From ESPN Insiders - Bills draft grade

[NyGuy141]

He gives the Bills a B-

Buffalo Bills

Top needs: LT, WR, OLB, CB, QB


Summary: I had the Bills selecting Stephon Gilmore in my final mock draft, and they ended up taking him. I didn't see CB as the top need, but it's a solid pick. Gilmore is ready to start immediately for a secondary that allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt in 2011. The Bills pass defense should be better in 2012 when you put together an improved pass rush and the draft help in the secondary. Ron Brooks, a burner out of LSU, could stick as a slot cornerback. He lacks size, but can fly. I don't share the opinion that Cordy Glenn can be a left tackle, but he was a total steal at No. 41. He was on my final Big Board at No. 14. If the Bills move him inside (or to right tackle), he'll succeed. Zebrie Sanders was a steal in the sixth round. They got a wideout with T.J. Graham, as well as a pair of linebackers to bring in and battle for a spot. Pretty good weekend for Buddy Nix and the Bills.

[Skooby]

Nice annual post, thanks.

[NyGuy141]

my pleasure, sirs

[Scumbag College]

I think it's pretty fair. Other than the kicker pick with the third from last pick of the draft, I agreed with every pick. I didn't do cartwheels and jump up and down with excitement, but I couldn't find any fault with them. The only thing is that I would have liked the Bills to bring in another DT at some point this draft to compete with Edwards, Gilbert, Troup, Heard, etc. for a backup DT spot.

All in all, I think it is a solid B draft.

[NOT THE DUDE...]

this will go down as a great great draft... a+

watch out for tank carder!

[ServoBillieves]

He gives the Bills a B-

Buffalo Bills

Top needs: LT, WR, OLB, CB, QB


Summary: I had the Bills selecting Stephon Gilmore in my final mock draft, and they ended up taking him. I didn't see CB as the top need, but it's a solid pick. Gilmore is ready to start immediately for a secondary that allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt in 2011. The Bills pass defense should be better in 2012 when you put together an improved pass rush and the draft help in the secondary. Ron Brooks, a burner out of LSU, could stick as a slot cornerback. He lacks size, but can fly. I don't share the opinion that Cordy Glenn can be a left tackle, but he was a total steal at No. 41. He was on my final Big Board at No. 14. If the Bills move him inside (or to right tackle), he'll succeed. Zebrie Sanders was a steal in the sixth round. They got a wideout with T.J. Graham, as well as a pair of linebackers to bring in and battle for a spot. Pretty good weekend for Buddy Nix and the Bills.

Wow, Zebrie would be a HUGE steal in the sixth round! Too bad he was taken 9th in the 5th round. I love these talking heads who are so 'busy' obsessing over why Kirk Cousins was drafted by the Redskins or just talk out of their asses.

Nobody asked which tackle Cordy Glenn would be playing, so... When everyone else thought he was a Guard they weren't hearing it but then "All Hail the Bills for stealing this LT in the second?!"

'Pretty good weekend?' Uhm, sorry, damn good weekend. When someone can't get a very simple statistic right when he's an "expert." Credibility = completely out the window.

[Marvelous]

Cool. In fact great posting except the hate above this post.
-mayock & Charles Davis --&
Mcshay & Kiper have to balance every pick in REAL-TIME & be involved in these Hesse. Conversations with the non draftniks.
--put yourself in their shoes bro.

[NyGuy141]

Cool. In fact great posting except the hate above this post.
-mayock & Charles Davis --&
Mcshay & Kiper have to balance every pick in REAL-TIME & be involved in these Hesse. Conversations with the non draftniks.
--put yourself in their shoes bro.

[ServoBillieves]

Cool. In fact great posting except the hate above this post.
-mayock & Charles Davis --&
Mcshay & Kiper have to balance every pick in REAL-TIME & be involved in these Hesse. Conversations with the non draftniks.
--put yourself in their shoes bro.

Was that English? I'm sorry I'm a poster but I don't understand new internet speak. Were those quotes from Mayock and Davis with... well I'm not going to even try witht he rest.

I get that they are busy, but it's called "taking time" and not immediately putting information out there. My post was rude but it was not meant to be slanderous or demeaning. It's the simple fact that people can't just wait a damn day, let these 'experts' do their jobs and take the pressure off.

If this is a fans view and I'm misunderstanding the hubris on my end then I apologize, but when you're going to come down hard with your expertise and you don't have all of your facts together, it can make or break a career.

Well, at least in the real world. Mel, Mayock, McShay, will never lose their jobs just because of all of the (as you state) "draftniks" that follow them religiously and make their little mock drafts about.

Not to seem too contradictory, as I do have mock drafts, but as previously stated in other threads, it's for a puny bet between friends, and it's based off of random factors.

Erin Foley, a female comedienne made a great point in one of her stand up specials. If a player drops a pass in the NFL, he and his coach are considered expendable after 1 game. In baseball, you a .300 Batting Average makes you elite. That means that if you minimally do your job 25% of the time correctly, you are considered a good player.

If I go to my job, and I don't get 100%, I will be fired. I perform to the best of my ability because I know that I have a fiancee to take care of and a family to prepare for. Why are these people making thousands of dollars when #1 they get things right far less than batters in MLB can hit a ball (They're 127th mock had him going there... so He MUST have insider information and be a scout!), and when their statistics and simple facts are wrong, people still flock?

I love making valid points, but this will soon be lost in the abyss of the 3rd, 4th page that is ignored.

I'm going to change my sig back to my favorite quote... "Intelligence, the bane of the internet." And I should also add that "People who make an honest days pay make far less than people who like to work out (athletes), people who watch TV too much and become experts (Kiper, McShay, people who have never seen a football field through a facemask), or congressmen who get every day off paid for with tax dollars"

America. **** Yeah.

[Night Train]

If he didn't see CB as a top need, then he obviously knows nothing about our team and his grade is meaningless.

[Extremebillsfan247]

A fan viewpoint..
I could have made my own thread for this, but I really didn't see a point in it, so I've decided to piggy back this opinion here.

Take this how you will, but this is of my opinion only, and I speak on behalf of no one else.

The Bills grade a B+ from me.
It would have been an A. But, the one pick that did not make sense to me is the 3rd. I'm no GM, no scout, or TV analyst, but I just didn't understand the move up for T.J. Graham. No one picked a WR for the next 14 picks in the draft once T.J. Graham came off the board. Maybe he was the last of the good receivers? Who knows? But, I felt the Bills could have stayed put at 71 and still got him. Don't get me wrong, I like the pick. But, they only jumped one team to get him, and it cost them a draft pick.

Nix gave a good little punchline to it, "River Boat Gambling". They only gave up a 7th, and 7th rounders rarely make a good team anyway. But, the reason this gets a B instead of an A from me is because it went against the Nix core philosophy of not giving up draft picks for a player. Maybe I'm just too old fashioned, but I'm a strong believer in practicing what you preach. Especially, when your the leader of a team I'm a fan of.

Overall though, I'm very happy with out it turned out. We added players of need, and depth, along with solid raw talent for development. I even like the kicker pick at the bottom of the 7th. At some point, Rian Lindell is going to need a replacement being a 13 year veteran at 35 years old. It never hurts to bring someone in to at least have a look at in TC. Most likely, John Potter wont make it past the first cuts. But as I stated earlier in this post, 7th rounders rarely make an NFL roster anyway. I guess its an odd way of doing due diligence at the kicker position.

[Don't Panic]

Good post Ebf... I agree. Here's a nice piece on Graham that warrants attention though:

http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2012/4/28/2983533/tj-graham-buffalo-bills-nfl-draft-2012-mike-wallace

Seems like we're looking for a poor man's Wallace to play opposite Johnson. If it works out that way, then he was wroth the pick (and the leapfrog).

[better days]

A fan viewpoint..
I could have made my own thread for this, but I really didn't see a point in it, so I've decided to piggy back this opinion here.

Take this how you will, but this is of my opinion only, and I speak on behalf of no one else.

The Bills grade a B+ from me.
It would have been an A. But, the one pick that did not make sense to me is the 3rd. I'm no GM, no scout, or TV analyst, but I just didn't understand the move up for T.J. Graham. No one picked a WR for the next 14 picks in the draft once T.J. Graham came off the board. Maybe he was the last of the good receivers? Who knows? But, I felt the Bills could have stayed put at 71 and still got him. Don't get me wrong, I like the pick. But, they only jumped one team to get him, and it cost them a draft pick.

Nix gave a good little punchline to it, "River Boat Gambling". They only gave up a 7th, and 7th rounders rarely make a good team anyway. But, the reason this gets a B instead of an A from me is because it went against the Nix core philosophy of not giving up draft picks for a player. Maybe I'm just too old fashioned, but I'm a strong believer in practicing what you preach. Especially, when your the leader of a team I'm a fan of.

Overall though, I'm very happy with out it turned out. We added players of need, and depth, along with solid raw talent for development. I even like the kicker pick at the bottom of the 7th. At some point, Rian Lindell is going to need a replacement being a 13 year veteran at 35 years old. It never hurts to bring someone in to at least have a look at in TC. Most likely, John Potter wont make it past the first cuts. But as I stated earlier in this post, 7th rounders rarely make an NFL roster anyway. I guess its an odd way of doing due diligence at the kicker position.

Well, the Bills jumped ahead of Jax who drafted a kicker in the 3rd rnd after the Bills picked Graham. I doubt that was a coincidence myself. I think the Jags were ready to take Graham, but the Bills snatched him up first.

[Don't Panic]

Well, the Bills jumped ahead of Jax who drafted a kicker in the 3rd rnd after the Bills picked Graham. I doubt that was a coincidence myself. I think the Jags were ready to take Graham, but the Bills snatched him up first.

Almost has to be the case... can't see why Buddy would leapfrog otherwise. He had to have solid info. that Jax was going to take him, or at least really liked him. Interesting in that its Mularkey. The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is that they had already taken Blackmon, so Graham seems less likely. Since we'll never know, I'll trust Buddy.

[Extremebillsfan247]

Well, the Bills jumped ahead of Jax who drafted a kicker in the 3rd rnd after the Bills picked Graham. I doubt that was a coincidence myself. I think the Jags were ready to take Graham, but the Bills snatched him up first. You are probably right. Maybe the kicker selection was an "Oh, dammit", moment on the part of Jacksonville. But that's all in the eye of the beholder now. The move was nothing short of interesting, I'll say that. I think it woke up everyone in the NFL Network Studio. :biggrin:

[billsfootball1027]

He gives the Bills a B-

Buffalo Bills

Top needs: LT, WR, OLB, CB, QB


Summary: I had the Bills selecting Stephon Gilmore in my final mock draft, and they ended up taking him. I didn't see CB as the top need, but it's a solid pick. Gilmore is ready to start immediately for a secondary that allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt in 2011. The Bills pass defense should be better in 2012 when you put together an improved pass rush and the draft help in the secondary. Ron Brooks, a burner out of LSU, could stick as a slot cornerback. He lacks size, but can fly. I don't share the opinion that Cordy Glenn can be a left tackle, but he was a total steal at No. 41. He was on my final Big Board at No. 14. If the Bills move him inside (or to right tackle), he'll succeed. Zebrie Sanders was a steal in the sixth round. They got a wideout with T.J. Graham, as well as a pair of linebackers to bring in and battle for a spot. Pretty good weekend for Buddy Nix and the Bills.

The only reason its a B- is because Scouts / NFL analysis guys like Mel / McShay couldnt figure out if he was a Guard or Tackle. Glenn is 6'6 and has 36 inch arms and has very good feet for a player that is that big.

Also scouts thought he has "wieght issues" which isnt true. Buddy said Glenn had 2 different strength coaches. 1 coach said play at 330 and the other said play at 345.

Sanders pick: McShay loved this pick. He thought he was a 2nd rounder and can complete for the starting job right away. So Pears / Sanders will battle it out

[ghz in pittsburgh]

It's not that hard, really. Most likely the Bills made a call to Graham a few picks ahead just to get hime ready, only to find out he's already on line with Jags. So what do you do?

[Vampire Baby]

Every year you fools say "This was a great draft"

When was your last playoff game? Oh that's right it was "The Music City Miracle" LOL. Thirteen years ago. Bills suck.

[Skooby]

Every year you fools say "This was a great draft"

When was your last playoff game? Oh that's right it was "The Music City Miracle" LOL. Thirteen years ago. Bills suck.

Lol, even the quality of our trolls has dropped off drastically. It looks like a guy with a 60 IQ wrote this drooling babble, time to go back to English class man.

[ddaryl]

If he didn't see CB as a top need, then he obviously knows nothing about our team and his grade is meaningless.

No ****


and add in the fact that we play Brady 2x's a year and were torched regularly last season, how could anyone really take Kiper seriously.

Sounds like he just spews forth a couple of paragragh to satisfy his deadline

[ddaryl]

Every year you fools say "This was a great draft"

When was your last playoff game? Oh that's right it was "The Music City Miracle" LOL. Thirteen years ago. Bills suck.

So not true

the year we took Maybin many here were upset

the year we drafted Parrish many were upset.


yes every year there are those who say great draft, and there are those who are upset


but the fact is the Bills of 2009 compared to today is NIGHT and DAY. We took a craptastic team, gutted it almost thoroughly and rebuilt it. This team as of today is pretty much 100% Nix's creation, and there is no denying we are getting better. the only thing that really killed us last year was a weak pass rush, injuries and depth.

Pass rush addressed, depth addressed... injuries are out of our control.

We are well on our way and have a very nice foundation built that this franchise can continue to improve off of.

[malvado78]

Every year you fools say "This was a great draft"

When was your last playoff game? Oh that's right it was "The Music City Miracle" LOL. Thirteen years ago. Bills suck.
Who is this clown????

[NyGuy141]

Who is this clown????


wow, i dont know

[Mike13]

VB is a dip**** when it comes to alot of stuff, he used to be a regular on FH before "the split" not even dolphin fans liked him.

Anyway I thought Buffalo had a solid draft.

[thenry20]

He's not a "steal" unless he makes multiple Pro Bowls.

[Vampire Baby]

VB is a dip**** when it comes to alot of stuff, he used to be a regular on FH before "the split" not even dolphin fans liked him.

Anyway I thought Buffalo had a solid draft.

Fugg you talking about. I've never been on FH.

[ThunderGun]

I think it's pretty fair. Other than the kicker pick with the third from last pick of the draft, I agreed with every pick.
I liked the kicker pick. I mean, it was the 3rd to last pick of the draft, and the guy has a strong leg. He had touchbacks on 44% of his kicks in college. Compare that to Lindell, who is coming off an injury, and only got touchbacks on 28% of his kicks last year. That was Lindell's highest touchback percentage, by a mile. His career TB% is 8%.

We could definitely use a "kickoff specialist", if this kid makes the roster. And even if he doesn't, he was the 251st player in the draft. Who cares?

[stuckincincy]

We could definitely use a "kickoff specialist", if this kid makes the roster. And even if he doesn't, he was the 251st player in the draft. Who cares?

I don't think a roster can afford the luxury of a player just for KOs.

But expending a late 7th on a kicker to get a look - see?...fine with me. Perhaps the kid pounds it through the goal posts in camp. That would be nice.

[psubills62]

I think B range grade is reasonable. Gilmore and Glenn both fill needs. If we could have addressed our huge need for a #2 outside WR, then I'd be a lot happier with this draft. I was also not confident in our LB's, so it was good to get two of them.

Overall, fine, but not real great. JMO.

[DynaPaul]

I really don't ever listen to anything Mel Kiper has to say anymore. There are some draft gurus I like, Mayock for instance, but really you don't know how good this draft is until 3 years from now. I'd love for someone to build a website where they contrast what the experts said about a draft pick initially against what he turned out to be.