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As we know, there are all kinds of mocks out there on the web, some good, some bad. Only a few sink to the level of putridness such that they qualify for the coveted TigerJ Idiot Mock Award. I have found a new one that more than qualifies on the basis of their Bills picks. This particular offering is put out by a pair of British pundits, and I use the word "pundit" loosely.
They have Buffalo picking Whitney Mercilus at #10 overall. A couple months ago that would have been very reasonable. Commenting on the pick, the writer states, "Buffalo needs a pass rusher and Shawne Merriman has shown he is not the answer." To their credit, they have learned Buffalo signed Mario Williams, and they think Mercilus will be the bookend. They must not have gotten the memo that Buffalo also signed Mark Anderson. Even though Anderson had 10 sacks for the Patriots last season, some people think he may not be the complete answer at right defensive end. I have seen a mock or two that project Ingram to Buffalo, and a couple others that project a defensive end to Buffalo a little later in the draft. The reasoning is Buffalo could use a little more depth. I can accept that, and do not therefore give idiot mock awards to them. However, while I happen to like Whitney Mercilus and think he has a chance to have a good NFL career, it's been a while since anyone with any recognized expertise figured he was anywhere close to a top ten draft pick.
It gets worse. In the second round, at #41 overall, Buffalo picks Barrett Jones out of Alabama. Um, Barrett Jones decided to stay in school and not enter the 2012 draft. If he had entered the draft, most observers think he's a much better fit at guard, though this mock thinks he's going to come in and play tackle for the Bills. All these yahoos had to do is look at a few mocks on the web and they might have noticed Jones' absence in any other mocks. That might have told them something. If you're going to put something out on the internet, you'd think it would make sense to do at least a little homework.
This is a three round mock and this web site "2nd and 3" has Buffalo picking Bernard Pierce, running back out of Temple inn the third round. The writeup states, "Buffalo suffered without Fred Jackson when he was out injured." Really? They suffered a lot more when Fitzpatrick had to play a good part of the season injured. They suffered when they tried playing Andy Levitre at center and 60% of their starting offensive line was out with injury, but when Fred Jackson was out, CJ Spiller came in and showed why he was a first round draft pick. I mean, you can make a case that Buffalo could use a running back with some mass to pound the ball in certain situations, but don't make up stuff. There are enough real needs on the Bills. Pierce is a decent value in the third, but there has to be better value in an area of greater need in the third.
If I were to offer a subtitle for this particular Idiot Mock Award, it would be "Stick to soccer."
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