Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

[patmoran2006]

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/322332.html

Worth the read. Must admit good points were made.

[shelby]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

No wide receiver is expected to go in the top 10. A lot of pre-draft projections had the Buffalo Bills taking a wideout with the 11th overall pick, but that appears unlikely.

Curious. Have the Bills indicted they won't take a WR with the # 11? Most mocks i've seen have us taking Kelly, Thomas, or Sweed.

[Captain gameboy]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

While I understand that there are different personnel people in the Bills org., we have a checkered past in grabbing WR´s early.

Haven Moses..1968...1st...OK as a Bill but never did anythng close to what he did in Denver.
JD Hill. 71. OK but never lived up to a number 1.
Jerry Butler..79. First... OK but never lived up to a first rounder.
Byron Franklin 1981. 2b. worthless.
Perry Tuttle. 1982. First....worthless
Eric Richardson...1984....second....who?
Chris Burkett 1985 second...unh...unh... (Got Andre in the 4th that year-btw).
Bernard Ford...1988..Third....Who?
Beebe...1989. 3rd..Worked out OK
Russel Copeland... 1993 4th. sucked
Bucky Brooks... 1994 second...sucked
Moulds...1996...two years to develop then a super receiver.
Peerless Price..1999...one year wonder...five year loser.
Josh Reed 2002 second...hasn´t lived up.

[FlyingDutchman]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

DRC

[Dr. Lecter]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

Jerry Butler..79. First... OK but never lived up to a first rounder.
Byron Franklin 1981. 2b. worthless.

Strongly disagree on Butler. He was a very good WR for the Bills. While his career was cut short due to injuries, his ability and playmaking abilities were outstanding. Injury plagued careers are much different than bust picks.

The fact his last play was a TD against the putrid fish is nice too.

As for Franklin, he was one of the few players worth a damn in the forgetable mid-80's despite playing with Ferragamo and crew. And then he turned into Metzelaars via trade.

And Josh Reed has been a steady performer for this team. If a team gets 5+ years out a of a 2nd pick it is not horrible. Maybe not what one wants, but it is not a bust.

[YardRat]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

While I understand that there are different personnel people in the Bills org., we have a checkered past in grabbing WR´s early.

Haven Moses..1968...1st...OK as a Bill but never did anythng close to what he did in Denver.
JD Hill. 71. OK but never lived up to a number 1.
Jerry Butler..79. First... OK but never lived up to a first rounder.
Byron Franklin 1981. 2b. worthless.
Perry Tuttle. 1982. First....worthless
Eric Richardson...1984....second....who?
Chris Burkett 1985 second...unh...unh... (Got Andre in the 4th that year-btw).
Bernard Ford...1988..Third....Who?
Beebe...1989. 3rd..Worked out OK
Russel Copeland... 1993 4th. sucked
Bucky Brooks... 1994 second...sucked
Moulds...1996...two years to develop then a super receiver.
Peerless Price..1999...one year wonder...five year loser.
Josh Reed 2002 second...hasn´t lived up.

Haven Moses led the Bills in receiving his first two years.

JD Hill led the team in receiving his second year, during the OJ run fest when Saban made all the receivers wear full masks and play block first, catch second.

Butler 'lived up to it' for the few years he was in the league, but had his career cut short by injury.

None of the three were really game-changers or perennial pro bowlers, but they were far from first round flops.

The rest I agree with.

[Night Train]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

Allen Wilson makes a good point but we honestly don't know how the Bills are putting their overall board together. You have to let the draft come to you.

If a WR is in the top 1-2 spots when their turn comes up, they're not going to worry about history lessons.

[YardRat]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

The entire draft is a gamble, and it's history is filled with first-round busts and day 2 wonders, regardless of the position.

[raphael120]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

One thing i'd like to know...this draft doesn't have a calvin johnson but it does have depth...are we best deserved to just take 2 WR's, maybe 1 in the 2nd and 1 in the 5th and take our chances that way? Or take 1 in the 1rst and just stick with that?

[Mitchy moo]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

Harvey.

[Midwesternbillsfan]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

It's also a risk NOT to take a WR at 11 because by 41, the big 3 that have equipped themselves well throughout this process (Thomas, Sweed, Hardy) will undoubtedly be gone. Malcolm Kelly may be gone, too, though that's not set in stone. It does seem like it's gaining steam that he's either being left off of teams' message boards because of unassuaged questions about his knees OR teams have concerns about his maturity following his pointing blame at his university and college coaches (rather than absorbing it and directing it at himself), which followed his disappointing pro-day last Tuesday. So he stands a reasonable chance of being made available at 41.

Anyway, taking a WR at 11 is admittedly risky. But going without a playmaker who can gain separation and alleviate defensive pressure off of Lee Evans is riskier. Running the risk of waiting to get a wideout later in the draft- until he's possibly unable to unseat Josh Reed at second wideout opposite Lee- is riskier. So the risks abound. If we do want a receiver at 11, the best way to minimize those risks is to take the player who seems to have near-unanimously emerged as the best prospect at the position with the skill-set that we're seeking: Devin Thomas.

Thomas is Mike Mayock's, Pat Kirwan's, NFL Draft Scout's (USA Today's), and others' top prospect and he likely will be the first WR to go if the Bills don't take him (19-21 to either the Eagles, Bucs, Redskins). He also has a great size/speed ratio, an NFL-ready body and frame at a very compact 218 pounds, and his 'RAC' ability is better than all his counterparts and sounds perfect for the three-step drops that we're incorporating more into the offense. I still want him to be the guy. But if the value on the Bills' board of another player playing another position greatly trumps any receiver, that'll be the direction that we'll go. Just don't fool yourself into believing that any of this is without risk; we'll be taking a risk whichever direction we choose to go.

[Mitchy moo]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

WR this early in the draft is not a smart move.

It's also a risk NOT to take a WR at 11 because by 41, the big 3 that have equipped themselves well throughout this process (Thomas, Sweed, Hardy) will undoubtedly be gone. Malcolm Kelly may be gone, too, though that's not set in stone. It does seem like it's gaining steam that he's either being left off of teams' message boards because of unassuaged questions about his knees OR teams have concerns about his maturity following his pointing blame at his university and college coaches (rather than absorbing it and directing it at himself), which followed his disappointing pro-day last Tuesday. So he stands a reasonable chance of being made available at 41.

Anyway, taking a WR at 11 is admittedly risky. But going without a playmaker who can gain separation and alleviate defensive pressure off of Lee Evans is riskier. Running the risk of waiting to get a wideout later in the draft- until he's possibly unable to unseat Josh Reed at second wideout opposite Lee- is riskier. So the risks abound. If we do want a receiver at 11, the best way to minimize those risks is to take the player who seems to have near-unanimously emerged as the best prospect at the position with the skill-set that we're seeking: Devin Thomas.

Thomas is Mike Mayock's, Pat Kirwan's, NFL Draft Scout's (USA Today's), and others' top prospect and he likely will be the first WR to go if the Bills don't take him (19-21 to either the Eagles, Bucs, Redskins). He also has a great size/speed ratio, an NFL-ready body and frame at a very compact 218 pounds, and his 'RAC' ability is better than all his counterparts and sounds perfect for the three-step drops that we're incorporating more into the offense. I still want him to be the guy. But if the value on the Bills' board of another player playing another position greatly trumps any receiver, that'll be the direction that we'll go. Just don't fool yourself into believing that any of this is without risk; we'll be taking a risk whichever direction we choose to go.

[Midwesternbillsfan]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

WR this early in the draft is not a smart move.

Well, let it never be said that brevity is not your strong-suit. But seriously, I don't know if it is or if it isn't [taking a receiver at 11]; I just outlined some of the risks either way. But a guess an 11-word response would've sufficed, huh?

[Captain gameboy]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

I´m not calling them ¨flops,¨ and it is hard to say how they might have done somewhere else.

The fact is that none had near the impact that they might have if they were as good as thought coming out.

Mosses suffered from a lousy team.

Jerry Butler had a few good moments.

There is a lot of room between bust and worth the pick, and that is all I am saying.

[mybills]

Re: Buffalo News- Taking WR Early Is A Gamble

What your list tells me, is that it doesn't matter when you pick a wr.