In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

[Blacksheep71]

Having had a month to digest what we did in the draft, and who went where, I wonder whether we didn't maximise the opportunities to really step up.

It is, of course, early to reflect upon this class before even have had a training camp but we all know that during the draft process, talented players will often fall due to no fault of their own but to the needs of teams drafting by need rather than what might be the best player available.

The likes of Jerry Resse (Giants), Ted Thompson (Packers) and Ossie Newsome (Ravens) always seem to find steals, taking players throughout the draft who end up starting irrespective of round taken whilst Nix/Gailey seem to have had tunnel vision - with us taking players who could easily have been UDFA or who will be no better than depth.

This is what I might have done, showing who we drafted and what we might have done instead.

R1. Marcell Dareus DL - a great choice for DE/NT/DT

R2. Aaron Williams CB - but with guys like House, Burton etc falling and CB not being an acute need why did we not go for Kyle Rudolph TE at a position we had nothing?

R3. Kelvin Sheppard ILB - I knew we had a huge like for him, but why not benefit from the fall of Justin Houston OLB/DE who has direct experience of a hybrid 3-4/4-3 defence we are going to run and who had 1st round talent?

R4. Da'Norris Searcy SS - yes we may not resign Whitner but Wilson deserves a starting opportunity anyway, and many SS are drafted lower, whilst surely the athletic James Brewer RT/LT would have been a better option?

R4. Chris Hairston RT - not a bad choice but if we'd taken Brewer we could have drafted Davon House CB or Brandon Burton CB both considered 3rd rounders?

R5. Johnny White RB - a small between the tackles runner when Ricky Stanzi QB was still onboard...are we really convinced Brown can be a backup?

R6. Chris White ILB - a second ILB who will only be depth and who we might have found a UDFA to fill this role. Having taken Sheppard what was wrong with Quan Sturdivant ILB a second round prospect who fell?

R7. Justin Rogers CB - another DB competing with McKelvin, McGee, Williams and Corner and maybe Florence if resigned ... surely our lack of pass rush might have made us look at Greg Romeus 4-3 DE especially if we will run a 4-3 defense on occasion or Bruce Miller OLB or Lawrence Guy DE/DT?

R7. Michael Jasper G - a slow fat two guy when Eric Hagg S or Jeremy Beal OLB/DE were still to be drafted?

I have taken a QB instead of a RB, and two DE/OLB instead of a CB and G in the last round and a TE rather than a second ILB because there are guys who weren't drafted like Alex Wujciak ILB we could sign for depth.

Personally I prefer my draft more

[Yasgur's Farm]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

I read it... I like our draft better.

[SquishDaFish]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

Yea I like our draft better. And am very happy with what Nix and Gailey are doing with this team.

[Bangarang]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

Kyle Rudolph seems to be injury prone. He has the tools and potential to be a great TE but maybe it was just one of those things where Nix liked other TEs and thought he could grab one in the later rounds. Perhaps he thought he'd like to give Nelson and Chandler a full season to see what we can get out of them.

Nix is all about smart players and team leaders. Justin Houston, while a good prospect, is a moron. You'd have to be a moron to do drugs before the biggest job interview of your life knowing you will be tested for any kind of illegal substances. And again, we don't really know where Merriman is health wise. If Nix didn't draft a rush OLB, perhaps he feels good about where Merriman is and wants to see what guys like Moats and Batten can do.

James Brewer was at the Senior Bowl and maybe our staff didn't really like a lot of what they were seeing. Maybe it just came down to the fact that we had 2 picks and we felt like we could have our cake and eat it too by picking up a guy who could push for the starting SS spot and a RT with a ton of potential.

I like the Chris Hairston pick here.

-I'm going to stop here only because the last couple of rounds are an even bigger crap shoot that there's no point on playing coulda woulda shoulda game right now. Maybe in 3 years if some of the late round guys that we didn't pick turn out to be All Pro then we can play that game. But for right now, it's pointless only because we have no idea what kind of players we got. For all we know Rudolph could have a career ending knee injury the first game he plays and Hairston can go on to be our franchise RT and Pro Bowler. It's just kind of foolish to say we could have drafted X player instead of Y player when nobody has even been given a jersey and taken the field yet.

[Blacksheep71]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

The only guy you can say is injury prone was Romeus who has back and ACL injuries.

Rudolph is not injury prone. He had a severe hamstring injury requiring surgery and which he is now 100% covered from. Considering Nelson is constantly suffering migraines for me that is a much greater question mark.

As for Houston, we don't know the exact circumstances. And to hope that Merriman having overcome a severe injury and Batten who missed all his rookie season can deliver is optimistic. Maybe Maybin has finally woken up?

Or maybe we are just happy to continue offering big contracts and starting the likes of Chris Kelsay?

[SquishDaFish]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

I am loving the direction this team is taking with Nix and Gailey at the healm. I trust them

[Bangarang]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

The only guy you can say is injury prone was Romeus who has back and ACL injuries.

Rudolph is not injury prone. He had a severe hamstring injury requiring surgery and which he is now 100% covered from. Considering Nelson is constantly suffering migraines for me that is a much greater question mark.

He missed 3 games in 2009 because of a shoulder injury and missed 6 games in 2010 because of the hamstring injury. That shouldn't raise any flags on being injury prone?

As for Houston, we don't know the exact circumstances.

We know that he failed a drug test given to him at the combine. What else is there to know? He did drugs at some point before the combine knowing he was going to be tested. Sounds like a moron to me.

And to hope that Merriman having overcome a severe injury and Batten who missed all his rookie season can deliver is optimistic.

We're not Merriman's doctor. We don't know where he is at health wise. I'm sure Buddy has been keeping tabs on everything. If you follow Merriman on twitter, he has been tweeting about being on the field and doing a lot of field drills. That itself should be a good sign to Bills fans and reason enough to be optimistic.

Batten, by all accounts is 100% healthy again. There's no reason why we can't give him a shot and see what he has.

Maybe Maybin has finally woken up?

Doubtful.

Or maybe we are just happy to continue offering big contracts and starting the likes of Chris Kelsay?

A large portion of Kelsay's contract extension are bonuses. He's not making a ton of money in base salary. He looked pretty bad (putting it mildly) at LB but in all fairness, it's a completely new position for him.

[alohabillsfan]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

According to a DR on the NFL network a while back said Rudolph more than likely will not return to 100% after that severe hamstring injury. That is a huge red flag.
Additionally, its so much easier to critique a draft after you see where everyone falls. Geez...

[Blacksheep71]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

According to a DR on the NFL network a while back said Rudolph more than likely will not return to 100% after that severe hamstring injury. That is a huge red flag.
Additionally, its so much easier to critique a draft after you see where everyone falls. Geez...

When you are seeing guys surprisingly fall you take account of this, and look to take people you are surprised to see still available.

[YardRat]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=202470&highlight=houston

1. Marcel Dareus, DE - Good here. Wouldn't swap for anybody else in the first round.

2. Aaron Williams, DB - Brooks Reed, LB - Can't ***** about the pick too much because of Sheppard in the third, but I'd prefer Reed here.

3. Kelvin Sheppard, LB - Justin Houston or Martez Wilson, LB - yeah, still no corner, but we needed lbers badly and I really liked both of these guys.

4. Da'Norris Searcy, S - Luke Stocker, TE - Biggest need on offense, good value pick.

4b. Chris Hairston, OT - Good here...we needed a tackle.

5. Johnny White, RB - The way this is falling...OK...he fills a couple of roles, and there really isn't a DB in the rest of the round that I'd trade him out for.

6. Chris White LB - Byron Maxwell, DB - We've got our LBers already, and here's the obligatory safety.

7. Justin Rogers, CB - Good...here's a corner.

7b. Michael Jasper, NT - Why not. Go big early, go bigger late and take the chance. If you're going to take a flier it might as well be on a mountain.

I have to admit, I may like the Bills draft better than my re-do, except for maybe the White and Rogers pick (and I ended up keeping Rogers myself). Corners got really thin, really quick with Williams off of the board, but I was looking for LBers early in this draft and I wanted to put out an honest representation of what I was thinking at the moment.

Only time will tell...

[Blacksheep71]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

We know that he failed a drug test given to him at the combine. What else is there to know? He did drugs at some point before the combine knowing he was going to be tested. Sounds like a moron to me.

Do we know if he directly smoke marujana (which was the drug he failed) or did he inhale at a party not directly himself which would still fail him on a drug test?

Doesn't sound like a moron to me if that were the case.

And Scott Pioli who has turned around the Chiefs pretty damn quickly doesn't think that either.

So we have the Chiefs who drafted in 2009 at 3rd (us 12th) in 2010 at 5th (us 9th) and this year 21st (us 4th) I certainly know which direction I would want the Bills going and maybe we should look to draft more 'morons'?

[Blacksheep71]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/sho...hlight=houston




Only time will tell...

I think you can always wait to take ILBs because it is a position where guys fall in the draft unless they are an absolute stud - Wilson was projected a 1st rounder and fell to the 3rd, Sturdivant to the 6th from the 3rd, but we took a guy in the 3rd who many thought would be a Day3 selection.

At RB, with Jackson and Spiller, I'd wait to pick up a UDFA to fill out this area.

I agree to an extent about CB but we had too little talent at a load of positions to spend a 2nd rounder on a CB. If we resign Florence, Williams could well be our 4th corner, and I am not sure he is streets ahead of other guys we could have waited for.

For me if we are running a 4-3 defense on occasion, we lack any guys who can actually be a pass rusher with their hands on the ground.

[BertSquirtgum]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

this thread sucks. if you aren't on the buddy train. get the f out.

[Bangarang]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

Do we know if he directly smoke marujana (which was the drug he failed) or did he inhale at a party not directly himself which would still fail him on a drug test?

Doesn't sound like a moron to me if that were the case.

So he's not a moron for being at a party where there were drugs being consumed right before the combine? If that's the case then not only is he a moron for failing the drug test but his character should be questioned because he didn't leave a party with known drug activity. Sorry but no matter how many excuses you make for him or how many different scenarios you can think that would explain his failed drug test, he's still a moron.

And Scott Pioli who has turned around the Chiefs pretty damn quickly doesn't think that either.

So we have the Chiefs who drafted in 2009 at 3rd (us 12th) in 2010 at 5th (us 9th) and this year 21st (us 4th) I certainly know which direction I would want the Bills going and maybe we should look to draft more 'morons'?

So because he was drafted by the Chiefs means we should have drafted him instead? Because Scott Pioli didn't care that he was dumb enough to fail a drug test at the combine means that we should have drafted him? Maybe I'm missing something here.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Re: In hindsight, did we drop the ball during the draft?

Having had a month to digest what we did in the draft, and who went where, I wonder whether we didn't maximise the opportunities to really step up.

It is, of course, early to reflect upon this class before even have had a training camp but we all know that during the draft process, talented players will often fall due to no fault of their own but to the needs of teams drafting by need rather than what might be the best player available.

The likes of Jerry Resse (Giants), Ted Thompson (Packers) and Ossie Newsome (Ravens) always seem to find steals, taking players throughout the draft who end up starting irrespective of round taken whilst Nix/Gailey seem to have had tunnel vision - with us taking players who could easily have been UDFA or who will be no better than depth.

This is what I might have done, showing who we drafted and what we might have done instead.

R1. Marcell Dareus DL - a great choice for DE/NT/DT

R2. Aaron Williams CB - but with guys like House, Burton etc falling and CB not being an acute need why did we not go for Kyle Rudolph TE at a position we had nothing?

R3. Kelvin Sheppard ILB - I knew we had a huge like for him, but why not benefit from the fall of Justin Houston OLB/DE who has direct experience of a hybrid 3-4/4-3 defence we are going to run and who had 1st round talent?

R4. Da'Norris Searcy SS - yes we may not resign Whitner but Wilson deserves a starting opportunity anyway, and many SS are drafted lower, whilst surely the athletic James Brewer RT/LT would have been a better option?

R4. Chris Hairston RT - not a bad choice but if we'd taken Brewer we could have drafted Davon House CB or Brandon Burton CB both considered 3rd rounders?

R5. Johnny White RB - a small between the tackles runner when Ricky Stanzi QB was still onboard...are we really convinced Brown can be a backup?

R6. Chris White ILB - a second ILB who will only be depth and who we might have found a UDFA to fill this role. Having taken Sheppard what was wrong with Quan Sturdivant ILB a second round prospect who fell?

R7. Justin Rogers CB - another DB competing with McKelvin, McGee, Williams and Corner and maybe Florence if resigned ... surely our lack of pass rush might have made us look at Greg Romeus 4-3 DE especially if we will run a 4-3 defense on occasion or Bruce Miller OLB or Lawrence Guy DE/DT?

R7. Michael Jasper G - a slow fat two guy when Eric Hagg S or Jeremy Beal OLB/DE were still to be drafted?

I have taken a QB instead of a RB, and two DE/OLB instead of a CB and G in the last round and a TE rather than a second ILB because there are guys who weren't drafted like Alex Wujciak ILB we could sign for depth.

Personally I prefer my draft more

Guys Gailey's offense does not utilize the tight end.

Why would we want to bother with Stanzy either? He wouldn't ever win us anything.