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Ok, as promised earlier, I figured I'd toss out a small review of what I thought about the Bills picks.
1) Aaron Maybin - Best pure pass rushing end in the draft, with an almost inhuman jump on the snap. I know the knock on him is his weight, but lets not forget that Javon Kearse is almost the exact same size. If Maybin can give us the 10 sacks Kearse gave the Titans in his rookie year then this will be a defensive rookie of the year type pick. While he has a pretty developed pass rush toolkit, his hands aren't great, which makes this pick not a lock (bad hands means OTs probably will be able to engulf him). He is really raw, with a lot of upside. So depending on his drive to improve he'll either be a steal at 11, or a bust. Orakpo was a physical wonder, and well rounded as well, but he was no where near the passrusher Maybin is. Pretty good pick.
Grade: B+ If his hands were better, I'd rate this higher, but really, you can't argue with grabbing the best pure passrusher in the draft (frankly the best pure passrusher at DE since Peppers came out) after watching that joke of a passrush last year. I'm frankly stunned he wasn't taken before 11. Possible day 1 starter (would be higher if i thought he was an every down player out of the gate)
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2) Eric Wood - For my money he was the best Center in the draft. Yes, he's a little limited in space, not getting to the 2nd level as easily as Mack or Unger, but his intangibles are first rate. This guy is mean, tough, and smart. He's also a bit better of a run blocker then either Mack or Unger. Hartinger, while penciled in as starter at Center will likely be moved to Guard before the season is through, with Wood ending up in the middle. First day starter on the line. love the pick.
Grade: A About time the bills address the center of their line. A decade later then i would like, but this is a great pick.
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3) Jairus Byrd - He killed himself in the combine with a poor 40 time, but when you watch him play, he doesn't play anything like a player with 4.6 40 time. He's got great break on the ball, good hands, and has great instincts. In short, with a 4.4 40 time, he would have gone in the top 15 picks. The Bills say he'll play safety, i think as a ball hawking free safety he'll probably thrive. Before the draft i would have summed him up as an ideal 2 deep zone DB... we'll see if that's the case.
Grade: B Probable day 1 starter at FS in round 2, you can't ask for better. Possibly limited physically is the only warning sign.
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4) Andy Levitre - Great late 2nd round pickup... more then worth the trade up, he was clearly the best pure guard in this draft, with a mean attitude and viscous demeanor in run blocking he'll quickly become a fan favorite. Yet another day 1 starter from what seems like a great draft.
Grade: A+ Simply put a great pickup, no one better to be had here.
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5) Shawn Nelson - Amazing day 2 steal, Nelson was hands down the most talented receiving TE in the draft. He runs great routs, has great speed, and great hands. Reminds me a lot of Shanon Sharpe, who was built the same, and was just as forgettable a run blocker when he came out of college. If he can get even average in the run blocking game he'll be an instant starter, as his receiving skills are heads and shoulders better then any of the other tight ends we have on the roster.
Grade: A Great late round steal, he should be an instant contributor, and possible day 1 starter.
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6) Nic Harris - This pick intrigued me, as anyone who watched the Sooners couldn't possibly miss Harris flying around the field. In some ways he reminded me of Roy Williams (not quite as good), as he played what basically amounts to a position similar to the 46 defense's SS in the Sooners defense. The word is the Bills plan to move him to Sam, which would be a good fit for his skills, especially in a Tampa 2, which needs OLBs who can move fast and have good ball skills. You could wish for a little more size, but his frame leaves him with a good 10 pounds to be added without too much problem, so maybe that's not much of a concern. The interesting thing about this pick will be how he takes to the Sam position, because he certainly has the coverage skills to start day 1 (especially when you consider he'll be competing with Ellison)
Grade: B- This would be a B+ if he actually played some OLB in college. I wish he was a little faster, but you can't deny he's got a good nose for the football, and some well developed pass rushing skills. Project pick, which might turn out pretty good in the end.
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Cary Harris He has the look of a classic cover 2 DB. Not sure what the bills will do with him though. Probably a depth pick up or special teams fodder, im not sure if there is a lot of room for him on the roster, but you never know. Fairly polished, there isn't a lot he can do technique wise to get better. Might be better off at one of the safety positions, but you can't deny he's built just like most Tampa 2 CBs... 5'8"-5'10" 180.
Grade: C- His physical limits might make this a wasted pick... I know im asking for a lot from a 6th round pick, but i would have liked it more if we grabbed someone who was less polished and had more physical tools.
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Ellis Lankster What i wrote for Cary Harris could be said about Lankster, though i think he is slightly more physically gifted, and slightly less polished technically. Like Harris, i don't know if he'd make a better safety or CB, but he does fit a zone scheme better then a man. I suspect he was drafted for depth at SS. But that's just a personal hunch.
Grade: C+ Not a bad pick, nothing to write home about, he'll have some difficult making the final squad unless he can excel on special teams, or make the jump to Safety.
Overall Draft Grade: A-
You can't argue with a draft where we grabbed 3 certain (possibly as many as 5) day 1 starters. Overall i think the Bills made themselves a much better football team, filling a lot of glaring gaps in their roster, and adding a little depth as well.
1) Aaron Maybin - Best pure pass rushing end in the draft, with an almost inhuman jump on the snap. I know the knock on him is his weight, but lets not forget that Javon Kearse is almost the exact same size. If Maybin can give us the 10 sacks Kearse gave the Titans in his rookie year then this will be a defensive rookie of the year type pick. While he has a pretty developed pass rush toolkit, his hands aren't great, which makes this pick not a lock (bad hands means OTs probably will be able to engulf him). He is really raw, with a lot of upside. So depending on his drive to improve he'll either be a steal at 11, or a bust. Orakpo was a physical wonder, and well rounded as well, but he was no where near the passrusher Maybin is. Pretty good pick.
Grade: B+ If his hands were better, I'd rate this higher, but really, you can't argue with grabbing the best pure passrusher in the draft (frankly the best pure passrusher at DE since Peppers came out) after watching that joke of a passrush last year. I'm frankly stunned he wasn't taken before 11. Possible day 1 starter (would be higher if i thought he was an every down player out of the gate)
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2) Eric Wood - For my money he was the best Center in the draft. Yes, he's a little limited in space, not getting to the 2nd level as easily as Mack or Unger, but his intangibles are first rate. This guy is mean, tough, and smart. He's also a bit better of a run blocker then either Mack or Unger. Hartinger, while penciled in as starter at Center will likely be moved to Guard before the season is through, with Wood ending up in the middle. First day starter on the line. love the pick.
Grade: A About time the bills address the center of their line. A decade later then i would like, but this is a great pick.
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3) Jairus Byrd - He killed himself in the combine with a poor 40 time, but when you watch him play, he doesn't play anything like a player with 4.6 40 time. He's got great break on the ball, good hands, and has great instincts. In short, with a 4.4 40 time, he would have gone in the top 15 picks. The Bills say he'll play safety, i think as a ball hawking free safety he'll probably thrive. Before the draft i would have summed him up as an ideal 2 deep zone DB... we'll see if that's the case.
Grade: B Probable day 1 starter at FS in round 2, you can't ask for better. Possibly limited physically is the only warning sign.
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4) Andy Levitre - Great late 2nd round pickup... more then worth the trade up, he was clearly the best pure guard in this draft, with a mean attitude and viscous demeanor in run blocking he'll quickly become a fan favorite. Yet another day 1 starter from what seems like a great draft.
Grade: A+ Simply put a great pickup, no one better to be had here.
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5) Shawn Nelson - Amazing day 2 steal, Nelson was hands down the most talented receiving TE in the draft. He runs great routs, has great speed, and great hands. Reminds me a lot of Shanon Sharpe, who was built the same, and was just as forgettable a run blocker when he came out of college. If he can get even average in the run blocking game he'll be an instant starter, as his receiving skills are heads and shoulders better then any of the other tight ends we have on the roster.
Grade: A Great late round steal, he should be an instant contributor, and possible day 1 starter.
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6) Nic Harris - This pick intrigued me, as anyone who watched the Sooners couldn't possibly miss Harris flying around the field. In some ways he reminded me of Roy Williams (not quite as good), as he played what basically amounts to a position similar to the 46 defense's SS in the Sooners defense. The word is the Bills plan to move him to Sam, which would be a good fit for his skills, especially in a Tampa 2, which needs OLBs who can move fast and have good ball skills. You could wish for a little more size, but his frame leaves him with a good 10 pounds to be added without too much problem, so maybe that's not much of a concern. The interesting thing about this pick will be how he takes to the Sam position, because he certainly has the coverage skills to start day 1 (especially when you consider he'll be competing with Ellison)
Grade: B- This would be a B+ if he actually played some OLB in college. I wish he was a little faster, but you can't deny he's got a good nose for the football, and some well developed pass rushing skills. Project pick, which might turn out pretty good in the end.
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Cary Harris He has the look of a classic cover 2 DB. Not sure what the bills will do with him though. Probably a depth pick up or special teams fodder, im not sure if there is a lot of room for him on the roster, but you never know. Fairly polished, there isn't a lot he can do technique wise to get better. Might be better off at one of the safety positions, but you can't deny he's built just like most Tampa 2 CBs... 5'8"-5'10" 180.
Grade: C- His physical limits might make this a wasted pick... I know im asking for a lot from a 6th round pick, but i would have liked it more if we grabbed someone who was less polished and had more physical tools.
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Ellis Lankster What i wrote for Cary Harris could be said about Lankster, though i think he is slightly more physically gifted, and slightly less polished technically. Like Harris, i don't know if he'd make a better safety or CB, but he does fit a zone scheme better then a man. I suspect he was drafted for depth at SS. But that's just a personal hunch.
Grade: C+ Not a bad pick, nothing to write home about, he'll have some difficult making the final squad unless he can excel on special teams, or make the jump to Safety.
Overall Draft Grade: A-
You can't argue with a draft where we grabbed 3 certain (possibly as many as 5) day 1 starters. Overall i think the Bills made themselves a much better football team, filling a lot of glaring gaps in their roster, and adding a little depth as well.
was waiting for this! Great writeup man!
" ~ yordad
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