Tweet
I’ve learned over the years to try and wait a full day after the draft is over before posting my thoughts. It helps prevent me from the typical instant over-reaction immediately following a pick. As anyone who’s read the threads this weekend can see, I’ve refrained from any pick commentary. I’ll also keep as brief as possible since I’m sure opinions have been read dozens of times over by now.
Anyway, here are mine.
Rd 1. Aaron Maybin, DE: I absolutely love this pick. I’ve been telling friends and fans over the past week that this is the guy I wanted at #11 badly (Lecter will testify to this from Friday night). I think of all the pass rushers in the draft, he has the most upside, and that included Orakpo and Brown. I know many are surprised the Bills passed on Orakpo, but given his analysis and Texas’ long history of early round busts, I’m glad we did. Maybin is going to be a beast for us over time. More than that, I love his attitude, and unlike last year’s pick (McKelvin), Maybin is an excellent communicator (not suggesting picks should be made on that, but I consider it a bonus). People absolute must not be quick to judge Maybin: I still think his best days will come eventually as a 3-4 rush linebacker in the mold of Terrell Suggs once this team finally scrapes this cover two, which I think happens after this season. Regardless if it’s a 4-3 or 3-4, I think Maybin is going to grow into a great player. If I were the Bills GM picking 11th, I’d have done the exact same thing.
Rd 1: Eric Wood, G: I was mildly surprised by this pick, but after digesting it I like it. Look, anyone who watched the games last year saw how terrible we were in the interior of the offensive line. It had to be addressed sooner than later. Wood isn’t a reach; many mocks I saw had him going at the end of the first to Arizona or Pittsburgh. He’s a tough nose guy that will knock people around, and this team, with our running game, needs that badly. This isn’t the fanciest of picks, but I like it a lot. He should be the starting left guard from day one.
Rd 2: Jarius Byrd, DB: My first reaction to this outrage. Admittedly, it was because I thought it was already a pre 2010 strike to replace Terrence McGee. That’s been our history far too often. However, after learning we plan to use him as safety I came around to the pick. The bottom line is our safeties are not turnover machines. Whitner, Simpson, Wilson, Scott; they don’t make interceptions.. This kid had a lot of them in college. We need a ballhawk at FS. This keeps Whitner at SS and maybe with a better defender at FS it opens up more things for him. Still a little surprised we didn’t take a more ‘established’ safety from college, but after Chung (and he was already gone) there wasn’t anyone I really wanted. I still don’t love this pick, but it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been saying for a while safety is a very underated need and the team addressed it.
Rd 2: Andy Levitre, OL: This was another pick I was originally unhappy about. The one thing I didn’t want early in this draft was a freegin tackle. Shore up the middle of the line! I was pleased to learn soon thereafter that he projects to guard. Unlike Wood, I do not think he starts as a rookie. I think he backs up both guard spots in year one. But I’m OK with that. I think Butler stays at RG, for now. And if he underperforms again (I thought he did big time last year) he can move to right tackle, or be replaced altogether. This team has been woeful for years at offensive line, both in starting talent and depth, and the Bills are doing something about it. You can never have too much offensive line talent. I’m much happier we went OG again than I thought I’d be. I personally preferred Duke Robinson, but apparently he was overvalued in mocks as he stayed on the board quite a while later.
Rd4: Shawn Nelson, TE: Could be my second favorite pick of this draft.. Without getting into much detail, he’s exactly what this offense needs. .He will stretch the field and make life easier on Trent Edwards. I love this pick. It took the Bills what, 15 seconds to make the pick? Love it
Rd 5: Nic Harris, LB: I really hate the cover two defense, but since we insist on playing it, I have no problem with this pick, though I preferred Marcus Freeman here. Harris is in the mold of former Dallas safety Roy Williams, who should’ve been a LB. Assuming the Bills don’t make any more moves in FA to address LB, he has a chance to come and take some playing time away from Ellison this year. Again, I was preferring Freeman but I don’t hate this pick at all.
I’m not going to comment about the last two picks, because frankly I think they’re irrelevant; plus I don’t care. Maybe one makes the practice squad.
My Overall Conclusion: Love this draft. For once, the team stuck to what it really needed to do most; get better and bigger up front. Maybin should help the pass rush in a big way, and the offensive line got a lot stronger. As a whole, I would grade this draft as the best the Bills have had since 2001, when we got Clements, Schobel and Henry in the first two rounds and other usesful players (Jennings, Spoon, etc) later on.
QUICK JASON PETERS NOTE: I said right after the trade, that I would hate the trade if we used a first rounder on a tackle to replace. WE didn’t, therefore I don’t hate the trade anymore. Chambers and Bell will compete for RT, and I’m OK with that, with possibly Butler returning to the tackle mix. They took a much needed guard and a tight end with the two picks they got from Philly, and they saved a boatload of money in the process. The trade looks nowhere as bad to me now.
PHILLY TRADE NOTE: I was highly critical of the Bills getting the 28th pick instead of #21 from Philadelphia. Once again, it was the right move for Buffalo. The Bills obviously had a plan in place to address interior offensive line at #28. They didn’t need the 21st pick. At #21 they might’ve taken Wood (or Mack) anyway, and it would’ve costed them more money. So getting the #28 instead allowed them to get the same guy, and at a cheaper rate.
FINAL MCCARGO NOTE: Not taking a DT in this draft, one of the few things I didn’t like about it as a whole, shows that the team may give John McCargo one more real opportunity to make his mark on this team. They go into camp with four DT’s and McCargo will get a chance, assuredly for the final time, to show something.
Anyway, here are mine.
Rd 1. Aaron Maybin, DE: I absolutely love this pick. I’ve been telling friends and fans over the past week that this is the guy I wanted at #11 badly (Lecter will testify to this from Friday night). I think of all the pass rushers in the draft, he has the most upside, and that included Orakpo and Brown. I know many are surprised the Bills passed on Orakpo, but given his analysis and Texas’ long history of early round busts, I’m glad we did. Maybin is going to be a beast for us over time. More than that, I love his attitude, and unlike last year’s pick (McKelvin), Maybin is an excellent communicator (not suggesting picks should be made on that, but I consider it a bonus). People absolute must not be quick to judge Maybin: I still think his best days will come eventually as a 3-4 rush linebacker in the mold of Terrell Suggs once this team finally scrapes this cover two, which I think happens after this season. Regardless if it’s a 4-3 or 3-4, I think Maybin is going to grow into a great player. If I were the Bills GM picking 11th, I’d have done the exact same thing.
Rd 1: Eric Wood, G: I was mildly surprised by this pick, but after digesting it I like it. Look, anyone who watched the games last year saw how terrible we were in the interior of the offensive line. It had to be addressed sooner than later. Wood isn’t a reach; many mocks I saw had him going at the end of the first to Arizona or Pittsburgh. He’s a tough nose guy that will knock people around, and this team, with our running game, needs that badly. This isn’t the fanciest of picks, but I like it a lot. He should be the starting left guard from day one.
Rd 2: Jarius Byrd, DB: My first reaction to this outrage. Admittedly, it was because I thought it was already a pre 2010 strike to replace Terrence McGee. That’s been our history far too often. However, after learning we plan to use him as safety I came around to the pick. The bottom line is our safeties are not turnover machines. Whitner, Simpson, Wilson, Scott; they don’t make interceptions.. This kid had a lot of them in college. We need a ballhawk at FS. This keeps Whitner at SS and maybe with a better defender at FS it opens up more things for him. Still a little surprised we didn’t take a more ‘established’ safety from college, but after Chung (and he was already gone) there wasn’t anyone I really wanted. I still don’t love this pick, but it’s hard to argue that it doesn’t make sense. I’ve been saying for a while safety is a very underated need and the team addressed it.
Rd 2: Andy Levitre, OL: This was another pick I was originally unhappy about. The one thing I didn’t want early in this draft was a freegin tackle. Shore up the middle of the line! I was pleased to learn soon thereafter that he projects to guard. Unlike Wood, I do not think he starts as a rookie. I think he backs up both guard spots in year one. But I’m OK with that. I think Butler stays at RG, for now. And if he underperforms again (I thought he did big time last year) he can move to right tackle, or be replaced altogether. This team has been woeful for years at offensive line, both in starting talent and depth, and the Bills are doing something about it. You can never have too much offensive line talent. I’m much happier we went OG again than I thought I’d be. I personally preferred Duke Robinson, but apparently he was overvalued in mocks as he stayed on the board quite a while later.
Rd4: Shawn Nelson, TE: Could be my second favorite pick of this draft.. Without getting into much detail, he’s exactly what this offense needs. .He will stretch the field and make life easier on Trent Edwards. I love this pick. It took the Bills what, 15 seconds to make the pick? Love it
Rd 5: Nic Harris, LB: I really hate the cover two defense, but since we insist on playing it, I have no problem with this pick, though I preferred Marcus Freeman here. Harris is in the mold of former Dallas safety Roy Williams, who should’ve been a LB. Assuming the Bills don’t make any more moves in FA to address LB, he has a chance to come and take some playing time away from Ellison this year. Again, I was preferring Freeman but I don’t hate this pick at all.
I’m not going to comment about the last two picks, because frankly I think they’re irrelevant; plus I don’t care. Maybe one makes the practice squad.
My Overall Conclusion: Love this draft. For once, the team stuck to what it really needed to do most; get better and bigger up front. Maybin should help the pass rush in a big way, and the offensive line got a lot stronger. As a whole, I would grade this draft as the best the Bills have had since 2001, when we got Clements, Schobel and Henry in the first two rounds and other usesful players (Jennings, Spoon, etc) later on.
QUICK JASON PETERS NOTE: I said right after the trade, that I would hate the trade if we used a first rounder on a tackle to replace. WE didn’t, therefore I don’t hate the trade anymore. Chambers and Bell will compete for RT, and I’m OK with that, with possibly Butler returning to the tackle mix. They took a much needed guard and a tight end with the two picks they got from Philly, and they saved a boatload of money in the process. The trade looks nowhere as bad to me now.
PHILLY TRADE NOTE: I was highly critical of the Bills getting the 28th pick instead of #21 from Philadelphia. Once again, it was the right move for Buffalo. The Bills obviously had a plan in place to address interior offensive line at #28. They didn’t need the 21st pick. At #21 they might’ve taken Wood (or Mack) anyway, and it would’ve costed them more money. So getting the #28 instead allowed them to get the same guy, and at a cheaper rate.
FINAL MCCARGO NOTE: Not taking a DT in this draft, one of the few things I didn’t like about it as a whole, shows that the team may give John McCargo one more real opportunity to make his mark on this team. They go into camp with four DT’s and McCargo will get a chance, assuredly for the final time, to show something.
Comment