What the Bills Should Do in The Draft

[Mike]

Here is what I would do....
..... Trade Down in the first, maybe 2x and get as many 2nd round picks as possible.
..... Then try to draft the following 4 players in the First 3 Round (no particular order)

1) G: Mike Iupati, Idaho: Considered Best Guard Prospect to come out in the last 10yrs. Best player in draft within his position. Draft him and put Wood at Center.

2) LT: Rodger Saffold, Indiana: Climbing up draft boards, should be there in early second round. Put him at LT and our line is set for the next 10yrs

2) DT/DE: Tyson Alualu (Cal): Played in a 3-4 at Cal but may be more suited for 4-3, never the less he shows great explosiveness.

3) Wr: Jordan Shiply (TEX): Perfect slot reciever. He can be our version of Wes Walker or Gonzalez (Colts). Should help the passing game with Evens on one side, him in the slot, and whomever at WR2 spot.

These Moves will: Complete our O-Line for years to Come. What do you think of a line that looks like this: LT: Saffold LG: Lavitre/Iupati C: Wood RG:Leveitr/Iupati RT: Bell or BPA. I think, assuming picks pan out, our O-Line will be sick within 2yrs and an upgrade at RT. Next year, I would draft a QB in the first, assuming we have a top 10 pick and a chance to get a top QB.

OUr D-Line: Also improved w/Alualu. I would continue to look for NT which are rare. Maybe target one in the upcomming drafts or with the 4th round pick.

Picks 4th round - 7th round
Get BPA with a focus on: LB, DT/DE, RB,

What do you think? I think all of these pick are reasonable. I do believe that there will be ample opportunity to trade down, and getting an extra 2nd round will really help (Last year the Pats traded down 2x in the First round alone. If your asking price is reasonable, I think you will have many partners who wish to trade up. Of course this all starts with picking up the phone). I am making solidifying the O-Line a priority while adding a complementary WR. These moves should really help out the Offence.

[SirMcGee]

mkay

[Mike]

So what do you guys think? If the draft unfolded in this way, how would you think? Would you make any changes to this?

[Ingtar33]

Mike Iupati won't fall any further then 24th (the Eagles won't let him get by) and might go before then.

how are we going to pull 2 2nd round picks out of 2 trade backs in just 13 picks.

who wants 9th? who will trade up for it? you can't just say "i want to trade back", you need to have a player in your lap someone else really wants, which they don't think will be there when their pick comes up. They have to want to trade up so much they don't mind losing a 2nd round pick for it.

i've got news for you, the only people who might be in that boat are behind the Eagles not in front of them.

[SirMcGee]

Why would we take another guard after taking 3 interior lineman in the offseason last year? There's no logic to this.

[Mike]

Ingtar

I think there will be plenty of interest to trade up to 9 from the teens or early 20's as long as the price is not too high. NE did it numerous times last year. How is it possible that they were able to trade down 3 times in the first round, while we can not even do it once? Just pick up the phone, and call the next 12 teams who are to draft, if the asking price is reasonable it will be a go!
Moreover, there are certain very talented players who may drop to our possition including Dez Bryan who is a top 5 talent, Claussen, Spiller, McCain etc...the players and value will be there for someone to be willing to part with their 2nd to go from 22 to 9th to get a Dez Bryant type of player who for sure will be long gone before 22!

[Luisito23]

I hate how people always come up with these trade down scenarios as if it was so simple to pull off.

[nateodoms'bff]

I hate how people always come up with these trade down scenarios as if it was so simple to pull off.

And I hate how quickly people put down a really sound draft scenario.

Good work Mike.

I too am a proponent of trading down. The fact that there will be some top level talent left on the board at #9 should be pretty enticing for teams looking for CJ Spiller or Dez Bryant. Then trading down again is possible for a team to even leap frog two spots. I can see Texas being a willing participant in any of the trade down scenario. In fact, if the Bills have no interest in either Spiller at #9, I make the call to Texas and ask for their 2nd rounder this year. At that point, a team may want to jump back into the the first round, or a team like the Ravens may be interested in jumping ahead of Cincinnati to ensure they get the pick they want. There will be a lot of scenarios that play out on draft day, and with no salary cap, I would expect to see some players get moved as well. MAybe not from the Bills, but certainly other teams.

[Night Train]

I don't think players like Saffold will be there at #41, with such a premium on LT's. Iupati will go somewhere in the #15-#30 range.

I like the thinking. I hope the Bills are lucky enough to receive an offer to trade down, even if they moved back late into the first round. They would still have a shot at Saffold and then could add another pick or two.

It's still unknown if they'll even get an opportunity.

[THRILLHO]

And I hate how quickly people put down a really sound draft scenario.



I too am a proponent of trading down.

Every year people say TRADE DOWN. When is the last time we have? I think everyone is a propenent of trading down, it just does not happen very much. When a rookie salary structure is put in place, trades will happen all the time and trading down/up will be more feasible.

[Buddo]

While I'm thinking it is unlikely to happen, I do think it's fair to say that this year, may well be one of the Bills better opportunities to do so. There are a number of players that different teams could covet, who should be still available at #9. Spiller and McClain are two guys who we could easily be fielding calls for, from the Texans in Spiller's case, or the Giants and McClain. I'm sure there could be other possibilities also. While I'm not so sure it would be prudent to pass up the opportunity to draft him ourselves, letting someone up to #9 to draft Dan Williams, might not be that bad a move, if it stops the Fins taking him @ 14 ( I think they pick there).
What I am unsure of, is what other teams may want the aforementioned players, as you do need at least two teams thinking they want the same guy, for it to be practicable.