now that we got the draft over with..

[TypicalBill]

What do you think of our picks? who do you think were steals and who were reaches. An overall grade would be nice too



C'mon people...lets hear it! :)

[HenryRules]

I was a lot happier with our first day then our second. Its probably a sign that our team is getting better but I think if 2 of our day 2 picks make the team, we'll be lucky. We didn't find a way to draft a C. Johnson and Nelson went earlier than I expected, but I would have rather had Koppen in the 5th (or even Tucker who's not a C) instead of Sobieski.

We also didn't pick up a QB to challenge Travis Brown, but instead picked up an ILB in the 7th round who is pretty much guaranteed to not make the team.

Overall, I'd say a B-, with the first day being a B+ and the second day being a C+.

[DraftBoy]

23. Willis McGahee-Superb job by our FO to nab this guy at 23. We all said we didnt need a starter, we needed the BPA. Terrific pick

48. Chris Kelsay- Good pass rushing DE, sounds alot like Ryan Denney to me. I think he is overrated but hope he can provide some pressure.

94. Angelo Crowell- Nice OLB player, should push Posey for starting job. He can tackle, cover, and rush the passer. I like him alot.

111. Terence McGee-Sleeper pick, who can play both FS/CB. Kinda small, but can return kicks and block them, blocked three kicks last year alone. Should be standout ST player.

127. Sam Aiken- Solid pick here, Got him later than projected as he was thought to go round 2 or 3. Should be a nice 3rd option for Bledsoe. Great size and hands, also good leaping ability.

151. Ben Sobieski-Dominant blocker, could be something special if he can stay healthy. Cronic shoulder problem. .

187. Lauvale Sape-Explosive first step, can shed blockers and can collapse the pocket. Lazy player at times shouldnt be a problem with Big Pat, and Sam ahead of him

228. Mario Haggan- Terrific tackler, and good pass rush up the middle, is better close to the line and than back in coverage, could spell injury prone Spoon.

[EDS]

Day one hinges on what happens with McGahee. If he recovers, even if it is next year, then the Bills will have a big time home run hitter at RB and can trade Travis Henry for future picks. Kelsay is the only pick with even a chance to start. I really don't know what to think of him, he is bigger and faster than Shoebel who knows. Crowell seems like a good depth player.

As for day 2, Aiken and Sobieski look like good long term investments and provide quality depth right now. The other dat two picks will have a tough time making the team.

Overall, B- if McGahee fails, A- if recovers fully.

[TigerJ]

I am normally an optimist, and I think to this point TD has done nothing but good things for Buffalo, but count me among the disappointed and the skeptics with regards to this draft. I think the single best thing that can be said about it is, we didn't need a single player in this draft to be a much better team next fall than we were last year. Now for the pick by pick:

Willis McGahee-No one will argue that he has the potential to be a great back in the NFL. He does nothing for Buffalo in 2003 that TH can't do. In 2004 he could probably a pretty good upgrade. But what do we do with TH at that point. I think he will live with the situation this year because Buffalo will still be relying mostly on him. If TH is a Bill in 2004, he is going to be one unhappy camper. More than that, if he is sitting on the bench, it is a waste of a starting caliber player, not a marginal starter, but close to an elite player. Hopefully he has a great season in 2003 and TD can trade him for a first round pick. That is the best possible scenario given the circumstances.

Chris Kelsay- He's not the biggest or fastest DE around, but he's not the smallest or slowest either. He seems to be a good value in round 2 and is likely to contribute, and if Marcus Jones hits a bump in the road to recovery, he has a better chance to step up and start than Denney.

Angelo Crowell-He looks like he might upgrade depth at LB. He's been productive and while he doesn't have great speed, he's not slow either. He's also versatile and could back up both MLB and OLB. He probably makes the team.

Terrence McGee-I think he played more CB than FS in college, but if he has any shot with the Bills it will be at FS IMO. He's not only short, but he's pretty slow for a CB. One report says he can't backpedal, but does more of a "shuffle." He's also poor in run support and "looks like he wants nothing to do with it." He is a marginal guy who will need to learn some things and have a change of attitude if he is to make the Bills.

Sam Aiken-If you add three inches to Josh Reed and slow him down some, you've got Sam Aiken. He might be an OK receiver, but this pick doesn't do what I hoped Buffalo would do, replace speed with speed, or what team officals said they wanted to do, upgrade team speed. At this point I'm hoping the free agent burner Buffalo picked up from the CFL makes the team and gets some playing time at WR to stretch defences. Aiken may make a positive contribution in red zone offence. Otherwise, I don't think he adds anything to the Bills that they don't already have.

Ben Sobieski-If he can stay healthy he competes with Pucillo to make the team, and if he continues to be healthy might be Brown's replacement when Ruben's ready to hang it up. Pucillo took some snaps at center last year during preseason. Maybe that's what the Bills envision for him since Conaty hasn't been tendered.

Lauvale Sape-What can I say? He's undersized, runs a pedestrian 40 and had the lowest score in the Wonderlic of all players taking the test. One assessment of him said, "he needs plenty of repetition to learn plays." The Bills have ambitions of running one of the most complex defenses in the league. In Sape's favor he has that "explosive first step." Is that enough to overcome all those negatives? Let's just say I'll be shocked if he's on the roster in September. It's a L-O-O-O-NG drop from the group of DTs we hoped Buffalo might be able to pick from.

Mario Haggan-Let's see, Buffalo has London Fletcher, Brandon Spoon, and now Crowell, who can play inside or outside. Mario Haggan runs the 40 in about 5 flat. It's another pick that goes directly against the "We're going to increase team speed," mantra we heard from TD a while ago. Does anyone really think he'll ever contribute to the Bills?

As I said, I hope I'm wrong, but about the best I can give this draft is a C- and I have fears that a year from now I'll be looking back and rating it lower than that. Go ahead, TD, prove to me otherwise.

[TigerJ]

I just looked at the comments made by McGee. He says he ran a 4.4 for the Bills and a 4.5 at the combine. If he's that fast rather than the 4.6 reported on the NFL.com draft tracker, he might have more u pside than I thought. I hope so.

[DraftBoy]

I think you undervalued Aiken, hes a very dangerous red zone receiver and is percetably quick. He has a nice first step and can get off blocks well.

[kgun12]

I am very disappointed in this draft. I think even at 100% McGahee is a wasted pick barring a trade later down the road (and it better be for a No#1 or a starter somewhere. All thisw did is piss off Travis Henry, and not in a good way. His push was coming from O. Gary!

Kelsay was ok.

The rest of the pick were at best ok.

[DraftBoy]

Lots of ngativity about this draft. For once we have no glaring starter needs and we take alot of porject picks which could pay off big if they work out and nobody seems to like them.

[Tatonka]

i am really surprised by all the disappointed faces here too.. christ.. if you want to feel good about our draft.. look at miami's.

[justasportsfan]

Somehow I get the feeling that after the players we wanted were gone, TD felt no one else could push or compete with the starting line-up we already have w/c is why we went with WM.

You usually don't address depth with the first round so he gambled. There is still the June 1st cuts and maybe has something planned. We'll see.

[Dozerdog]

I don't think it's all that bad- not fantastic- but what do I know- Trust in TD


We got some LB's to play Special teams- a WR & DB that both return kicks- Kelsey- , and we took a gamble on taking the next Barry Simms- and the pick was non existant 60 days ago.

Considering what TD did- I think we will have a very solid team.

I haven't scoured all the picks- but Dallas and Cincy were the only two teams that jump out at me that had great drafts.

I think most of the negativity comes from this- everybody has their "Guys" that they fall in love with in the draft- and when they get bypassed by guys who actually do this for a living they get miffed. It's like a kid who went throught he toy store a month before christmas- picked out a favorite toy, and when he winds up unwrapping something completely different, he pouts.

My dream guy was DeWayne White, Louisville, and he ended up being the 64th pick.

[Philagape]

In 2004, Buffalo could be what San Francisco is now. They have Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow -- a good veteran (who's overcome severe injuries, by the way) and a good younger back -- and it works well. They get about equal amount of carries and both produce.

[The_Philster]

Originally posted by Winfield_26
Lots of ngativity about this draft. For once we have no glaring starter needs and we take alot of porject picks which could pay off big if they work out and nobody seems to like them.

Well, when you figure we spent our top pick (and the money that will go along with it) on a player who can't contribute until late in the season and we had no need for anyway, it's a little perplexing to say the least.

[RedEyE]

For what the Bills had to work with, I think they did pretty well. All of the solid DL were taken early on. CBs were thin - didn't need a QB - OL was thin - already thick at LB - the Bills must not of liked the S talent left on the board - WR are not a huge priorty...

If Jeff Faine dropped to the 23rd overall, I'm certain the Bills would have grabbed him. Instead he was taken a few picks earlier and the Bills decided to invest. One player will emerge from this Bill's draft and I'm putting my money on McGahee. He is a competitor that has a lot to prove and may show his appreciation to Buffalo by not squabbling over contract $$.

I give the Bills overall draft a C.

I give the overall talent level of this years draft a B- .