Greg Robinson - OT, Auburn

[BillsImpossible]

#73 LT 6'5 320 lbs

Future starting right tackle for the Buffalo Bills? Robinson would be in instant upgrade. Can Pears play guard?

Chris Hairston anyone? He was good when healthy, but could never stay healthy. Time to move on.

Bills need a RT that can dominate the line of scrimmage and protect the quarterback.

Give EJ Manuel more time to see the field. Give him a comfort zone in the pocket with a ton of time to throw combined with an even better running game than last year.

Robinson is not an NFL LT. He's too, "small," and too, "short," for the position.

Cordy Glenn is 6'6 345 lbs and has been a solid rock at LT for the Bills for 2 years. Bills need another rock at RT.

If Doug Marrone and Whaley draft Robinson at 9, I hope they go for a guard in round 2 or 3 and make their draft emphasis obvious.

Protect the quarterback or lose.

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[YardRat]

I'll take a RT at #9 all day long, and there are enough highly rated prospects that Buffalo should get a good one. Robinson's age and relatively short experience pass blocking may be a couple of strikes against him. I liked Hairston coming out as much as anybody, but 'good' is a stretch...he is 'okay'.

[The Jokeman]

At 6-8 Pears is a bit tall to play OG. In terms of Robinson being too short to play LT I'm not sure where you getting that from. Sure LTs seem to be taller than RTs but the truth is LT to me is about having a good "dancing bear" and at 6-5 320 Robinson fits that mold. Maybe he can play RT this year but I wouldn't be shocked see him moving to LT before his career is done. As to me some LTs that are 6-5 or shorter that can name are Jason Peters (6-4), Russell Okung (6-5) of the Seahawks, Trent Williams (6-5) of the Redskins. I'm sure there are others but just trying to remember some top 10 picks in previous drafts. In terms of the height issue feel free to learn more at


In my view, the ideal tackles are guys that are in the 6-4 to 6-6 range and weigh around 310 to 320 pounds. In the past ten years, as zone-blocking schemes have become more popular, teams have been drafting taller guys (guys who may be 6-7 or 6-8) but many of those players don’t have the natural athleticism of a shorter player. http://www.get2theleague.com/offensive-tackle-tips-what-the-nfl-looks-for-in-offensive-tackles/ and


My ideal height for an offensive tackle would be 6'5". This is because leverage is so important in winning the one-on-one battles. The average height of a defensive end in the NFL is just over 6'4" The average height of 3-4 outside linebacker is 6'3". If you get an offensive tackle that is too tall, you often hear the term "waist-bender" associated with that individual. This terms is eluding to the tackle bending at the waist to lower his point of attack, rather than sinking their hips, and exploding, into the defender. When a offensive tackle bends at the waist to take on a blocker, they immediately lose balance. Their center of power is no longer over their hips, and this causes them to lose the ability to be powerful, and to counter moves by the defender.

In pass-pro, this is huge. The offensive tackle must be able to sink into their kick-slide, and sit back in their stance with the legs set underneath them, and the hips nice and low, so they are able to come into the defender with both power and balance. If a tackle over-extends, the defender can easily exploit this by ripping through the body, or knocking down the outside arm/shoulder to gain the edge. Getting off-balance, or losing the game of leverage will undoubtedly cause the tackle to lose the battle.
http://www.hogshaven.com/2013/6/1/4386090/attributes-of-a-good-offensive-tackle and

and
At the tackle positions, generally you are looking for a guy in the 6-4 to 6-7 range around the 300-to-325 pound mark, preferably with long arms to lock onto defenders. When it comes to guards, you’re looking for basically the same thing, although shorter players with a lower center of gravity and more body mass can be a better fit for the position. http://football.about.com/od/nfldraft/a/bl_prospevalua6.htm

[BidsJr]

Never a RT in rd 1 unless the QB is a lefty. Waste of a pick.

[coastal]

Doubt he's there when we pick. If he is, you draft him and start him at LG immediately.

[YardRat]

Never a RT in rd 1 unless the QB is a lefty. Waste of a pick.

It's never a waste of a pick to go OT, regardless of plugging him in on the left or right, especially with today's defenses flip-flopping their edge rushers from side to side.

[BidsJr]

lol

[clumping platelets]

Lewan can play RT :nod:

[jimmifli]

Doubt he's there when we pick. If he is, you draft him and start him at LG immediately.

I thanked you because he'd be an awesome pick, but starting him at LG would be awful. He's a day1 starter at RT. He'd be a day1 starter at LT if we didn't already have the 11th best LT in the NFL.

LG is a big hole, and it needs to be filled, but not with a guy that can fix a problem that's almost as bad and much tougher to solve. There's some decent G's available that are too expensive, we can easily replace Andy by over paying one of them to do not as good a job.

[swiper]

I'll take a RT at #9 all day long, and there are enough highly rated prospects that Buffalo should get a good one. Robinson's age and relatively short experience pass blocking may be a couple of strikes against him. I liked Hairston coming out as much as anybody, but 'good' is a stretch...he is 'okay'.

#9 is too high to take a right tackle. You can get a good, durable RT lower down, as you can a guard. Just say no to guards, RTs and TEs in the first round if your team is below 0.500 winning percentage. The idea is ridiculous.

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It's never a waste of a pick to go OT, regardless of plugging him in on the left or right, especially with today's defenses flip-flopping their edge rushers from side to side.

Dumb.

[YardRat]

#9 is too high to take a right tackle. You can get a good, durable RT lower down, as you can a guard. Just say no to guards, RTs and TEs in the first round if your team is below 0.500 winning percentage. The idea is ridiculous.

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Dumb.

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. G and TE? OK, but not OT...the game has evolved to the point where you absolutely need top end on both sides of the line.

[swiper]

Yes. We disagree.

Better plan (to me): Barr in the first, best available guard in 2nd. OT has Hairston and Pears. While I would agree an upgrade could be had, that pairing is an adequate placeholder. Moreover, there may be a reasonable upgrade there via free agency. Anyway, as coastal said, Robinson is a very sought after player and will likely be off the board at #9.

[Raptor]

Doubt he's there when we pick. If he is, you draft him and start him at LG immediately.


lolol so absurd

[Raptor]

id be fine with him at 9, with defenses today you essentially need a LT's ability to play the right side

[k-oneputt]

It would be one of their better picks of the last decade and a half in round one. You can get a guard in rd.3.

[EDS]

Yes. We disagree.

Better plan (to me): Barr in the first, best available guard in 2nd. OT has Hairston and Pears. While I would agree an upgrade could be had, that pairing is an adequate placeholder. Moreover, there may be a reasonable upgrade there via free agency. Anyway, as coastal said, Robinson is a very sought after player and will likely be off the board at #9.

Barr will be long gone by the time the Bills pick. That said, he seems like a great prospect.

[coastal]

I thanked you because he'd be an awesome pick, but starting him at LG would be awful. He's a day1 starter at RT. He'd be a day1 starter at LT if we didn't already have the 11th best LT in the NFL.

LG is a big hole, and it needs to be filled, but not with a guy that can fix a problem that's almost as bad and much tougher to solve. There's some decent G's available that are too expensive, we can easily replace Andy by over paying one of them to do not as good a job.his strength is in the run game... in fact he's stupid awesome at it.

hes had little opportunity to develop his pass protection. Sticking him on any edge as a rookie is not prudent IMO.

Stick him next to Glenn and let the two of them maul in the run game.

[DraftBoy]

I'd take him all day long but I'm just not sure he's there at 9. Great OT pick.

[jimmifli]

his strength is in the run game... in fact he's stupid awesome at it.

hes had little opportunity to develop his pass protection. Sticking him on any edge as a rookie is not prudent IMO.

Stick him next to Glenn and let the two of them maul in the run game.

Freddie can block and is usually the RB in for passing situations and EJ is semi mobile. We heard the same **** about Cordy and it's why he fell to the second. I'd just rather have two talented tackles and fill guard with a free agent or mid round pick than a highly picked guard and a scrub at RT (we aren't spending on a FA tackle).

If he gives up a few sacks, so be it. The Bills aren't winning a superbowl next season and the kid is going to have to learn sometime.

[Ed]

I would love this pick, but I doubt he'll be there too. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the first OT off the board ahead of Matthews.

How is using a 1st round pick on a RT a waste? They play 100% of the offensive snaps and have key roles in both the running and passing game. Just because the QB has a better view of the pass rush coming from his right doesn't mean that those guys don't need to be blocked. Plenty of sacks come from the left side of the D.

I still like Hairston, but ideally he would make for great depth as our primary back-up at both OT spots.

[SpikedLemonade]

I would love this pick.

[coastal]

He isn't getting past Atlanta.

[stuckincincy]

At #9, I'd go for Mich St. cb Dennard...depending on combine performance.

[SpikedLemonade]

Funny that OL seem to be appreciated everywhere but among Bills fans. "Good OL can be found in the later rounds".

[SpikedLemonade]

At #9, I'd go for Mich St. cb Dennard...depending on combine performance.

We have drafted CBs in the first rounds for the past 15+ years and you would like to draft another? We have two first round CBs in the line up already.

Maybe the notion of a true "shutdown corner" is just an outdated one in today's NFL.

[TigerJ]

There are a couple schools of thought on offensive tackles. Some say that since it's tougher to play left tackle with defenses usually sticking their best pass rusher on that side to attack the QB's blind side, left tackles should be valued more highly. Others don't think it makes that big a difference.

I think a lot depends on how the draft falls and what kind of holes you have to fill. In Buffalo's case, most of us would say left guard is one of the team's biggest holes. You're rarely going to use a top ten draft pick to draft a guard, and certainly not this year. Buffalo could use a great wide receiver, and if Sammy Watkins is available he ought to get serious consideration as the Bills pick even if he's not 6'4." But while some people like Mike Evans, others argue that Watkins is the only WR worth a top ten pick. Still others are advocating for Khalil Mack, the local product. To be honest, he doesn't really fill any acute need, and there's a question about how well he'd fit into new DC, Jim Schwartz's system. What about tight end? There are some good ones in the draft, but the same argument against taking right tackles high is made against tight ends too. . . . and running backs. . . and safeties. . . and middle/inside linebackers. Moreover, with Mack's generally rising stock, there's a chance he won't be available. While Buffalo can still upgrade cornerback depth, there's not a strong argument to be made that they need a starter that badly. Gilmore started out with an injury that had a significant impact on his year even after he came back, but he started to show at the end why he was taken high in 2012, and Leodis McKelvin, for all the flack he caught early in his career now plays like a starter should. He's still not 30 years old. Oh, and Buffalo is not drafting a QB high in 2014. Put it all together, and drafting a right tackle at #9 is not all that farfetched, if not Greg Robinson, then maybe Taylor Lewan.

[stuckincincy]

We have drafted CBs in the first rounds for the past 15+ years and you would like to draft another? We have two first round CBs in the line up already.

Maybe the notion of a true "shutdown corner" is just an outdated one in today's NFL.

Spike - you know me and my long history of favoring OL...and at #9, I would go for Dennard. The college game is all this spread offense these days -my ideas about how to evaluate offensive tackles have fallen. I do see pro teams emphasizing interior def. rush, to harass a qb in this day and age of kid glove treatment of wrs.

Were I looking at OL, I would be looking at G and C these days.

[swiper]

He isn't getting past Atlanta.

This is all you need to know about this entire thread.