Buffalo Bills 2007 draft

[OpIv37]

Ok, we all know our drafts have been bad, but check out 2007:

1 12 (12) Marshawn Lynch RB California
2 2 (34) Paul Posluszny OLB Penn State
3 28 (92) Trent Edwards QB Stanford
4 12 (111) Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State
6 10 (184) John Wendling S Wyoming
7 12 (222) Derek Schouman TE Boise State
7 29 (239) C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma

(source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2007/draft/teams/bills.html )

Not a SINGLE DRAFT PICK from 2007 is on the team, and it was only 4 years ago! Not a single one of these guys could survive 3 seasons on our team.

That's absolutely appalling. A 14 year old with a print draft guide that he bought in the magazine aisle at Wal-Mart probably could have done better.

[Dr. Lecter]

To be fair, 4 of those guys are still in the league. And at least one would still be starting on this team right now.

[The Jokeman]

To be fair, 4 of those guys are still in the league. And at least one would still be starting on this team right now.

True and what's more pathetic is CJ Ah You has better career stats than Aaaron Maybin:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/8493

vs

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/players/9275

[BidsJr]

To be fair, 4 of those guys are still in the league. And at least one would still be starting on this team right now.

Who would be starting?

[Dr. Lecter]

Who would be starting?
Poz.

Is that really a question?

Torbor and Davis are atrocious.

[Philagape]

Wendling's gone on to do pretty well for the Lions' special teams. He was a Pro Bowl alternate last year.

[BillsWin]

HA! We are just god awful.

[OpIv37]

To be fair, 4 of those guys are still in the league. And at least one would still be starting on this team right now.

what good does picking guys who end up on other teams do us?

Every pick in this draft was either a bust or a guy we couldn't keep.

[BertSquirtgum]

That makes me want to puke. The more and more I think about it. I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle another embarrassing season. I know it's coming and I wish I didn't already buy tickets to the Raiders game.

[psubills62]

Schouman and Brad Butler were both doing pretty well before their injuries that year. Stinks.

[The Jokeman]

what good does picking guys who end up on other teams do us?

Every pick in this draft was either a bust or a guy we couldn't keep.
Just because we didn't keep them makes them trash. Look at those Super Bowl teams when were able to get guys like Tasker, Metzelaars, John Davis, Kenny Davis. I wouldn't go so far to say anyone in that 1997 draft was good as the one's I mentioned but again to be fair they are on NFL teams and at least contributing.

[Thurmal]

You don't understand the Bills' draft philosophy.

Blowing your high picks on projects with "upside" is the way to go Rounds 1 - 3. Then put the most effort in Rounds 5 - 7 and undrafted free agents, where you make picks you can develop over time.

If any of the high draft picks begin to play well, trade them for cents on the dollar or lose them in free agency.

If any of your "diamonds in the rough" begin to play well, trade them for cents on the dollar or lose them in free agency.

If any of your picks suck, publicly reveal how much you despise them, lowering their trade value to nothing, then make an impossible attempt to trade them before finally just cutting them.

[BuffaloBlitz83]

I'd start Lynch too. Him and Spiller are perfect complimentary backs.

[Philagape]

Here's a thing: When was the last time the Bills' first-round pick was actually worth the pick? Nate Clements in 01?? The last one to have a good, long career in Buffalo was Moulds in 96!

[THRILLHO]

I would still pick Lynch and Poz all over again.

[The Jokeman]

I would still pick Lynch and Poz all over again.
I'd be okay with Lynch but not trading up and taking either David Harris or LaMar Woodley with our original 2nd and Mike Sims Walker or Charles Johnson and the 3rd we gave up.

[OpIv37]

I would still pick Lynch and Poz all over again.

In the context of the time, it's tough to argue with the Lynch pick.

With Poz, his stock fell TREMENDOUSLY on draft day. Remember, people were talking about us taking him with the #12 that we used on Lynch before the draft.

He fell completely out of the first round, which means other teams saw something in him that gave them cold feet. Yet, Buffalo still traded up to get him.

It was a very Donahue-esque "I'm smarter than you so I'm going to trade up to get this guy even though he already dropped 20 picks or so from where he was projected" move.

[The Jokeman]

In the context of the time, it's tough to argue with the Lynch pick.

With Poz, his stock fell TREMENDOUSLY on draft day. Remember, people were talking about us taking him with the #12 that we used on Lynch before the draft.

He fell completely out of the first round, which means other teams saw something in him that gave them cold feet. Yet, Buffalo still traded up to get him.

It was a very Donahue-esque "I'm smarter than you so I'm going to trade up to get this guy even though he already dropped 20 picks or so from where he was projected" move.
Umm the 2007 draft was handled by Marv Levy if I'm not mistaken.

[OpIv37]

Umm the 2007 draft was handled by Marv Levy if I'm not mistaken.

Yes, TD was gone at that point.

But my comment was meant to suggest that it was something he would have done, not that he was the one who did it.

[BertSquirtgum]

3,000...........

[Ingtar33]

Poz.

Is that really a question?

Torbor and Davis are atrocious.

Barnett isn't that hot either. for all the heat Torbor took (correctly) Barnett has had more mistakes these last two games then Torbor's managed.

[dannyek71]

Enough with all of these threads. They all want me to make me shoot myself in the face.

[Oaf]

I'd be okay with Lynch but not trading up and taking either David Harris or LaMar Woodley with our original 2nd and Mike Sims Walker or Charles Johnson and the 3rd we gave up.
Jon Beason. Picking Poz again would be nuts.

[ServoBillieves]

Poz was decent, Lynch should still be here and the Spiller pick should've been used elsewhere, but the main thing on my list would be Schouman.

Pre-injury, this guy was looking like a stud. Was catching, was blocking well... It's a shame he's lost to obscurity now.

This lockout has screwed a lot of players, and I think Schou is one of them. With the atrocious TE's we have now, might as well bring in a vet...

[sam5767]

Ok, we all know our drafts have been bad, but check out 2007:

1 12 (12) Marshawn Lynch RB California
2 2 (34) Paul Posluszny OLB Penn State
3 28 (92) Trent Edwards QB Stanford
4 12 (111) Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State
6 10 (184) John Wendling S Wyoming
7 12 (222) Derek Schouman TE Boise State
7 29 (239) C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma

(source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2007/draft/teams/bills.html )

Not a SINGLE DRAFT PICK from 2007 is on the team, and it was only 4 years ago! Not a single one of these guys could survive 3 seasons on our team.

That's absolutely appalling. A 14 year old with a print draft guide that he bought in the magazine aisle at Wal-Mart probably could have done better.

I don't think the picks were that bad talent wise. We can draft decent talent...our front office just stinks at what they do once the talent gets here...

[don137]

Wasn't Revis taken a couple picks after Lynch? Like I said it's not where you draft it's what you do with the pick.

[Ginger Vitis]

Wasn't Revis taken a couple picks after Lynch?

Revis was taken 2 spots after lynch and Patrick Willis was taken one spot ahead of lynch. In Scout Incs Top 200 players in the NFL Revis is #3 and Willis is #11

Interesting in that CNN sports illustrated article they list the Bills needs as WR, TE, CB, DT and none of these needs were addressed until TE Derek Schouman was taken in the 7th Round

[X-Era]

Ok, we all know our drafts have been bad, but check out 2007:

1 12 (12) Marshawn Lynch RB California
2 2 (34) Paul Posluszny OLB Penn State
3 28 (92) Trent Edwards QB Stanford
4 12 (111) Dwayne Wright RB Fresno State
6 10 (184) John Wendling S Wyoming
7 12 (222) Derek Schouman TE Boise State
7 29 (239) C.J. Ah You DE Oklahoma

(source: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2007/draft/teams/bills.html )

Not a SINGLE DRAFT PICK from 2007 is on the team, and it was only 4 years ago! Not a single one of these guys could survive 3 seasons on our team.

That's absolutely appalling. A 14 year old with a print draft guide that he bought in the magazine aisle at Wal-Mart probably could have done better.He would have done WAY better if he printed out the free Draft Guide from here. :D

[mysticsoto]

He would have done WAY better if he printed out the free Draft Guide from here. :D

Maybe you should send a complimentary copy to Ralph and co. next year...

[X-Era]

Maybe you should send a complimentary copy to Ralph and co. next year...I've done it in the past... with no response of course.

[mysticsoto]

I've done it in the past... with no response of course.

Of course not. B'cse as we all can see, they "know" better...

[k-oneputt]

Of course not. B'cse as we all can see, they "know" better...

That's been the problem for the last decade, they THINK they know better and it has been obvious that they don't.
We all know the draft picks they took and the one's that most here would have taken.
And that does not even get into the stupid hires of Levy and Jauron.
The funny part is the front office for the last decade actually believed they knew what they were doing.
I'm still giving Buddy and Chan their shot but I am wearing thin with this o-line situation.

[k-oneputt]

Revis was taken 2 spots after lynch and Patrick Willis was taken one spot ahead of lynch. In Scout Incs Top 200 players in the NFL Revis is #3 and Willis is #11

Interesting in that CNN sports illustrated article they list the Bills needs as WR, TE, CB, DT and none of these needs were addressed until TE Derek Schouman was taken in the 7th Round

Another national publication that doesn't know what it's talking about.
I would say without any question that our two biggest needs are o-tackle and qb right now.
Not saying we don't need an upgrade at te or some help at wr but they are way less important then the other two positions.

[mysticsoto]

That's been the problem for the last decade, they THINK they know better and it has been obvious that they don't.
We all know the draft picks they took and the one's that most here would have taken.
And that does not even get into the stupid hires of Levy and Jauron.
The funny part is the front office for the last decade actually believed they knew what they were doing.
I'm still giving Buddy and Chan their shot but I am wearing thin with this o-line situation.

Right now I like Chan better than Buddy. Drafting/FA should not be placed on Chan's head - not his job. And clearly he's shown frustration at the Oline so he knows we have problems there. If you don't get support from above, all you can do is move people around and try to find something that works - which appears to be what he is trying to do. Nix on the other hand hasn't impressed me one bit. Spiller was a terrible luxury pick and I don't give him credit for Dareus since that's a no brainer. Other than that...maybe deserves a little bit of credit for Merriman, but nothing much else.

[EDS]

To be fair, 4 of those guys are still in the league. And at least one would still be starting on this team right now.

5 are still in the league. Lynch, Poz, Edwards, Wendling and Ah You.

[psubills62]

In the context of the time, it's tough to argue with the Lynch pick.

With Poz, his stock fell TREMENDOUSLY on draft day. Remember, people were talking about us taking him with the #12 that we used on Lynch before the draft.

He fell completely out of the first round, which means other teams saw something in him that gave them cold feet. Yet, Buffalo still traded up to get him.

It was a very Donahue-esque "I'm smarter than you so I'm going to trade up to get this guy even though he already dropped 20 picks or so from where he was projected" move.
I would strongly disagree with you there. Good teams are known for picking up guys who fall due to injury or what-have-you during the draft. Look at the Patriots with Ryan Mallett. Look at Baltimore with Sergio Kindle and Terrence Cody.

The Bills "I'm smarter than you" picks are the ones that no one saw coming that early. That was definitely not Poz early in the second round.

[EDS]

I would strongly disagree with you there. Good teams are known for picking up guys who fall due to injury or what-have-you during the draft. Look at the Patriots with Ryan Mallett. Look at Baltimore with Sergio Kindle and Terrence Cody.

The Bills "I'm smarter than you" picks are the ones that no one saw coming that early. That was definitely not Poz early in the second round.

I agree. The Whitner pick, however, definitely stands out as a "I'm smarter than ypu pick."

Poz is a decent linebacker, not a game changer for sure, but a decent starter. Better than anything the Bills have no for sure.

[mysticsoto]

I agree. The Whitner pick, however, definitely stands out as a "I'm smarter than ypu pick."


I think the Maybin example is the best!!!

[Ginger Vitis]

Another national publication that doesn't know what it's talking about.
I would say without any question that our two biggest needs are o-tackle and qb right now.
Not saying we don't need an upgrade at te or some help at wr but they are way less important then the other two positions.

The needs listed in that article are from the 2007 draft..

[Ed]

The 06 draft isn't any better either with the exception of Kyle Williams. So from the two Marv Levy drafts, 06 and 07, all we have to show for it is Kyle Williams. It's questionable who was actually in charge and calling the shots for those two years, but it set us back big time. We should have multiple starters from those two drafts in their prime right now making up the core of our team. Instead we have 1/16 picks making a significant contribution. That blows.

[Ginger Vitis]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the 2008 Bills draft class.. Probably worse than 2007s class

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

I don't think after the second round there was a whole lot of great players picked in that draft, not to give the Bills a pass.

[Ed]

I'm surprised no one has brought up the 2008 Bills draft class.. Probably worse than 2007s class
Not yet. At least we have a few starters from 08. McKelvin, Stevie Johnson, and Bell.

[Bill Cody]

Ok OP you've convinced me. Marv Levy should be fired.

[Ginger Vitis]

Not yet. At least we have a few starters from 08. McKelvin, Stevie Johnson, and Bell.

Ahh I forgot Stevie J was in the 2008 class.. The 2008 class isn't as bad as I originally thought.. They stil lwhiffed bigtime on James Hardy and Chris Ellis

[Philagape]

Ahh I forgot Stevie J was in the 2008 class.. The 2008 class isn't as bad as I originally thought.. They stil lwhiffed bigtime on James Hardy and Chris Ellis

McKelvin at 11th overall is looking like a pretty big whiff too.

[Ed]

Ahh I forgot Stevie J was in the 2008 class.. The 2008 class isn't as bad as I originally thought.. They stil lwhiffed bigtime on James Hardy and Chris Ellis
Yeah it definitely could have been a lot better though. I figure the Steve Johnson pick in the 7th makes up for the Hardy pick in the 2nd, but still looks weak overall. I was hoping and expecting Bell to take another big step this season, but we'll have to see. And I'm still waiting for McKelvin to become a more reliable CB.

The 09 draft is starting to look like a disappointment too with Maybin being a huge bust and none of our later picks working out. Wood, Levitre, and Byrd are going to have to be really good.

[k-oneputt]

Yeah it definitely could have been a lot better though. I figure the Steve Johnson pick in the 7th makes up for the Hardy pick in the 2nd, but still looks weak overall. I was hoping and expecting Bell to take another big step this season, but we'll have to see. And I'm still waiting for McKelvin to become a more reliable CB.

The 09 draft is starting to look like a disappointment too with Maybin being a huge bust and none of our later picks working out. Wood, Levitre, and Byrd are going to have to be really good.

The Johnson making up for Hardy is a SEC player over another stiff from the Big-10. That shouldn't be to hard to fiqure out. Unless you work in the Bills front office.

[The Jokeman]

I've posted it before but the Bills ineptitude to find quality players at the top let alone in the entire draft has cost us and onc or twice it's not big deal but to do it year after year is what's discouraging as looky here:

2002
1 MIKE WILLIAMS T/BRYANT MCKINNIE T
2 JOSH REED WR/ANTONIO BRYANT WR

2003
1 WILLIS MCGAHEE RB/LARRY JOHNSON RB (not really a need but a better RB selected in same round).
2 CHRIS KELSAY DE/OSI UMENYIORA DE

2004
1A LEE EVAN/ WR NO WR BETTER
1B JP LOSMAN QB /MATT SCHAUB QB* (Taken in Round 3)

2005
2 ROSCOE PARRISH WR/VINCENT JACKSON WR

2006
1A DONTE WHITNER S/HALOTI NGATA/BRODRICK BUNKLEY DT
1B JOHN MCCARGO DT/ROMAN HARPER S (Taken on Round 2)

2007
1 MARSHAWN LYNCH RB AHMAD BRADSHAW RB (Taken in Round 7)
2 PAUL POSLUSZNY LB/DAVID HARRIS LB/LAMARR WOODLEY LB (Taken in Round 2)

2008
1 LEODIS MCKELVIN CB/DOMINIQUE-RODGERS CROMARTIE CB
2 JAMES HARDY WR/DESEAN JACKSON WR

2009
1 AARON MAYBIN/DE BRIAN ORAKPO DE