Aiken

[Tatonka]

did anyone catch his interview on bb.com?

love the guys attitude. i am really starting to like this kid.

he basically said he doesnt have the best 40 time, but he has football speed. he said he knows guys that run a 4.2 and cant catch a cold.

his responses to the reporters were all prefaced with "yes, sir" or "no, sir"

it was funny to, when one reporter asked him about his new jersey nets hat, and if he was a fan, he said no, i am just trying to color cordinate.. rofl..

i like him, and hope he steps up to make a vicious battle for the number 3 spot. it would put us in a great place for the next few years, if reed, then aiken show why we drafted them.

[TigerJ]

TD looks for and seems to find character guys. Aiken is no different. He's got a good chance to make the roster. I think he's a lot like Reed, escept a few inches taller and maybe a little slower. Although, one lengthy article someone posted somewhere, from early last fall, suggested he runs a 4.5 40 instead of the 4.62 we've seen posted everywhere. Maybe he's a little faster than everyone thought.

[Doc]

The official combine numbers say 4.65. As long as he has a strong character, work ethic, has good hands and runs good routes, he'll be a good player.

[BillC]

I don't think WR is as thin as people want to paint.


I always write off rookies- you got to.....(unless he's the next Randy Moss..lol)

This offense is solid as any in the division, if not the league. We are the ONLY team in hte division with Pro bowl firepower at all the skill positions (minus TE)

We will do just fine.

[Doc]

Speaking of TE, I'll be closely watching Dallas Clark in Indy. It will be interesting to see if he would have been a better choice than McGahee.

[BillC]

You can't go by this season's numbers.


What point would it prove if we did draft him? We would still let him rot on the bench. TE's will not be a factor in this O

[Nighthawk]

People need something to complain about and the Bills drafting McGahee (a great pick!) gave them the reason they were looking for. Trust me, the guys running the show know what they're doing...so everybody relax and watch this thing play out.

[Lone Stranger]

I believe that he is going to be this year's surprise and he seems to be a quality person to boot.

[venis2k1]

Originally posted by Doc
Speaking of TE, I'll be closely watching Dallas Clark in Indy. It will be interesting to see if he would have been a better choice than McGahee.

Watching him sitting on the bench... Indy has a great TE in Marcus Pollard. One of the best in the NFL IMO. I dont think Clark will put up great numbers this year(barring a trade of Marcus Pollard). He just wont see that much playing time.

[mypoorfriendme]

its a good thing i trust TD and the rest of the bills excelent front office because if not, id be pissed about aiken. he wont be pushing for number 3, hell be pushing for number 4. whyd we draft him this early when there was a lot more talent in other posions IMO. im hoping aiken is more than just a possession reciever who will never really be put to use. the tatoo across his stomach though is a very good sign.

[The Natrix]

Originally posted by Tatonka


it was funny to, when one reporter asked him about his new jersey nets hat, and if he was a fan, he said no, i am just trying to color cordinate.. rofl..



The Nets are the Bills of Pro Hoops

[justasportsfan]

Aiken will be a superstar.He has all the physical attributes to give Moulds competition for the no. 1 spot.

[WG]

Originally posted by mypoorfriendme
its a good thing i trust TD and the rest of the bills excelent front office because if not, id be pissed about aiken. he wont be pushing for number 3, hell be pushing for number 4. whyd we draft him this early when there was a lot more talent in other posions IMO. im hoping aiken is more than just a possession reciever who will never really be put to use. the tatoo across his stomach though is a very good sign.

I agree w/ ya my!

BUT, I gotta say, while I like TD's free-agency prowess for the most part, I think his draft skills are on the line w/ this draft. The skill in the draft is not in picking players selected within the top 10 overall and then taking a no-brainer pick in round 2 that should have been taken in the first.

The skill in the draft is the players taken in rounds 2-7. Last year, again, other than Reed who by all rights should have been gone in the first, TD's 2-7 picks really weren't that great at all. What, Wire?? So far not one of TD's picks after Reed have proven to be anything and the way we trade away or cut talent that I consider to be good, I wouldn't be suprised if none of those players work out. We traded down for Denney who most teams and analysts didn't even have going in that round, why?, presumably b/c Pittsburgh was interested??? Well, unless something strange happens this season, that'll have been as bad a move as it could have been! As if Pittsburgh's been the standard in NFL drafts throughout the '90s anyway.

I think TD's rep is on the line regarding the draft w/ the way this one pans out.

I also don't think that Aiken will challenge for any more than the 4th this season. The problem that we have w/ our WR depth is not depth for 3rd, 4th, and 5th WRs, but depth in case Reed or Moulds were to go down. Obviously you just don't replace a Moulds easily, or even Reed, but we don't have a WR capable of starting on a F/T basis unless you like Shaw which I don't for that purpose.

I would guess that the WRs that will make the squad will be Moulds, Reed, Shaw, Johnson, and Aiken if he isn't put on the PS. But here's what the PFW write up said about Aiken:

Positives: A big, physical and strong receiver who does the little things. Has 39½-inch vertical. Has good ball skills and hands. Likes to go over the middle and can make the tough catch in traffic with his huge hands. Wants the ball in clutch situations. Continuously beats the jam, avoids press and uses his strength well. Was on kick-coverage and punt-coverage teams and can also return. Has some niftiness and is flexible. Reliable and consistent. Has enough size to be a possession receiver.

Negatives: Isn't quick or sudden off the line of scrimmage and doesn't have top or pure speed. Doesn't get deep and can have trouble gaining separation against top corners. Is not a playmaker after the catch and will get caught from behind.

Summary: Solid, possession-type receiver who could catch and block, but his lack of vertical speed really hurts his upside potential.

That doesn't sound like the type of WR that was any kind of steal in round 4, although equitable for round 4. So I agree that there must have been better talent available there. It also doesn't blare out any indications that he'll push for #3 let alone any starting role. Consider that he came from NC where he never broke 1,000, had only 4 TDs (in 3 games) as a Sr., and only had 3 100-yd. games.

[Jan Reimers]

Who cares about combine numbers? Weren't Bosworth, Mandarich, et.al. workout warriors? Productivity is what counts. Aiken will be a really good receiver.

[WG]

We'll see. I don't see him doing anything this season. WRs very rarely do anything worthy of note in their first season. That's why we know Reed is gonna be something special. As a #3 he did very well indeed w/ only limited opps.

Either way, the talk in this thread is as if we've got the next Antonio Freeman here. I think it's a bit early to be jumpin' the gun on that too. Last year we all thought Denney, Edwards and a few others would break out and what? Nothing.

So we'll have to wait and see. But to pencil this guy in for guaranteed contributions w/ his background is presumptuous.

I'll simply be happy this season if Kelsay is even 2/3 of what TD and the scouting staff thought he was. The problem there is that he had a knock for getting consistently and thoroughly beaten by the best in college. Well, HELLO, guess who's gonna be in the NFL??? We really don't need anymore Schobels/Hansons. We need a playmaker which it does not appear that Kelsay is gonna be.

[Ebenezer]

None of us know anything about this kid...let him show on the field then we can talk about him.

[ryjam282]

I agree, I don't think we will see much outta Aiken this year but I think in the next few years, with Bledsoe and Moulds teaching him. He will be pretty good. Let's not hope he gets too big for his own britches (Peerless) and wants crazy money.

GO BILLS!!!

[Cntrygal]

Jan Reimers & ryjam282............. Welcome to the Zone!!! :)

[WG]

Originally posted by Ebenezer
None of us know anything about this kid...let him show on the field then we can talk about him.

Right!

So why are some talking about him as if he was some kind of total steal in round 4?

I agree with you, but if you do happen to look at his collegiate career, nothing really leaps off the page suggesting that he's ever gonna be anything more than a 4th, possibly a 3rd WR.

Could he start? Sure. He could also not be playing in the league in '06 or '07.

I simply think it's a tad bit too early to start heaping kudos on TD for drafting this kid.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I don't think he is any kind of steal in the fourth round but he could develop(hopefully) into a decent posession receiver(Mccardell??). This discussion might have to wait a couple years until he finally plays..