disown this team for sheer stupidity of the FO.

You screwed the pooch by locking up Kelsay and Schobel with big money, and the Bills have to eat that decision for right now. We have other glaring needs that require a first round pick and it's not a DE. DT, ok, but not DE.

At least the Sabres locked up a young talent in Vanek and he's only 21 and he may be a stud later on, but we signed old dudes to big money that have probably already seen and passed their prime. Both teams screwed up, but at least Vanek has a chance to blossom into a big talent.

[YardRat]

I'm not so concerned at LB as a decent DT rotation will help out. I think Crowell-Poz-Ellison are potentially above average with DiGiorgio and Wire providing reasonable depth but if we can snap up Teddly Lehman for the SLB and move Angelo over to the other wing, we'll have one of the top corps in the league.

But we must have DTs who can keep blockers off this unit

Any starting three with Ellison in it has no potential for above-average. He's the first that needs to be replaced.

[X-Era]

Brainer....With the Bills only getting 26 sacks .. Schobel having a subpar year.... Kelsey a avg pass rusher .. and Denney banged up.. I guess they could get a free agent cheap .. Then again look at how much money Justin Tuck got from the Giants ...10 sacks and 30 mill with a 16 mill signing bonus...

I'd rather draft Gholston and pay him a rookie Contract..With Denney contract dumped next year.. the Bills could be in better shape with a better player...


Bmax

Im a fan of Calais Campbell who will go higher but I honestly believe that Gholston will be the better player and will be a great player in the nfl!

[X-Era]

Whilst I've heard some decent things about Gholston I've also heard some negatives such as he can be easily taken out of the game. Sneior veterans will find this easier to do than college guys no matter how talented they are.

With so much invested in the DEs we currently have and with a poor interior I'd rather look to cut a DT to make space.

At the moment we have McCargo, Williams, Triplett, and Jefferson. Jefferson is just to make up the numbers and Triplett has done nothing.

In FA there is Randy Starks and Albert Haynesworth and thats about it.

Drafting Pat Sims and Dre Moore would make our interior a whole lot healthier.

I'm not so concerned at LB as a decent DT rotation will help out. I think Crowell-Poz-Ellison are potentially above average with DiGiorgio and Wire providing reasonable depth but if we can snap up Teddly Lehman for the SLB and move Angelo over to the other wing, we'll have one of the top corps in the league.

But we must have DTs who can keep blockers off this unit
Gholston is a freak of nature as far as his measurables go, I just dont see that he can be taken out of games easily if at all. If anything Calais Campbell is more likely to get blown up due to his extreme height (lower man wins) giving up leverage.

No, Gholston is a better prospect than Will Smith was and will be a great player IMO.

Dont agree that our LB's arent a problem. They are. They were beat WAY to often and did little as far as sacks. I think our 3rd down stats should be blamed mostly on the LB's considering the yards gained were mostly in the 5-15 yard range (thats their area).

Agree that DT is a need. The problem is what and when. Any draftee needs to be better than our best DT or they are just more rotation players. If you want an upgrade then get a true upgrade not just another face. Personally I like our young guys Williams and McCargo are both very solid. Tripplett has been a bust IMO but is solid. I want a game changer type, I just dont see that unless we get Dorsey and that aint happening. I think were likely to add a name or two but nothing earth shattering.

Heres a blurb on Gholston:

End is sculpting his NFL potential
Jason Lloyd Journal Register News Service
11/15/2007
Gholston, he of chiseled body, is on fast track to pros

COLUMBUS - It might be difficult for some Michigan players to cross the southern border and play for Ohio State, but not Vernon Gholston. After all, Gholston didn't know much about football at all until his sophomore year of high school.

Ohio State recruited Gholston out of Cass Technical High School in inner-city Detroit. His body is so sculpted, it looks like he's been working on it his entire life for this opportunity. Truth is, his high school coach, former Michigan player Thomas Wilcher, began recruiting him out of the school hallway during his freshman year.
"He saw me walking in the hall and thought I was a parent or somebody just visiting the school," Gholston said. "I told him, 'No, I go here.' It was a shock to him."

Gholston has evolved into one of the top defensive ends in the country. Gholston's four sacks two weeks ago against Wisconsin vaulted him to third in the Big Ten with 10 sacks for the year. With a bench press of 475 pounds, he is probably the strongest player on the team.
"He looks like a bodybuilder and he runs like a sprinter," said right tackle Kirk Barton, who has seen plenty of Gholston in practice. "That's why he gives so many tackles trouble. He has two really good moves that are hard to block no matter who you are. ... He's so strong that if you try and put an arm on him, he might break your arm chopping it down."

Mel Kiper Jr. has called Gholston a first-round possibility if he skips his senior year and heads to the NFL. That is becoming more of a possibility with each passing day, although Gholston isn't ready to talk about his future beyond this year. "You feel honored guys think you can play at the next level," he said. "But for the most part, my head is here."

The fact Gholston is here at all is an amazing tale of a diamond in the rough. As a freshman, when Wilcher first spotted him, Gholston said he was about 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. He became fascinated with bodybuilding and working out before he was a teenager, buying fitness magazines and working out in his basement. His only weights were a few 6-pound dumbbells, so he just did pushups, pull-ups and dips.
"I was pretty big. I had my cut-up arms back then," he said.

Gholston's first season of football was his sophomore year of high school. Back then, dreams of a college scholarship or pro career seemed far-fetched - he barely knew what his responsibilities were as an offensive lineman and a defensive end.
"My first practice, I'd never really watched football or been around it, so I didn't even know what the positions were or where people were supposed to go," he said. "It was a big blur of people in my way when I first started."
It didn't take him long to catch on. By the end of that year, Gholston had pushed around enough people to catch the eye of college scouts. It didn't take long for Ohio State to offer, as well as Michigan. Jim Tressel's first recollection of Gholston came during a youth camp.
"For his size, his explosion and his movement, it was a no-brainer," Tressel said. "There was no doubt about it athletically, plus he's a humble, respectful kid and he's bright. He brought all the things to the table with that great athletic ability, and I think he'll do nothing but get better.
"I think he's going to be a steal down the road for the next level."

Gholston is one of three Michigan natives on Ohio State's roster, joining sophomore defensive back Aaron Gant and freshman receiver Taurean Washington. Gant's biggest role comes on special teams, while Washington played early, but has fallen out of the rotation as the rest of the receivers got healthy.

That leaves Gholston, who will be paired at times with Michigan's standout left tackle Jake Long.
Gholston said Michigan offered him a scholarship, but he fell in love with Ohio State and Tressel. Perhaps it's because of his hulking size, but he said friends and family don't give him a hard time about choosing Ohio State over Michigan.
"Everybody's happy for me," Gholston said. "I'm one of the first guys to actually get a chance to go to college from my family. That was a big factor in itself. Playing football at a big-time school was also big.
"It was more of me going to a school that was great for me. Ohio State was it. My attitude is with Ohio State, and I bleed scarlet and gray now."

[mysticsoto]

Im a fan of Calais Campbell who will go higher but I honestly believe that Gholston will be the better player and will be a great player in the nfl!

Does anyone know if Calais has played DT also? I wonder if he could become another Adam Carriker? At that height, he certainly seems better suited to DT than DE and he can certainly put on alot more weight...

I'm also a little worried on whether the Jets might be interested in Gholston. If they grab him, we have no choice but to move up for Ellis, or just grab a top WR...