Ingtar33's Buffalo Bills 2003 NFL Draft Review

[Ingtar33]

</html><img src="http://www.billszone.com/images/players/2003draft/mcgahee05.jpg" border="2" align="left">This was a strange draft to be a part of. To begin with there really wasn't much depth or quality to the body of players this year. I have a sneaking suspicion this will go down as a real bummer of a draft, high on hype, low on value. That is why the trades came so fast and furious on day one, as teams, placing a premium on the top players (all 15 of them), jockeyed for position to get those few solid picks. This day will definitely be remembered for the Vikings, again, screwing up their pick, as last year they were too disorganized to take advantage of the Chiefs trying to trade back. This year they were the team that blew their chance for a trade, and in the confusion forgot who they wanted, letting 5muinutes pass as team after team tried to beat them to the podium. A dash that finally ended at pick 9.

We also saw the fall of perhaps the best DT in the draft to pick 12, as rumors of his weight problems scared teams away. Personally I think the Rams just drafted the second coming of Ted Washington, and will have the last laugh, as the three DTs picked above him (Robertson, Sullivan, and Williams) will be lucky to match Kennedy's future career.

But the biggest surprise of the day, and the one you are all most familiar with, was the Bills choosing Willis McGahee with the 23rd pick in the draft. On the way home today, I heard on the radio that TD had targeted WMc as early as last Friday, which is a bit surprising to me. Clearly the Bills head man was thinking about the quality of DL who would trickle down to 23, and was just as unimpressed as I was.

This draft review will include personal thoughts on each of the players, their strength and weaknesses, and a "pick grade" which will be my personal grade of the prospect, the position he went, and the utility to the team. So without any further summation, I present to you the Buffalo Bills Draft Class of 2003.
...MORE (http://www.billszone.com/YourSite/global/templates/view.php?action=YourSite_content&month=4&state=news&nid=4968)

[Dozerdog]

I noticed individual grades for each selection, what would you give the entitre Bills draft?


:up: on another great article!

[TypicalBill]

Thanks!! :up:

Outstanding work as always Ingtar.

[Ingtar33]

Thanks Dozer...

I'd probably grade the whole draft a B+... as we got our depth, didn't reach on any pick, and grabbed guys with enough upside to stay on the roster come week 1.

[Captain gameboy]

Do you think Aiken's got more upside than Billy McMullen?

[Ingtar33]

in a word... yes

McMullen is a little bigger and stronger, but not nearly the rout runner, nor as good RAC, nor does he have the ability to get separation, nor are his hands as good as Aikens.

The Eagles got a guy with very good size and college production but little else. A questionable pick

[Tatonka]

i will say i was disappointed with the Sape pick too.. and wish that they would have grabbed Rien Long at #4 instead of the damn CB/FS then grabbed a true FS that is taller with that 6th rounder.. that is the only thing i would change.

nice write up.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Rien Long is a stiff. 32 teams agree with me.

TD drafted special teamers. Rien Long wouldn't help on ST's.

[Tatonka]

i will take several stiffs who get 13 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss per season.. thanks.

[Ingtar33]

Well... there were some character issues that scared my team away from him (over my objections) and I feel may have scared many other teams away, I fought to get him in the second day even though he was not a need pick for us, as he had too much talent to pass in those later rounds.
(And no, I'm not going to tell you if we did or didn't pick him... the list of teams I might work for is already getting too thin :) )

[clumping platelets]

:rofl:

[BillsNYC]

what would the Bills have had to done to achieve an overall A+?

[NC-BILLS44]

Great post Ingtar. Thanks for your insight!!!

[Dozerdog]

get stupid teams like the vikings to trade us their primo picks.


Vikings new Slogan-

" I traded down in the 2003 NFL Draft and all I got was this stupid T-Shirt"

[Earthquake Enyart]

"We made a deal!! Really!!"

[Ingtar33]

An A+?

I'm not sure... probably find a way up into the top 15 and nab McDougal for cheap (a 2nd next year, of course only the vikes or 'zona would be dumb enough for something like that)... draft Mathis in the 2nd (I know he went just before we picked), I liked the Crowell pick in the third... and the Aikers pick... maybe find their way around to Long while he was still on the board...

I don't know... I'm not a fan of either Sape or Sobieski... but heck at that point in the draft you're grasping at straws anyway...

[TigerJ]

Thanks Ingtar. I find your evaluation reassuring. I saw a 40 time of 5.0 for Haggan and almost fainted. 4.8 isn't fast, but with his great instincts is something he could probably overcome. I think Buffalo will play McGee at FS, and ST of course. I saw one report on him that said, "He doesn't really backpedal. He does something of a shuffle." Your evaluation said something pretty similar. We didn't draft the pass receiving TE I was hoping for or the speed at WR that we lost when PP left, but it looks like TD got what he always gets, PLAYERS, guys who produce.

[eyedog]

Ingtar33, you being a scout, I would like to hear your feelings on Joseph and Woolfolk.
I'm not crazy about the WM pick only because there already is a very good runner here and would have drafted either one of these two players. Thanks.

[Ingtar33]

Wow, enjoy a nice day outside (its beautiful on GI today), doing house work, come back in and find a question...

Well Woolfolk is a horribly overrated player, and will struggle in the NFL, as he is a very poor zone defender, and really is a very weak player, who will seriously struggle handle the biggers speed burners that are in the NFL. I have a sneaking suspicion that he might be one of the 50% of first round picks who bust.

Now Joseph is a little bit of a different case. Joseph has always struck me as a DT in a DE body. He is tall and lanky, and realy does play lighter than he is listed. He is OK in run stopping, but really does struggle to get penitration against the run. Where he excelles is in pass rushing, as he is an acomplished interior pass rusher. He might have had problems working with the Bills system though, because he has a weak lower body, which means he will have huge problems in a 2-gap sytem... which the Bills run. I think the Bills passed on his pass rushing skills, and his potential due to him being a poor fit for our system. (that is why you hear the name Ty Warren being mentioned as the guy the Bills were really hoping would fall to them)

[eyedog]

Ingtar33,
I'm surprised by your evaluation of Woolfolk. He has size and is a good athlete. Granted he is still learning the position and will need coaching, but the strength issue shouldn't be a factor after hitting a weight program. I think he can be a good press corner and being an athlete, zone coverage is something he should be able to handle. Time will tell.
After Joseph dropped to us, he was the player I wanted. No way did I think he would last to #23. As you note the system the Bills play must have been a factor in their decision, although I believe TD's facination with WM was the biggest factor. I still would have taken him, rotated him with Williams and Adams, and played him on passing downs at dt along with Williams.
My draft would have went 1. Joseph 2. Doss 3. Peterson.
Thanks for the reply.