Three Years Later: Grading the draft.

[patmoran2006]

They say it takes three years before you can start to grade a rookie draft class. Well, three years later it’s time to make some grades. What do you think?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
1A- Donte Whitner- Despite many thinking he was a reach, he was drafted to be a hard-hitting safety who made big plays in the mold of a Brian Dawkins or Adrian Wilson. Three years later, Whitner has done next-to-nothing in the big play department. Want proof? Adrian Wilson has more sacks (2) and as many forced fumbles (2) in his three postseason games THIS season than Whitner has in his entire three year career! Whitner in three years has all of one sack to go with a pair of interceptions and forced fumbles. While it may not be Whitner’s fault he was taken so high, fair or not it’s a standard he must be judged by and after three years, he’s failed miserably. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
1B- John McCargo- Is it safe to call him a useless bust? How about if I add that he became (literally) untradeable by the midpoint of his third season? Good thing we couldn’t have used a center like Nick Mangold in this draft. Grade: F<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
3-Ashton Youboty- Finally proved this summer and fall that he has plenty of talent. Unfortunately, he also proved (yet again) he’s incapable of staying on the field. You can’t be productive when you can’t stay on the field. Grade: C-<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
4-Ko Simpson- Looked pretty good as a rookie (basically pushing Troy Vincent out the door), but has regressed badly this year after missing almost all of 2007 with an injury. .But hey, he’s worth millions! GRADE: D+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
5A- Kyle Williams- More than what the team could have hoped for. Is entrenched as the starter. But even though he’s a “try hard” kind of DT, the fact he’s the starter demonstrates our front four overall is weak. Still, a bargain at this phase of the draft. GRADE: B+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
5B- Brad Butler- A starting right guard for the team three years later. While he probably wouldn’t be starting on at least a handful of other teams, the line was even worse when he was injured this year. GRADE: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
6-Keith Ellison: SHOULD be a versatile backup LB who can play all three positions. But he’s clearly not a starter. He’s overmatched and oft-bullied over 16 games if not 60 minutes. But this was a great value pick at this stage of the draft. Grade: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
7 – Terrance Pennington- Started by the end of his rookie season, was cut before the start of the second. That was the state of the Buffalo Bills 2006 offensive line. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
7B- Aaron Merz- is he even still in the league? GRADE: Who Cares.


OVERALL: C-
Only good value picks with Williams, Butler and Ellison in the later rounds save this draft from being graded a colossal failure. McCargo is officially a bust, while Whitner teeters on irrelevence. Youboty can't stay healthy, while Simpson looked better in July of '06 than he did in December of '08. When you realize the Bills are still weak on both sides of the trenches, and then realize they could've rather easily, and with little risk took Ngata or Bunkley instead of Whitner, and Mangold instead of McCargo, it's rather sickening.

George Wilson could've started. Granted, he has done next-to-nothing just like Whitner. But hey, he wasn't the 8th overall pick in the draft either. Or maybe, just maybe the Bills could've found a better way to use Jim Leonhard, who by coincidence (or not) is thriving in Baltimore.

[DrGraves]

Thank you for that draft class front office! I want to puke.

[eyedog]

Again, the main reason this team has been mediocre at best for a full decade. They have no clue how to draft.

[ServoBillieves]

OVERALL: C-
Only good value picks with Williams, Butler and Ellison in the later rounds save this draft from being graded a colossal failure. McCargo is officially a bust, while Whitner teeters on irrelevence. Youboty can't stay healthy, while Simpson looked better in July of '06 than he did in December of '08. When you realize the Bills are still weak on both sides of the trenches, and then realize they could've rather easily, and with little risk took Ngata or Bunkley instead of Whitner, and Mangold instead of McCargo, it's rather sickening.

George Wilson could've started. Granted, he has done next-to-nothing just like Whitner. But hey, he wasn't the 8th overall pick in the draft either. Or maybe, just maybe the Bills could've found a better way to use Jim Leonhard, who by coincidence (or not) is thriving in Baltimore.

I agree with most of it, but what we can get out of Youboty, Butler, Williams, and Ellison sure make up for the failures otherwise.

[PECKERWOOD]

1a) Whitner -- B+ (Not as bad as many think but I would still much rather have Ngata or Bunkley here -- those were the 2 guys I was lobbying for. BTW, Whitner > Huff.)
1b) McCargo -- F-(He flashed potential but he is damaged goods.. kinda like a QB on our roster.)
3) Youboty -- C (2/3 years that he has been here, he has been a total waste. He looked like a stud before he got hurt this year though, I grade him a C.)
4) Simpson -- B+ ( 4th round pick, he looked great that one year but he had a melt down this year. Regardless, he is still fantastic depth. Plus, take a look at the other safeties taken in this draft many were taken higher and most of them are worst than Ko.)
5) Williams -- A+ (Anytime you find a good starter in the 5th round, especially at DT, it is an A+ pick. These are the type of late round picks that you build a team with.)
6) Ellison -- B- (Fantastic backup, not a true starter but he is a good ST player as well.)
7a) Pennington -- C+ (For a 7th round pick he wasn't too bad, the only problem is that we got Chambers who is a pimp and Bell who I haven't seen enough to draw a conclusion on yet.)
7b) Merz -- F- (WHO?)

[Akhippo]

It just made it harder this weekend watching impact safeties like Dawking/Troy/Wilson and Reed making plays all over the field. Also watching Ngata play like a beast didnt help. But thats what we get, OK picks.

[PECKERWOOD]

Hey Pat, I loved the thread idea.

Posted it at bb.com, quoted your name and your rankings, hope ya don't mind. ;)

[patmoran2006]

Hey Pat, I loved the thread idea.

Posted it at bb.com, quoted your name and your rankings, hope ya don't mind. ;)
Thanks for the props, but I'm dumbfounded as to what would possess you to grade Whitner at B+.

I mean, in all honesty, is he really any better than WIlson, Simpson or Scott? I dont think so.. He's one in the same to me.

Bottom line; the guy just does NOT make plays. Again, its not his fault we reached for him that high in the draft, but when you get that contract you have a standard to live up. If anyone thinks he's a B+ safety after watching these playoffs, I gotta question either your judgement, or your sanity.

[PECKERWOOD]

Thanks for the props, but I'm dumbfounded as to what would possess you to grade Whitner at B+.

I mean, in all honesty, is he really any better than WIlson, Simpson or Scott? I dont think so.. He's one in the same to me.

Bottom line; the guy just does NOT make plays. Again, its not his fault we reached for him that high in the draft, but when you get that contract you have a standard to live up. If anyone thinks he's a B+ safety after watching these playoffs, I gotta question either your judgement, or your sanity.


Whitner is a leader on the team and I blame the coaching staff for his lack of big plays, that and our anemic pass rush. I find it funny how one year Whitner and Simspon both look like they're going to be in the pro bowl for the next decade and then the next year they start to fall apart. Scott is a good player, no doubt. Whitner is a much better player than Scott and Simpson. Make no question about it though, Ngata was my man. I sported his name in my signature during that time. Imagine if we grabbed Ngata + Williams later in the draft. :ill: We probably wouldn't have Stroud on the roster though.



BTW, I forgot Butler -- he is an A+ for sure.

[Mr. Pink]

1a) Whitner -- D- - based on where he was drafted he was supposed to be a stud, a difference maker, elite. It's not his fault he was taken 8th overall but, when you are, you can't be just another guy. And that's all Donte will ever be. If he's taken a round or two later, he'd likely garner a C. But all things considered, he's a huge miss.

1b) McCargo -- F- - Bust. Garbage. Useless. Worse than the guy we drafted 4 rounds later and to think we gave up picks to draft this turd.

3) Youboty -- F - When he's been on the field, which isn't much, he hasn't shown a whole hell of a lot. How you can still grade a guy on potential baffles me. There's a reason why he fell and it shows.

4) Simpson -- C- - Outside of this year when he completely tanked and looked lost he played fairly well.

5) Williams -- A- - likely wouldn't start on most other teams, but he's definitely NFL talented and does start here.

6) Ellison -- C - In round 6 you can't complain too much about a guy who's been serviceable enough to start even though he's better suited to be depth.

7a) Pennington -- D - He did get to play for a while. Most 7th rounders have NO impact. I give a little credit for him playing even if he wasn't good enough.

7b) Merz -- F did what a 7th rounder usually does...nothing.

Collosally terrible draft. Without question.

[Raptor]

I dont mind the Whitner pick. People want him to make plays like Sanders, Troy P, E.Reed, and Dawkins but no one seems to get is that Whitner is missing one very crucial thing that all thoughs guys have that allows them to make plays... Elite Front 7 that put pressure on the QB's that force them into bad passes that the S's can capitalize on.

[Turbo.GUN.Hawk!]

Donte Whitner - He has become a decent free safety in this league. He is not able to pressure the qb at all, he gets constantly overrun by running backs, and it's not like he is the first guy on the field to close the gaps left by the linebackers. Still he seems to be a leader in the locker room and he is good in coverages. For a top ten he definetly sucks but he is not that bad.
GRADE: C

John McCargo - Injured in his first season and made some nice plays in his second season, this season everyone just forgot about him and we saw how much value he has when we traded him to the Colts just for them to void the trade and send him back. What a bust.
GRADE: F

Ashton YouBoty - It was until the third season he really proved he has a lot of upside. I was impressed by his ability to tackle in the open field. He is injury prone though.
GRADE: C, with potential to improve*

Ko Simpson - We all got excited by Ko in his first season but since that moment he has regressed a lot. He is nice depth though.
GRADE: D

Kyle Williams - The most valuable pick in this year's draft Kyle has become our starting LT and the improvement he showed from 2007 to 2008 was definetly something.
GRADE: B

Brad Butler - He is not starting material but still Brad is our starting guard. Pretty valuable for a fifth round pick, I hope someday he will just be depth.
GRADE: C

Keith Ellison - Something similiar to Brad, nice depth but that's it. He is not that fast or that physical, nothing special.
GRADE: C

The other guys - GRADE: F

We got some nice picks late in the round but considering any of those have really become star players that leaves the entire weight of the draft in our first three round picks and well... only Kyle Williams (and maybe Youboty in the future) saves this draft for me.
OVERALL GRADE: D+

[more cowbell]

They say it takes three years before you can start to grade a rookie draft class. Well, three years later it’s time to make some grades. What do you think?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
1A- Donte Whitner- Despite many thinking he was a reach, he was drafted to be a hard-hitting safety who made big plays in the mold of a Brian Dawkins or Adrian Wilson. Three years later, Whitner has done next-to-nothing in the big play department. Want proof? Adrian Wilson has more sacks (2) and as many forced fumbles (2) in his three postseason games THIS season than Whitner has in his entire three year career! Whitner in three years has all of one sack to go with a pair of interceptions and forced fumbles. While it may not be Whitner’s fault he was taken so high, fair or not it’s a standard he must be judged by and after three years, he’s failed miserably. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
1B- John McCargo- Is it safe to call him a useless bust? How about if I add that he became (literally) untradeable by the midpoint of his third season? Good thing we couldn’t have used a center like Nick Mangold in this draft. Grade: F<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
3-Ashton Youboty- Finally proved this summer and fall that he has plenty of talent. Unfortunately, he also proved (yet again) he’s incapable of staying on the field. You can’t be productive when you can’t stay on the field. Grade: C-<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
4-Ko Simpson- Looked pretty good as a rookie (basically pushing Troy Vincent out the door), but has regressed badly this year after missing almost all of 2007 with an injury. .But hey, he’s worth millions! GRADE: D+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
5A- Kyle Williams- More than what the team could have hoped for. Is entrenched as the starter. But even though he’s a “try hard” kind of DT, the fact he’s the starter demonstrates our front four overall is weak. Still, a bargain at this phase of the draft. GRADE: B+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
5B- Brad Butler- A starting right guard for the team three years later. While he probably wouldn’t be starting on at least a handful of other teams, the line was even worse when he was injured this year. GRADE: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
6-Keith Ellison: SHOULD be a versatile backup LB who can play all three positions. But he’s clearly not a starter. He’s overmatched and oft-bullied over 16 games if not 60 minutes. But this was a great value pick at this stage of the draft. Grade: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
7 – Terrance Pennington- Started by the end of his rookie season, was cut before the start of the second. That was the state of the Buffalo Bills 2006 offensive line. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
7B- Aaron Merz- is he even still in the league? GRADE: Who Cares.


OVERALL: C-
Only good value picks with Williams, Butler and Ellison in the later rounds save this draft from being graded a colossal failure. McCargo is officially a bust, while Whitner teeters on irrelevence. Youboty can't stay healthy, while Simpson looked better in July of '06 than he did in December of '08. When you realize the Bills are still weak on both sides of the trenches, and then realize they could've rather easily, and with little risk took Ngata or Bunkley instead of Whitner, and Mangold instead of McCargo, it's rather sickening.

George Wilson could've started. Granted, he has done next-to-nothing just like Whitner. But hey, he wasn't the 8th overall pick in the draft either. Or maybe, just maybe the Bills could've found a better way to use Jim Leonhard, who by coincidence (or not) is thriving in Baltimore.



Lets take it a step further and grade BOTH of Levy's drafts. Considering this seems to be the way our front office goes about building our team.

BASED ON ABOVE...

2006

1a. Whitner - D
1b. McCargo - F
3. Youboty - C-
4. Simpson - D+
5a. Williams - B+
5b. Butler - B
6. Ellison - B
7a. Pennington - D
7b. Merz - F

OVERALL GRADE C-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

2007

1. Marshawn Lynch - He's had to deal with a completely incompitent offensive coordinator both of his years in the league, a QB carousel, and below average run blocking. All of that aside, he's the closest thing this team has to a "Star" player. GRADE: A

2. Paul Posluszny - Missed most of his rookie season after being placed on IR. Came back this season and to many people's dismay was blocked out of the run game, and was far from spectacular in pass coverage. He has a lot of potential and has made his share of good plays, but at this point he doesn't look like a NFL middle linebacker. GRADE: C

3. Trent Edwards - Despite the fact that some people think he might not be the future of the franchise... the fact the team drafted this guy in the 3rd round, he has done a lot more than expected, showing a LOT more promise than any other QB we've had since Jim Kelly. In terms of value this is Levy's best draft pick. GRADE: A

4. Dwayne Wright - No Discussion needed. GRADE: F

6. John Wendling - Hasn't contributed anything to the defensive side of the ball, but has been a very good special teams player. He has a lot of raw talent but it hasn't really amounted to much in his career. He might not even make the roster next season. GRADE: D

7a. Derek Schouman - Came on later in the season, and actually was seen on the field more than Royal. This is one of those draft picks where 2 years is too early to judge him. He hasn't done much so far, but based on the end of the 2008 season he shows some promise. GRADE: INCOMPLETE

7b. CJ Ah You - Was cut after training camp in 2007. Was on the Rams roster breify, but I believe he is now out of the leage. GRADE: F

The Bills did draft 2 of the most important pieces to a successful football team in this draft in Lynch and Edwards. Posluszny has been a disappointment so far and Dwayne Wright was one of the worst 4th round picks in team history. OVERALL GRADE: C

[PECKERWOOD]

How can you grade Kyle Williams and Brad Butler anything less than an A+?????? If we can score players like that in the 5th round every year, we are going to the superbowl eventually.

[PECKERWOOD]

Lynch -- A+
Posluszny -- B+
Edwards -- B
Wendling -- C

Wright, Schouman and Ah You --- F-

[Mitchell55]

1a) Whitner -- D- - based on where he was drafted he was supposed to be a stud, a difference maker, elite. It's not his fault he was taken 8th overall but, when you are, you can't be just another guy. And that's all Donte will ever be. If he's taken a round or two later, he'd likely garner a C. But all things considered, he's a huge miss.

1b) McCargo -- F- - Bust. Garbage. Useless. Worse than the guy we drafted 4 rounds later and to think we gave up picks to draft this turd.

3) Youboty -- F - When he's been on the field, which isn't much, he hasn't shown a whole hell of a lot. How you can still grade a guy on potential baffles me. There's a reason why he fell and it shows.

4) Simpson -- C- - Outside of this year when he completely tanked and looked lost he played fairly well.

5) Williams -- A- - likely wouldn't start on most other teams, but he's definitely NFL talented and does start here.

6) Ellison -- C - In round 6 you can't complain too much about a guy who's been serviceable enough to start even though he's better suited to be depth.

7a) Pennington -- D - He did get to play for a while. Most 7th rounders have NO impact. I give a little credit for him playing even if he wasn't good enough.

7b) Merz -- F did what a 7th rounder usually does...nothing.

Collosally terrible draft. Without question.



This is why you are in negetives in rep. You didnt even add butler, you gave Youboty a F and showed that you didnt even watch last year. He was our best CB in the first 5-6 games untill he got injured.

[Turbo.GUN.Hawk!]

How can you grade Kyle Williams and Brad Butler anything less than an A+?????? If we can score players like that in the 5th round every year, we are going to the superbowl eventually. A player like Tom Brady would be an A. Just because they were drafted in the 5th round it doesn't mean they could not be better or that you could not draft better players at that round. Believe me, we would not go to a Superbowl with a o-line full of Butlers and a d-line full of Williams... Superbowl? With all respect what did you smoke?


Posluszny has been a disappointment A disappointment? You have to be kidding me, so far he has look pretty darn good to me.

[eyedog]

The other thing that pisses me off with the drafting of this team is they always seem to take players with some sort of injury history in college.

McGahee, Evans, Edwards, Poz, McCargo

[PECKERWOOD]

A player like Tom Brady would be an A. Just because they were drafted in the 5th round it doesn't mean they could not be better or that you could not draft better players at that round. Believe me, we would not go to a Superbowl with a o-line full of Butlers and a d-line full of Williams... Superbowl? With all respect what did you smoke?

A disappointment? You have to be kidding me, so far he has look pretty darn good to me.


Gotta love the haters, the more you hate the more this place becomes a ghost town. Anytime you can land QUALITY STARTERS in the 5th round, that is a GEM. I do love it. Just because somebody was taken in the 4th-7th around, those type of players will never gain respect in some peoples eyes. Honestly? I look at you as a tool for not recognizing their talent.

[yordad]

They say it takes three years before you can start to grade a rookie draft class. Well, three years later it’s time to make some grades. What do you think?<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
1A- Donte Whitner- Despite many thinking he was a reach, he was drafted to be a hard-hitting safety who made big plays in the mold of a Brian Dawkins or Adrian Wilson. Three years later, Whitner has done next-to-nothing in the big play department. Want proof? Adrian Wilson has more sacks (2) and as many forced fumbles (2) in his three postseason games THIS season than Whitner has in his entire three year career! Whitner in three years has all of one sack to go with a pair of interceptions and forced fumbles. While it may not be Whitner’s fault he was taken so high, fair or not it’s a standard he must be judged by and after three years, he’s failed miserably. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
1B- John McCargo- Is it safe to call him a useless bust? How about if I add that he became (literally) untradeable by the midpoint of his third season? Good thing we couldn’t have used a center like Nick Mangold in this draft. Grade: F<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
3-Ashton Youboty- Finally proved this summer and fall that he has plenty of talent. Unfortunately, he also proved (yet again) he’s incapable of staying on the field. You can’t be productive when you can’t stay on the field. Grade: C-<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
4-Ko Simpson- Looked pretty good as a rookie (basically pushing Troy Vincent out the door), but has regressed badly this year after missing almost all of 2007 with an injury. .But hey, he’s worth millions! GRADE: D+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
5A- Kyle Williams- More than what the team could have hoped for. Is entrenched as the starter. But even though he’s a “try hard” kind of DT, the fact he’s the starter demonstrates our front four overall is weak. Still, a bargain at this phase of the draft. GRADE: B+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
5B- Brad Butler- A starting right guard for the team three years later. While he probably wouldn’t be starting on at least a handful of other teams, the line was even worse when he was injured this year. GRADE: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
6-Keith Ellison: SHOULD be a versatile backup LB who can play all three positions. But he’s clearly not a starter. He’s overmatched and oft-bullied over 16 games if not 60 minutes. But this was a great value pick at this stage of the draft. Grade: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
7 – Terrance Pennington- Started by the end of his rookie season, was cut before the start of the second. That was the state of the Buffalo Bills 2006 offensive line. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
7B- Aaron Merz- is he even still in the league? GRADE: Who Cares.


OVERALL: C-
Only good value picks with Williams, Butler and Ellison in the later rounds save this draft from being graded a colossal failure. McCargo is officially a bust, while Whitner teeters on irrelevence. Youboty can't stay healthy, while Simpson looked better in July of '06 than he did in December of '08. When you realize the Bills are still weak on both sides of the trenches, and then realize they could've rather easily, and with little risk took Ngata or Bunkley instead of Whitner, and Mangold instead of McCargo, it's rather sickening.

George Wilson could've started. Granted, he has done next-to-nothing just like Whitner. But hey, he wasn't the 8th overall pick in the draft either. Or maybe, just maybe the Bills could've found a better way to use Jim Leonhard, who by coincidence (or not) is thriving in Baltimore.Am I judging the player, the player based on draft postion, or the team for making the selection? I guess I will give an all out weighed grade. There isn't much objective about it, but here goes.
Whitner- A mixed bag. He has been a C player. I project a B career. He was taken in an A+ spot. He gets an A for the "locker room" stat. When the Bills took him, safety was a dire need, so he took an F position to a C as a rookie.

B-

McCargo- F. Nuff said.

Youboty- I really just want to give this one an incomplete (I mean, there is no rule that says "you grade them after three years"), but I wont. 3rd round? Can't blame the Bills for this pick, he certainly is talented. Thus far he would be a D-. He may prove to be an A for value someday, but it will likely be for someone else. I mean, he has only one more year left on his rookie contract. But, he may prove to be valuable in '08.

Feels like a C in the works.

Simpson- Started great for a 4th rounder. The Bills appeared to have found a steal. Now we know he is not the long term answer. In fact, I'm not sure he has a spot in this league. I'm dishing another C here.

Williams- OK, the Bills get an A+ for the pick, and Williams gets an A++ for value. He hasn't been stellar or anything, but he hasn't been the weak link either. He is like a C starter. He could get better too.

I give the whole conglomerate an B+.

Butler- See "Williams". B+

Ellison- A two year starter in the 6th? Well, he is a F starter, but his value has been an A+. He should be a good special teams player an versatile, experienced backup moving forward. B+

Pennington- We got a starter in the 7th? Only for a year, that is good. But, he was bad. C-

[djjimkelly]

3 years later it looks like a very bad draft way to go DICK

[Turbo.GUN.Hawk!]

Gotta love the haters, the more you hate the more this place becomes a ghost town. Anytime you can land QUALITY STARTERS in the 5th round, that is a GEM. I do love it. Just because somebody was taken in the 4th-7th around, those type of players will never gain respect in some peoples eyes. Honestly? I look at you as a tool for not recognizing their talent. So you consider Brad Butler is a quality starter? And you think with an o-line full of players with the talent of Butler and an d-line full of players with the talent of Williams we are Superbowl bound?

[Luisito23]

Whitner gets an easy F from me...If he was picked in the 3rd. or 4th. round I would of probably gave him a B or a C....Kyle Williams I give an A just because of where he was picked, the others I really don't care too much about.

[Night Train]

I give Whitner a C. An F suggests he was an instant bust and is out of the league. They should keep him at FS and send Simpson packing for now.

Kyle Williams is a C or D. He'd be a backup on most any other team since he still cannot anchor and gets blown out many plays. I do not see the attraction. Making a play every 3 games isn't good enough.

Simpson has been a D, IMO. He's made little to no impact back there and should be replaced by Whitner for now.

Ellison is a C or B-. I expected him to be a backup and he's had to start due to shortages/injuries. Still a good pick for Round 6.

Youboty has been a D with all his missed time. He has some talent but may be too frail to last in the NFL.

Yeah, it was a fairly bad draft.

[User Manuel]

They say it takes three years before you can start to grade a rookie draft class. Well, three years later it’s time to make some grades. What do you think?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
1A- Donte Whitner- Despite many thinking he was a reach, he was drafted to be a hard-hitting safety who made big plays in the mold of a Brian Dawkins or Adrian Wilson. Three years later, Whitner has done next-to-nothing in the big play department. Want proof? Adrian Wilson has more sacks (2) and as many forced fumbles (2) in his three postseason games THIS season than Whitner has in his entire three year career! Whitner in three years has all of one sack to go with a pair of interceptions and forced fumbles. While it may not be Whitner’s fault he was taken so high, fair or not it’s a standard he must be judged by and after three years, he’s failed miserably. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
1B- John McCargo- Is it safe to call him a useless bust? How about if I add that he became (literally) untradeable by the midpoint of his third season? Good thing we couldn’t have used a center like Nick Mangold in this draft. Grade: F<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
3-Ashton Youboty- Finally proved this summer and fall that he has plenty of talent. Unfortunately, he also proved (yet again) he’s incapable of staying on the field. You can’t be productive when you can’t stay on the field. Grade: C-<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
4-Ko Simpson- Looked pretty good as a rookie (basically pushing Troy Vincent out the door), but has regressed badly this year after missing almost all of 2007 with an injury. .But hey, he’s worth millions! GRADE: D+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
5A- Kyle Williams- More than what the team could have hoped for. Is entrenched as the starter. But even though he’s a “try hard” kind of DT, the fact he’s the starter demonstrates our front four overall is weak. Still, a bargain at this phase of the draft. GRADE: B+<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
5B- Brad Butler- A starting right guard for the team three years later. While he probably wouldn’t be starting on at least a handful of other teams, the line was even worse when he was injured this year. GRADE: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
6-Keith Ellison: SHOULD be a versatile backup LB who can play all three positions. But he’s clearly not a starter. He’s overmatched and oft-bullied over 16 games if not 60 minutes. But this was a great value pick at this stage of the draft. Grade: B<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
7 – Terrance Pennington- Started by the end of his rookie season, was cut before the start of the second. That was the state of the Buffalo Bills 2006 offensive line. GRADE: D<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
7B- Aaron Merz- is he even still in the league? GRADE: Who Cares.


OVERALL: C-
Only good value picks with Williams, Butler and Ellison in the later rounds save this draft from being graded a colossal failure. McCargo is officially a bust, while Whitner teeters on irrelevence. Youboty can't stay healthy, while Simpson looked better in July of '06 than he did in December of '08. When you realize the Bills are still weak on both sides of the trenches, and then realize they could've rather easily, and with little risk took Ngata or Bunkley instead of Whitner, and Mangold instead of McCargo, it's rather sickening.

George Wilson could've started. Granted, he has done next-to-nothing just like Whitner. But hey, he wasn't the 8th overall pick in the draft either. Or maybe, just maybe the Bills could've found a better way to use Jim Leonhard, who by coincidence (or not) is thriving in Baltimore.

Well said.

[topher180]

Debate C vs D grades all you want. It's splitting hairs. The bottom line is they reached for Whitner and McCargo and lucked out on guys like Williams and Ellison. End of story.

[Ickybaluky]

Debate C vs D grades all you want. It's splitting hairs. The bottom line is they reached for Whitner and McCargo and lucked out on guys like Williams and Ellison. End of story.

Whitner is at least a starter and a pretty good player, albeit not a star.

The McCargo pick was a killer, because he played a position so critical to the defense. He was supposed to be the Warren Sapp/Tommie Harris type who made the whole defense work. That was a huge miss.

[patmoran2006]

Whitner is at least a starter and a pretty good player, albeit not a star.

The McCargo pick was a killer, because he played a position so critical to the defense. He was supposed to be the Warren Sapp/Tommie Harris type who made the whole defense work. That was a huge miss.
As someone who I consider an objective football follower, in your opinion, what other than running his mouth has made Donte Whitner a pretty good player?

In three years, I've yet to see him make a significant, game-changing play. I don't think it would be fair to him to evaluate against guys like Reed, Dawkins, Wilson or Polamalu.

But for the love of God, shouldn't the guy do SOMETHING that is significant after three years? OH, and I"m not counting tackling a Raider 6 yards in the end zone or having Sammy Morris' shoulder pads permantly implanted in his sternum.

LaRon Landy was a Top 10 pick at safety; has been in the league a year less and despite the "names" doesnt have all the talent in the world around him defensively, yet he's a monster.

To me, Whitner is a body and a starter, and nothing more. .He's been no more a factor to this defense than Keith Ellison, Chris Kelsay or even Byron Scott. He's done not a single thing (literally) on the field to show me he has a single ounce of star quality.

[Marvelous]

Dude, Butler & Kyle Williams deserve "A's" & you know it...Just the fact that they are starters is proof.. Kyle was a beast this past season. Please don't parlay that asw we lack quality..

[patmoran2006]

Dude, Butler & Kyle Williams deserve "A's" & you know it...Just the fact that they are starters is proof.. Kyle was a beast this past season. Please don't parlay that asw we lack quality..
They are good value picks, I said that.

But don't associate the Buffalo BIlls and a "starter" as Automatic "A's"

Ask yourself this. How many teams in the NFL would Kyle Williams be a starter for?

Don't get me wrong, he's a decent player and I think he'd be a GREAT rotational player. But I do not think he is a starting quality DT in the NFL; at least not on a team that would be any good.

[PECKERWOOD]

So you consider Brad Butler is a quality starter? And you think with an o-line full of players with the talent of Butler and an d-line full of players with the talent of Williams we are Superbowl bound?

Absolutely, especially if we are landing guys like this in the 5th round. If we could add a couple impact players with our 1st three picks then you have yourself a team loaded with talent. Plus, when you factor in their incredibly low salaries in comparison to their performance, it's fantastic value and crucial for small market teams to add players like this in the later rounds.


They are good value picks, I said that.

But don't associate the Buffalo BIlls and a "starter" as Automatic "A's"

Ask yourself this. How many teams in the NFL would Kyle Williams be a starter for?

Don't get me wrong, he's a decent player and I think he'd be a GREAT rotational player. But I do not think he is a starting quality DT in the NFL; at least not on a team that would be any good.


Kyle Williams is very underrated, he would start atleast as the 2nd DT on the majority of 4-3 teams in the NFL. Ask yourself this, how many teams did you think that Justin Bannan would start for? He started on the Ravens defense which was ranked 2nd overall.

I bet you that Butler would be a starter on most NFL teams as well. The fact that we got both Butler and Kyle Williams in the 5th round for an incredibly low salary and both filled important positions on this team, yes I would consider these 2 to be A+ picks.

[Ickybaluky]

In three years, I've yet to see him make a significant, game-changing play. I don't think it would be fair to him to evaluate against guys like Reed, Dawkins, Wilson or Polamalu.

Just because he isn't one of the best players in the NFL doesn't make him a bad player. He has started and made plays for the BIlls since being drafted. Was he worth his draft position? Not at this point, but that doesn't mean he sucks, either.

Also... he plays in a predominantly Cover-2 scheme that doesn't allow him to move around much. One might question why the team drafted him that high considering the scheme, since the DL is much more important than the secondary (which plays mostly zone). The general weakness of the Bills front has hurt him some as well during his tenure. They are a small team up front and lack a real game changing player in the terms of Warren Sapp or Dwight Freeney, a must in that scheme. If the pass rush were better, he would probably get more chances to make big plays. If your front is getting pushed around, that makes it harder to paly S.

[eyedog]

Just because he isn't one of the best players in the NFL doesn't make him a bad player. He has started and made plays for the BIlls since being drafted. Was he worth his draft position? Not at this point, but that doesn't mean he sucks, either.

Also... he plays in a predominantly Cover-2 scheme that doesn't allow him to move around much. One might question why the team drafted him that high considering the scheme, since the DL is much more important than the secondary (which plays mostly zone). The general weakness of the Bills front has hurt him some as well during his tenure. They are a small team up front and lack a real game changing player in the terms of Warren Sapp or Dwight Freeney, a must in that scheme. If the pass rush were better, he would probably get more chances to make big plays. If your front is getting pushed around, that makes it harder to paly S.


Well said. So tell me, why would a team continue to draft said d-backs when your d-line sucks ?
I forgot to let you in a on a secret, you see the Bills are smarter than everyone else. That's why they continue to think way beyond everyone else on draft day, and we keep getting these stellar drafts.

[eyedog]

One more thing NE39, did you know that Ngata doesn't "fit our system" thus we can't use any play of his size, agility and play making ability. We have this special defensive scheme that doesn't use players like him.