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We all know Buddy Nix is not a "smokescreen" kind of guy.
From Day 1 on the job, he's never been the type to try and disguise his intentions from the public. With that said, I think it's becoming clearer every day (by looking at pro day attendance, OBD visits, listening to the front office speak) what players the Bills are seriously considering at #8 - and where they will be going later in the draft.
We've all heard Nix talk about the Bills needs. He's mentioned Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Linebacker and Safety.
It's not a coincidence that virtually EVERY private visit scheduled at ODB has been from these 5 positions.
No offensive tackles. No offensive guards. No running backs. No defensive linemen. No cornerbacks.
From my count, there are exactly 5 prospects that experts/mocks are pegging for the top half of the 1st round that we have also called in for visits.
- Geno Smith, QB
- Dion Jordan, LB
- Jarvis Jones, LB
- Alec Ogletree, LB
- Kenny Vacarro, S
Looking at mock drafts for us, there are a few common names that are noticeably absent.
The first is WR Corderalle Patterson. The Bills apparently met with a handful of Tennessee players on Saturday, but not Patterson. They also have NOT met with projected 1st rounders Tavon Austin or Keenan Allen. Buffalo has, however, met with late-1st/2nd round prospects Justin Hunter, Robert Woods and Ryan Swope - along with a number of mid-round receivers.
This tells me that Nix is absolutely not targeting a WR in the first round. Since he knows Patterson, Austin and Allen will be gone, he's focusing on getting someone 2nd round or later.
I also notice that Buffalo has not scheduled meetings with Lane Johnson OT, Chance Warmack OG (or any other offensive lineman for that matter).
After last year's draft, Nix laughed at experts who pegged Cordy Glenn as a guard. Sorry folks, he's not moving inside. And in his taped phone conversation with the TB GM, he specifically stated the he was good at tackle. I'm not sure why they are so confident at guard after losing Levitre and Rinehart - but the Bills have shown little to no interest at finding a replacement so far.
Also missing from the list are Tyler Eifert, Zack Ertz and pretty much all of the tight ends expected to go in the first couple rounds. We know they are after this position since they swung and missed on Fred Davis. However, this makes me very skeptical they are looking to grab a TE early.
It's pretty clear that Buffalo's NUMBER ONE priority is quarterback. They have gone to multiple pro-days and scheduled private visits/workouts with virtually every prospect coming out in 2013 - from Geno Smith down to a couple who may go undrafted. With the acquisition of Kolb, I think they are leaving as many options open as possible.
If Smith is available at #8, I think there is an excellent chance we pull the trigger. If not, I think the Bills will sit tight and hope for someone in Round 2. They may have a couple targets at that spot. If some names start coming off the board before #41, don't be surprised at all to see them trade up. And I also won't be surprised to see them grab another QB in the late rounds or as an UDFA.
My full expectation for the 2013 draft is something like this:
Round 1: Geno Smith
Round 2: Top WR or Top LB
or
Round 1: Dion Jordan/Jarvis Jones/Alec Ogletree/Kenny Vacarro
Round 2: Top QB
From Day 1 on the job, he's never been the type to try and disguise his intentions from the public. With that said, I think it's becoming clearer every day (by looking at pro day attendance, OBD visits, listening to the front office speak) what players the Bills are seriously considering at #8 - and where they will be going later in the draft.
We've all heard Nix talk about the Bills needs. He's mentioned Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Linebacker and Safety.
It's not a coincidence that virtually EVERY private visit scheduled at ODB has been from these 5 positions.
No offensive tackles. No offensive guards. No running backs. No defensive linemen. No cornerbacks.
From my count, there are exactly 5 prospects that experts/mocks are pegging for the top half of the 1st round that we have also called in for visits.
- Geno Smith, QB
- Dion Jordan, LB
- Jarvis Jones, LB
- Alec Ogletree, LB
- Kenny Vacarro, S
Looking at mock drafts for us, there are a few common names that are noticeably absent.
The first is WR Corderalle Patterson. The Bills apparently met with a handful of Tennessee players on Saturday, but not Patterson. They also have NOT met with projected 1st rounders Tavon Austin or Keenan Allen. Buffalo has, however, met with late-1st/2nd round prospects Justin Hunter, Robert Woods and Ryan Swope - along with a number of mid-round receivers.
This tells me that Nix is absolutely not targeting a WR in the first round. Since he knows Patterson, Austin and Allen will be gone, he's focusing on getting someone 2nd round or later.
I also notice that Buffalo has not scheduled meetings with Lane Johnson OT, Chance Warmack OG (or any other offensive lineman for that matter).
After last year's draft, Nix laughed at experts who pegged Cordy Glenn as a guard. Sorry folks, he's not moving inside. And in his taped phone conversation with the TB GM, he specifically stated the he was good at tackle. I'm not sure why they are so confident at guard after losing Levitre and Rinehart - but the Bills have shown little to no interest at finding a replacement so far.
Also missing from the list are Tyler Eifert, Zack Ertz and pretty much all of the tight ends expected to go in the first couple rounds. We know they are after this position since they swung and missed on Fred Davis. However, this makes me very skeptical they are looking to grab a TE early.
It's pretty clear that Buffalo's NUMBER ONE priority is quarterback. They have gone to multiple pro-days and scheduled private visits/workouts with virtually every prospect coming out in 2013 - from Geno Smith down to a couple who may go undrafted. With the acquisition of Kolb, I think they are leaving as many options open as possible.
If Smith is available at #8, I think there is an excellent chance we pull the trigger. If not, I think the Bills will sit tight and hope for someone in Round 2. They may have a couple targets at that spot. If some names start coming off the board before #41, don't be surprised at all to see them trade up. And I also won't be surprised to see them grab another QB in the late rounds or as an UDFA.
My full expectation for the 2013 draft is something like this:
Round 1: Geno Smith
Round 2: Top WR or Top LB
or
Round 1: Dion Jordan/Jarvis Jones/Alec Ogletree/Kenny Vacarro
Round 2: Top QB
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