Bills Sign Undrafted Free Agents

[NC-BILLS44]

Gary Byrd OT Clemson
Jon Dorenbas LS UTEP
Jerton Evans S Virginia
Anthony Floyd S Louisville
Ken Hilliard CB TCU
Paris Jackson WR Utah
Jason Johnson QB Arizona
Jerel Myers WR LSU
Justin Sands OT Kansas
Ray Thomas TE Wake Forest

[HenryRules]

my ignorance is shining through, i don't know anything about these players.

On a semi-related topic - if you're a player and are undrafted going to the seventh round, would you rather be drafted or be an unrestricted free agent and be able to choose your team?

[TypicalBill]

i already started an exact thread 10 mins ago


my thread

[NC-BILLS44]

Sorry!!!

[TypicalBill]

dont be im gonna delete mine since no one responded to it

[NC-BILLS44]

I think I would rather go undrafted. Then I could pick from interested teams.

[Patrick76777]

Training Camp Fodder. Feed them to the dogs.

[TypicalBill]

Heres something on some of the players...

Gary Byrd
Offensive Tackle
Clemson University Tigers
6:04.1-314
Stone Mountain, Georgia

ANALYSIS
Positives...Has a strong, thick frame with good foot balance, impressive strength and quickness out of his stance...Physical athlete who will attack when delivering the cut block...Has the lateral kick slide to quickly redirect...Agile moving to the second level and delivers a strong hand punch coming out of his stance...Locks on with force when using his hands...Can punch and slide while maintaining his speed heading upfield...Very quick to pick up stunts and blitzes...Plays on his feet and is best at incline blocking...Has a good kick step to protect the edge vs. the speed rush... Muscle-&-mauler type who has a good feel for blocking angles.

Negatives...Gets too upright in his stance, causing him to lose leverage...Seems a little too stiff in his stance and tends to waist bend...Has lateral problems moving from his left to right...Has strong hands, but keeps his arms too low to generate good punch and jolt technique...Best when drive blocking straight ahead, as he struggles when called upon to work in space.



Jerton Evans
Strong/Free Safety
University of Virginia Cavaliers
5:10.4-200
Lynchburg, Virginia

ANALYSIS
Positives...Has a muscular body with thick legs and thighs...Smart and quick, showing good plant-&-drive agility in transition...Displays good intensity in run support, taking proper angles to get to the ball carrier...Explosive tackler who stays low in his pads, extending his arms to wrap and secure...Strikes with authority and appears very comfortable working in the box...Shows balance and body control working in closed quarters.

Negatives...Appears too high in his backpedal, lacking quickness on his breaks...Shows hesitation in his turns and needs to build up to get to top speed (step too late)...Gives up too much cushion in man coverage and his zone drop timing needs discipline (better working the box than playing in space)...Lacks natural hands to make the interception (double catches)...Has trouble handling cover techniques on deep pass routes, as he lacks awareness on the ball...Little too stiff in his change of direction, looking better when he can take a straight-line burst rather than moving laterally...Needs to time his hits, as he tends to over-pursue when closing on the ball carrier...Has almost no feel for the deep passing game.



Anthony Floyd
Free Safety
University of Louisville Cardinals
5:09.4-202
Youngstown, Ohio

ANALYSIS
Positives...Very agile defender with quick feet, good balance and sharp acceleration... Stays in control in his backpedal, operating at the proper pad level...Can plant and drive out of his pedal with no wasted motion, displaying fluid hip swerve...Has above average short area burst, taking good angles in pursuit...Can mirror the tight ends on underneath routes and shows good awareness and anticipation skills dropping back in the zone...Has a nose for the ball and natural hands to make the interception...Quick to support and will not shy away from contact filling the rush lanes...Can also play special teams (punt returner) and serves as the left wing on the punt coverage unit...Gets a good jump on the ball and makes plays in deep zone coverage...Uses his hands aggressively to shed and has the power to challenge receivers to get into their routes coming off the line.

Negatives...Long pursuit speed is only marginal...Struggles to maintain contact with the speedy receivers when going deep...Despite his good leaping ability, his lack of ideal size causes him to get out-jumped on high passes...Does not shy away from contact, but lacks explosion in his initial burst...Tends to be a quarterback watcher and will bite on fakes and play action...Does not have the extra gear needed to recover when beaten...Takes poor blocking angles when working in space (hurries to compensate for a lack of speed), and is more comfortable tackling when working in the box...Can be a little slow to break down plays, causing him to miss his space assignments...Bit of a waist bender, but still shows effective wrapup tackling technique...Has natural hands, but will cradle the ball some... More of a short strider, lacking the top-end speed to be effective in man coverage.


Jason Johnson
Quarterback
University of Arizona Wildcats
6:01.5-217
Puyallup, Washington

ANALYSIS
Positives...Poised field general with a quick release and the arm strength to consistently throw downfield...Poised in the pocket, waiting until the last second before unleashing the pass...Accurate on slants and post patterns, doing a fine job of hitting receivers in stride... Has a good touch on the ball and the ability to turn his shoulders and throw on the run with accuracy...Times his passes and anticipates the moves of his secondary receivers... Carries the ball high above the numbers and displays no windup before throwing the ball... Stands in and waits for the coverage to spread rather than forcing the ball into traffic... Effective at getting the ball over the line-backer's head on swing passes...Knows how to get velocity on his long throws, dropping it over trailing coverage with enough force for only his receiver to get to it.

Negatives...Has mediocre foot quickness past the line of scrimmage...Does not move or set up properly in the pocket, lacking the drive to get to the set-up point...Loses velocity on his long passes, mostly because he tends to throw flat-footed too much and shows a reluctance to step into his tosses...Has little slide in his step rolling out of the pocket, showing a slow reset as he tends to throw off his back foot, at times...Rarely will you see him scramble with the ball.



Justin Sands
Offensive Guard/Tackle
University of Kansas Jayhawks
6:06.7-324
Lawton, Iowa

ANALYSIS
Positives...Solidly built athlete with above average lateral agility...Shows sudden moves working in the short area, bending his knees and generating a hand punch to lock on and sustain...Has the natural balance needed to get out front on drive blocks...Has the strength and aggression to excel as a down blocker, staying low in his stance while shuffling his feet properly retreating in pass protection...Understands blocking angles and positioning in his pass set...Rolls his hips and comes off with a flat back at the snap...Has the quickness to chip and come off linebackers at the second level...Gets out quickly on pulls, showing enough savvy to break down and control defenders while on the move...Does a good job of delivering the initial hit and his short area burst could see him shift inside to guard at the pro level.

Negatives...Struggles to digest the play book (slow mind)...Despite his power and quickness, he has difficulties vs. the edge rush, as he tends to turn his shoulders and cross his feet too sonn to properly engage the defenders...Has bad quickness sliding to the edge and relies too much on his strength, rather than technique to defeat his opponent...Needs to keep his feet under him when working in space, as he will lean and fall off his blocks (when he bends at the waist, he leaves his feet too often)...Has a strong hand punch, but very poor placement, allowing the defender to get into his chest...His inability to extend his hands properly prevents him from consistently locking on to steer the defender away in pass protection...When he gets too wide in his base, he has problems redirecting.



Jerel Myers
Wide Receiver
Louisiana State University Tigers
5:10.0-179
Houston, Texas

ANALYSIS
Positives...Has a trim, but well-defined frame...Good athlete with the quickness and body control to get a consistent release vs. press coverage to get into his routes in a hurry...Has shifty moves, setting up the defender nicely with his head fakes and hip swerve...Shows the lateral movements to make defenders miss in the open...Runs disciplined routes and does a very nice job working back to the ball...Has the agility to separate laterally and vertically down field...Looks the ball into his hands and is aggressive going for the pigskin in a crowd...Makes proper body adjustments going up for the high passes, showing the ability to pluck and snatch the pass at its highest point...Has soft hands, catching the ball cleanly away from the framework...Has the speed to take the ball the distance after the catch.

Negatives...Seemed to have regressed as a senior, as he was no longer the go-to receiver in the offensive game plan...Willing blocker, but lacks the power to face up and finish...Despite his sure hands, he allowed too many passes to absorb into his body last year...Seemed to labor getting into his routes in 2002 and he seemed to limp in his gallop rather than explode past defenders after the catch (may need to have his legs medically checked further)...Did not show the speed and explosion into and out of his cuts when trying to separate as he did in the past (see 2002 statistics, compared to previous years).



Ray Thomas
Tight End
Wake Forest University Demon Deacons
6:04.3-248
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

ANALYSIS
Positive...Good athlete who has made strides as a pass blocker...Has large, soft hands and the quickness to get off the line quickly...Very agile for a player his size, showing good hip swerve running after the catch...Extends his hands well going up for the ball...Shows the ability to hang on to the ball securely when catching in traffic...Has that quick upfield acceleration to separate from the linebackers...Works hard to maintain contact as a blocker and makes the effort to engage defenders.

Negatives...Seems to have a receiver's mentality, as he is not the most polished blocker you would like for a player of his power...Tends to run right at the defender, rather than trying to avoid him on short pass routes...Makes only a passive effort to retreat in pass protection...Leads with his head too much when trying to drive the defender off the snap...Indecisive at times on where to position himself when the ground game goes wide.


source: Shout!

[ct bills fan]

Dorenbas is a extremely good pickup. We have a big need for a long snapper, and he's supposed to be one of the best in recent memory. He'll probably be more valuable than half our draft picks.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I love the terms the scouts use:

stiff hips
QB watcher
slow mind

[Tatonka]

there is the "receiving" TE