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Every year, one of the more popular pre-draft features here at Buffalo Rumblings is when we run down the top five NFL Draft prospects that would be considered "best fits" for the Buffalo Bills. "Best fit" is a broad term; usually, it applies schematically, but we also attempt to fit character, intangibles, work ethic and potential into the equation as well.
In 2007, Rumblings was in its nascent stages, and I called current Texans DT Amobi Okoye the best fit from the 2007 draft class. (Leon Hall, Jon Beason, Robert Meachem and the late Gaines Adams also made the list.) We had five comments on the post - in those days, I was joyously skipping through the rain when the blog got one comment - so I could tell immediately that this was a hit. (If you're looking for a laugh, make sure to note our very own MARVelous pulling a "Poslunsky" in the comments section. Those were the days.)
A year later, when we still weren't all that recognizable in the Bills blogosphere, we named current Jet Vernon Gholston the best fit, with Devin Thomas, Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis and Owen Schmitt getting mentions as well. 83 comments later, I knew this would be a yearly feature. Last year, I went with B.J. Raji as top dog, with Aaron Maybin, Max Unger, Brandon Pettigrew and Lawrence Sidbury getting mentions as well.
Yeah. I got off to a rocky start in this feature. You don't need to tell me that, folks, though I don't doubt a few of you will bring it up. (At least I can spell Posluszny.)
You're now reading the 2010 version of this post. Unlike previous iterations of this list, we'll take out hypothetical availability as a factor, and instead of disregarding the team's draft-day needs, we'll absolutely consider those here. (Had we not, C.J. Spiller and Dez Bryant would be on the list.) Since we've named a defensive lineman the "best fit" three years running now, it was only fitting to carry on the tradition.
1. Ndamukong Suh, DE, Nebraska (6'4", 307). Suh probably sits at the top of this list for every team in the league, and obviously, he won't come close to sliding to Buffalo's first-round pick, No. 9 overall. He might not have sat at the top of this list, had the Bills decided to run a 4-3. In the 3-4, however, Suh has devastating potential. He's long, supremely strong, and creates more havoc by himself than many entire defensive lines. In a 3-4 - where he'd be an end, not a nose tackle - Suh's brute strength, block-shedding and playmaking abilities would be at the forefront, and his versatility, along with the attention he'd draw from opponents' blocking schemes, would make it nearly impossible for teams to diagnose a pass rush pre-snap. Suh will do just fine if he ends up in a 4-3, but in a 3-4, he could establish himself as an elite NFL player right out of the gate.
In 2007, Rumblings was in its nascent stages, and I called current Texans DT Amobi Okoye the best fit from the 2007 draft class. (Leon Hall, Jon Beason, Robert Meachem and the late Gaines Adams also made the list.) We had five comments on the post - in those days, I was joyously skipping through the rain when the blog got one comment - so I could tell immediately that this was a hit. (If you're looking for a laugh, make sure to note our very own MARVelous pulling a "Poslunsky" in the comments section. Those were the days.)
A year later, when we still weren't all that recognizable in the Bills blogosphere, we named current Jet Vernon Gholston the best fit, with Devin Thomas, Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis and Owen Schmitt getting mentions as well. 83 comments later, I knew this would be a yearly feature. Last year, I went with B.J. Raji as top dog, with Aaron Maybin, Max Unger, Brandon Pettigrew and Lawrence Sidbury getting mentions as well.
Yeah. I got off to a rocky start in this feature. You don't need to tell me that, folks, though I don't doubt a few of you will bring it up. (At least I can spell Posluszny.)
You're now reading the 2010 version of this post. Unlike previous iterations of this list, we'll take out hypothetical availability as a factor, and instead of disregarding the team's draft-day needs, we'll absolutely consider those here. (Had we not, C.J. Spiller and Dez Bryant would be on the list.) Since we've named a defensive lineman the "best fit" three years running now, it was only fitting to carry on the tradition.
1. Ndamukong Suh, DE, Nebraska (6'4", 307). Suh probably sits at the top of this list for every team in the league, and obviously, he won't come close to sliding to Buffalo's first-round pick, No. 9 overall. He might not have sat at the top of this list, had the Bills decided to run a 4-3. In the 3-4, however, Suh has devastating potential. He's long, supremely strong, and creates more havoc by himself than many entire defensive lines. In a 3-4 - where he'd be an end, not a nose tackle - Suh's brute strength, block-shedding and playmaking abilities would be at the forefront, and his versatility, along with the attention he'd draw from opponents' blocking schemes, would make it nearly impossible for teams to diagnose a pass rush pre-snap. Suh will do just fine if he ends up in a 4-3, but in a 3-4, he could establish himself as an elite NFL player right out of the gate.
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