Which is our most important position to consider in the first round?

[jpdex12]

We could end up with the #1 WR (Kelly), but WR's usually take at least one year to acclimate. Most likely wouldn't pay off until year 2.

We could end up with the #1 OLB (Rivers), but OLB is not our most glaring need on defense.

We could end up with the #1 TE (Davis), but we could get as good if not better all around talent in the 2nd RD at TE with Carlson.

We could end up with the #4 DE (Campbell), we will not have a #3 DE for our rotation because Hargrove is gone so we NEED a formidable DE from FA or high in the draft.

We could end up with the #3 DT (Balmer), in my opinion not worth this pick and we could do better with our 1st RD pick.

We could end up with the # CB (Talib), we don't need a shut down corner in the 1st RD for a cover 2 defense.

I'd say if we are looking to get the most bang for our buck and if we are trying to build from the draft and find another day 1 starter then we either have to grab Kelly-WR or Rivers-OLB at #11. I STRONGLY believe that we need to solidify the TE position and not with another average TE from FA or the draft. Go get Carlson in round 2.

If we can fill a few positions via FA...Wilford/Johnson at WR and Starks/Williams at DT then we can go after Rivers in round 1, Carlson in round 2, Caldwell in round 3a, Lawrence Jackson in round 3b and Terrell THomas in round 4. FA could be crucial for us in order to get to the level that we need to be for the playoffs this year.

[Bmax]

Te in rd one would be a mistake...DAVIS NOT WORTH THE 11 PICK.....


Merling DE from Clemson could be an option......Combine work out will tell the story...


Bmax

[The Jokeman]

To me the draft is about building depth/collecting the best talent so you don't necessarily always need to draft for need. Therefore if a talent like Rivers is available you take him in part because we need help at one of our outside LB spots and Angelo Crowell is due to become an UFA in a year or two and something have to factor. I'm not sold there i s any TE worth taking in Round 1, don't feel Balmer being a guy would want at DT. Campbell is high on my list either. I could see taking a CB but like Jenkins better as not sold on McGee or Greer.

[PECKERWOOD]

I want us to trade down and grab a guy like Early Doucet or Reggie Smith.

[gr8slayer]

We've got to do something to upgrade our porous defense. I suggest starting where it all starts and looking at DT's and DE's.

[kernowboy]

Looking at the scenarios both the Bears and the Vikings are possibly looking for a QB. Both might be prepared to surrender a R2, to make sure they nab Brohm or Ryan.

Trading down to 17 would still allow us to grab Dan Connor or go for someone who is climbing fast like Pat Sims of Auburn. Either would be a significant upgrade over Ellison or Triplett.

Into R2 and armed with 2 picks, we could either draft a DT like Dre Moore or a LB like Erin Henderson. With the extra pick I would hope our big receiver in the form of Adarius Bowman is still there

I think Carlson will be available in R3 as TE seems to be a position where there is much of a muchness and it will fall to individual preference. I think he is a better long term bet than Davis

I would also hope we might give serious consideration to Justin King, who is a deep CB class would be a steal

if Crowell does leave we can always go after Sean Lee, and if we've drafted Connor this year then we'll have a Nittany Lions Corps .. stranger things have happened.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

I always like to draft the best player available in regards to your needs. Right now this team has room for improvement on both sides.

[Jan Reimers]

WR, DT and DE are my first round priorities. We need desperately to open up the offence with a big, rangy 2nd WR, and to stop the run and pressure the opposing QB -both of which start on the D line.

[DraftBoy]

Im more worried about rounds 3-7 to be perfectly honest

[gr8slayer]

Im more worried about rounds 3-7 to be perfectly honest
That's where drafts are won and lost.

[DraftBoy]

That's where drafts are won and lost.


Yep and we badly need to win this one

[kernowboy]

Agreed

In Marv's first draft Day2 was excellent bringing in Simpson, Williams, Butler, Ellison, Pennington and Merz. All have started games, 5 are still on the roster and I still think its a shame we didn't hang on to Pennington

In 2007, it was abysmal. Wright, Wendling, Schouman and Ah You the last selection was a disgrace. It would not surprise me are on the roster come the start of the 2008 season (Ah You didn't make it out of training camp) though I think we need to have a look at Wendling.

With Day2 starting with R3, I would be disappointed if we could not find at least two starters amongst our 8 current picks and I am however this could be as many as 4.

[X-Era]

We could end up with the #1 WR (Kelly), but WR's usually take at least one year to acclimate. Most likely wouldn't pay off until year 2.

We could end up with the #1 OLB (Rivers), but OLB is not our most glaring need on defense.

We could end up with the #1 TE (Davis), but we could get as good if not better all around talent in the 2nd RD at TE with Carlson.

We could end up with the #4 DE (Campbell), we will not have a #3 DE for our rotation because Hargrove is gone so we NEED a formidable DE from FA or high in the draft.

We could end up with the #3 DT (Balmer), in my opinion not worth this pick and we could do better with our 1st RD pick.

We could end up with the # CB (Talib), we don't need a shut down corner in the 1st RD for a cover 2 defense.

I'd say if we are looking to get the most bang for our buck and if we are trying to build from the draft and find another day 1 starter then we either have to grab Kelly-WR or Rivers-OLB at #11. I STRONGLY believe that we need to solidify the TE position and not with another average TE from FA or the draft. Go get Carlson in round 2.

If we can fill a few positions via FA...Wilford/Johnson at WR and Starks/Williams at DT then we can go after Rivers in round 1, Carlson in round 2, Caldwell in round 3a, Lawrence Jackson in round 3b and Terrell THomas in round 4. FA could be crucial for us in order to get to the level that we need to be for the playoffs this year.

To me, LB is in fact our most glaring need.

Our defense was pretty bad last year. But we do have things to build on. Kyle Williams and McCargo are both solid players. Jabari Greer earned himself a starting spot IMO. McGee is solid. Whitner is a very good player. Simpson was good before the injury. I think the secondary is fine. DE could use a bit of help because Schobel is starter material and Kelsay is OK in a rotation but Denney isnt good enough and we still need one more.

At LB, we have Crowell as a solid player, and Pos who looks decent but is still unproven. Thats it. Ellison isnt good enough IMO.

So, I can see us needing an upgrade at OLB, and then rotational DE and DT types.

Thats based on need. But its not the final answer. The truth is that if you can upgrade at non-need positions sometimes you do it to make your team better. Thats why CB should be on the table. Neither McGee or Greer are stars and we face star WR's.

On O we can use more playmakers plain and simple. Evans is coming into a contract year and our #2 WR hasnt been good enough since Evans filled it.

We still dont have a great TE either.

[bigbub2352]

i think we go Rivers in the 1st round, i think we go Sweed at WR in the second or a big WR, Carlson TE in the 3rd or Bennett, and go best DT with size available with the other 3rd, We come out of the draft on day one like that i am very happy

[ddaryl]

Defensive Line is my choice. We need to upgrade the DT position and I wouldn't mind a stud DE either.

I wouldn't mind a LB either if that is the top player rated when we pick.

A bonafide 2nd WR would also be nice, but we have to stop the run 1st and get consistent pressure on the QB before we add a WR

[jamze132]

I think we go DT or WR in round 1. But I wouldn't be extremely pissed if we go OLB.

[Wally The Barber]

Whatever weakness is not addressed in FA.

[TigerJ]

I don't really think Davis, Balmer, or Talib are worth anywhere near #11 overall. Depending on what he does at the combine, Kelly may be a slight reach, but I wouldn't mind him anyway. I don't think that the Bills will go with Campbell considering the money the Bills have tied up in Schobel and Kelsay. To me the best possibities are Kelly, Rivers or a trade down, assuming the Bills can pull it off.

[Akhippo]

I don't really think Davis, Balmer, or Talib are worth anywhere near #11 overall. Depending on what he does at the combine, Kelly may be a slight reach, but I wouldn't mind him anyway. I don't that the Bills will go with Campbell considering the money the Bills have tied up in Schobel and Kelsay. To me the best possibities are Kelly, Rivers or a trade down, assuming the Bills can pull it off.

I go with the thinking, what position doesnt have a quality starter. That would be OLB and WR. Getting a #3 DE or DT with the 11th would be great, but I would first take Rivers if he slides that far.

Then I would take a trade down if presented over M Kelly. If no trade down is present I would take Kelly with no problems.

Without really knowing all the players rankings, in round two it would have to be OLB or WR.

Round three TE and Corner

Round four, hoping the top two FBs are still available, would be my pick.

That would fill all pressing needs. Then pick up someone like A Odom and depth on the O Line.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Looking at the scenarios both the Bears and the Vikings are possibly looking for a QB. Both might be prepared to surrender a R2, to make sure they nab Brohm or Ryan.

Trading down to 17 would still allow us to grab Dan Connor or go for someone who is climbing fast like Pat Sims of Auburn. Either would be a significant upgrade over Ellison or Triplett.

Into R2 and armed with 2 picks, we could either draft a DT like Dre Moore or a LB like Erin Henderson. With the extra pick I would hope our big receiver in the form of Adarius Bowman is still there

I think Carlson will be available in R3 as TE seems to be a position where there is much of a muchness and it will fall to individual preference. I think he is a better long term bet than Davis

I would also hope we might give serious consideration to Justin King, who is a deep CB class would be a steal

if Crowell does leave we can always go after Sean Lee, and if we've drafted Connor this year then we'll have a Nittany Lions Corps .. stranger things have happened.

Trading down always looks good. The trouble is actually making it happen. Most teams won't give up a 2nd rounder to a team that really isn't in the best position for a trade. If one of those two QB's are still on the board after the Ravens pick, then the best trading partner becomes the Broncos at 12 because 9, 10, 11 are not taking a QB and you want the lowest trade possible. If the Broncos don't make a deal happen, then it's us. The chances of that happening are looking slim. They might also just sit tight and hope Carolina replaces one of the OT's who are both free agents instead of going QB.
I could also see the Vikings waiting one year given that Jackson has shown flashes. The Bears need a QB despite their GM saying they are content with who they have now.

[raphael120]

Does everyone really think the #1 WR in the draft is still going to be on the board once the Bills pick?

[DraftBoy]

Does everyone really think the #1 WR in the draft is still going to be on the board once the Bills pick?

Better questions is whose the #1 WR? Jackson, Kelly, Doucet, Sweed, Hardy?

[EDS]

I think the most important position the Bills need to fill is DT. Unfortunately, since Dorsey and Ellis will be long gone, I don't think there is any DT available that represents anything close to "value" with the 11th pick.

After DT, the most pressing holes for the Bills are a playmaker for the defensive front seven and a bona fide number two wide receiver. At this time, it does not appear that any of the wide receivers represent value at 11 so I would go with Rivers to at least address one of the teams three most pressing needs.

[ublinkwescore]

I'm for the best WR with our #11 pick - of course that could all (and likely will) change as the draft nears.

[kernowboy]

I think the most important position the Bills need to fill is DT. Unfortunately, since Dorsey and Ellis will be long gone, I don't think there is any DT available that represents anything close to "value" with the 11th pick.

After DT, the most pressing holes for the Bills are a playmaker for the defensive front seven and a bona fide number two wide receiver. At this time, it does not appear that any of the wide receivers represent value at 11 so I would go with Rivers to at least address one of the teams three most pressing needs.

I think the Bengals will go for Rivers as Jones needs to reclaim his reputation for defence. Most mocks list Rivers before Connor. I would look to trade down and grab either Connor or Sims with our R1, and then go Dre Moore or Erin Henderson with our second, hopefully gaining an extra R2 to use on Adarius Bowman

[gr8slayer]

Better questions is whose the #1 WR? Jackson, Kelly, Doucet, Sweed, Hardy?
For us it's Sweed.

[TigerJ]

Well, for gr8slayer it's Sweed at least. If you did a poll, you would get a variety of answers. I share the opinion with at least a few others that Malcolm Kelly is the top WR.

[gr8slayer]

Well, for gr8slayer it's Sweed at least. If you did a poll, you would get a variety of answers. I share the opinion with at least a few others that Malcolm Kelly is the top WR.
Kelly can't block like Sweed can, he's shorter and slower to boot.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Whatever weakness is not addressed in FA.

Absolutely correct!

Given the fact that, in recent years, the Bills have had a tendency to target and jump on certain specific free agents almost immediately as soon as they are allowed to make offers to FAs in order to address specific positions of weakness, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to try to guess which position/player(s) they will target in the first round of the draft until we know which position(s) they have targetted/been able to fill in free agency first.

With P.Price just being released, it is a safe bet that the Bills will target at least one WR this offseason, possibly two--one in free agency and one in the draft. With J.Jenkins and J.Wendling able to replace him on STs, the Bills can afford to let S.Aiken go at this point, so potentially they could bring in two WRs and keep Jenkins as a 6th WR with Evans, Reed, Parrish, a rookie and a FA signing ahead of him. The odds of whether the Bills will take a WR with their first round draft pick will depend on whether they decide to sign a WR in free agency. If they decide that DJ Hackett, E.Wilford and/or B.Johnson are going to want the kind of money that could be better spent elsewhere, the odds that they will take a WR in Round # 1 will dramatically increase. If they sign one of those WRs, they could potentially wait until Round # 3 or even later to draft a WR. (The progress of contract talks with L.Evans will also impact this as well.)

While the Bills are already preparing their fans for the likelihood that C.Moore will want and be able to get more money than they are willing to pay, if they sign a DT like R.Starks or even a DE, like LaBoy, in free agency (with A.Wallace as a possible replacement for Hargrove, the Bills may choose to try to pick up an under-sized pass rusher in the middle rounds who they can give a year to develop, rather than spend a high pick on a DE), D-line will become less of a priority. With Dorsey and S.Ellis likely to be gone by # 11, the Bills can now potentially wait until their second pick of Round 3 or even Round 4 to pick up a guy like T.Laws or R.Bryant or even A.Rubin to address their need for an additional DT, whether they sign a DT in free agency or not--and, if they sign a FA DT, they may decide not to even take a DT or to see if they can pick up a talent like F.Okam, that has dropped considerably, in the later rounds (Okam, who many considered a 1st round talent, could drop into Round 4 or even Round 5--the Bills could use their two 5th round picks to move back up into the 4th round to snag him if he does fall that far).

While a lot of Bills fans have set their hearts on K.Rivers or D.Connor in the first round as an upgrade over K.Ellison (who I am not convinced that the Bills are willing ot give up on yet), the Bills may find that it is easier to find a proven replacement for Ellison in free agency at a price that will allow them to better use some of their limited dollars elsewhere. For example, it may be cheaper for them to sign a free agent OLB like M.Boley or V.Hobson than it would be for them to sign one of the better FA WRs. If they sign an OLB in free agency, it would eliminate any consideration of Rivers or Conner in the first round (or any LB with their first 4 picks), which would allow them to focus on taking players at their other positions of need in the draft.

While there may be some tweaks to the Bills' draft board based on The Combine, according to C.Brown's blog on bb.com, they have already assembled their preliminary draftboard and, based on that, they are probably already beginning to look at where players are likely to fall, what positions there is likely to be a "run" at, and what positions they may have some difficulty addressing through the draft--which they are going to see a being more than just the first couple of rounds. As a result, I think that they are probably already beginning to formulate the strategy that they are going to take in free agency.

And, until we know what they are going to try to do and are able to do in free agency, I don't think that their strategy in the draft will really begin to clarify itself to the extent that we will be in a position to say "The Bills should do this or they should do that".

[kernowboy]

I am not sure we will look too much to FA. After all the Chargers signed no-one last year and got the Championship game.

With high ticket busts like Triplett and with such a range of draft picks in a very deep draft, I think the Bills will look primarily at upgrading through this medium. The only position might be C with Fowler having one year left and there not being a lot of depth at this position.

Considering the returns we have had in Marv's 2 drafts this might be a consideration to draft success.

The problem is we picks at 11, where no-one stands out. I think we will definitely look to engineer a trade down especially if no-one slips from the top6 as it occasionally happens.

Even if we retain Triplett, we only have 3 servicebale ends and tackles. We need 2 WR, a TE, and depending on what we do with Haggan and Stammer, something in the LBs as well.

I personally think we will be quiet in Free Agency and look to build in the draft

[TedMock]

Although I'd like a DT, I don't see one being 11th pick value. Overall, OLB would make the most sense provided we stay put. As most have stated, we still need another WR, but my guess is that we find one via FA and draft one in round 2 or 3. There are plenty of WR's that will be good picks in the 2nd and 3rd. There is a shortage of pure first-round guys, imo. Same with DT. Overall, Rivers seems like the smart pick. I wouldn't be heartbroken over picking other guys though.

Sweed would be great in the 2nd. He could play special teams, block, etc. on top of being a good receiver. Signing a veteran target to play with him for a year or two makes perfect sense to me.

[TigerJ]

I figure Buffalo's most accute needs are a solid #2 receiver with some size to pair with Evans and a talent upgrade at weak side linebacker. Those are the spots I look to first in round one. This draft is pretty deep in WRs with some size, but it's also pretty deep in cover 2 type outside linebackers with some quicks and athleticism so I'm not worrying about strategizing too far ahead between those two positions. If both are available at #1, I simply take the better player on my overall board. If the players in those positions don't represent very good value at #11 overall, then it gets a little tricky. I can try and trade down. That might be my first choice in that scenario. If I find no takers, then I look at my next level of need. I think the Bills can use upgrades at TE, CB, DT, DE, and C. I don't consider any TEs or Cs to be worthy of #11 overall, so I dismiss that pretty quickly. No, I don't think Fred Davis is worth anywhere close to #11 overall. Then I pick the player who is highest on my overall board from that group (CB, DT, DE). In the unlikely event that Sedrick Ellis drops to #11, I might abandon that strategy and pick him, but I'm not worrying too much about that at this point. Players I might consider are Mike Jenkins, DRC (though I think he's a bit of a reach here, he still has some nice qualities), McKelvin, Gholston (probably won't drop), Merling, Groves, Harvey, Campbell (don't like the underachiever/lazy label though), Sims and Balmer,

[HHURRICANE]

We've got to do something to upgrade our porous defense. I suggest starting where it all starts and looking at DT's and DE's.

Well we agree on something this week.

Sadly, we have to consider a DT or DE ahead of a WR. Even though this will never happen, I believe DE should be our first pick.

[gr8slayer]

Well we agree on something this week.

Sadly, we have to consider a DT or DE ahead of a WR. Even though this will never happen, I believe DE should be our first pick.
Unless we trade down there are no DE's that are worth that high of a pick, or DT's for that matter.

[TigerJ]

Mike Mayock thinks Phillip Merling is the best DE in the draft, and he's starting to show up as the Bills' first round pick in a few mocks. He is a well rounded DE with good size and strength, as will as good speed. He gets quite a few sacks but is strong against the run. He can move inside some of the time. The knock on him is he doesn't have as many pass rush moves as some, but maybe he can learn those.

[Akhippo]

please pass on any DE that has the knock of limited pass rush moves. Schobel already fits that bill. Same with Flowers.

I want a DE who can swim you outside then spin when you lean. Then when your looking for the spin hit you with the bullrush.

[gr8slayer]

please pass on any DE that has the knock of limited pass rush moves. Schobel already fits that bill. Same with Flowers.

I want a DE who can swim you outside then spin when you lean. Then when your looking for the spin hit you with the bullrush.
Not many DE's can perfect both the bullrush and the finess move.