Buffalo Bills 2015 Draft Needs

[DesertFox24]

Yes I know it is early, but I like to guess at the draft needs so that I can try and watch as many prospects at those positions with draftabe grades as possible.

Here is my preliminary list:

1. DE (no idea what will happen with Hughes or how well lawson will play and no depth behind them)
2. TE
3. Safety may not be a need
4. LB may not be a need depends if we resign spikes and how rivers brown play, will know either way if we have depth there or not
5. RB no idea about Spiller or Jackson
6. DT depth behind Dareus and williams may not be a need
7. QB

[Homegrown]

6 of those 7 positions sound like Bills "draft needs" for the past 15 years

[stuckincincy]

1) A 1st round pick. :kid:

[swiper]

QB
QB
QB
QB
QB

[sudzy]

QB
QB
QB
QB
QB


But, only if you ever want to win. If your OK with the last few years, by all means draft TE, Safety, RB.

[trapezeus]

if you sense EJ isn't moving forward, then qb is obviously a need. If he looked ok, then i think a TE, LB and OL are needs. You probably want another NT/DT to fill in for kyle williams.

but like stuckincincy said, we have no round 1 pick. its a scary place to think about if we don't get to 9-11 wins this year. no pick and essentially aneed to start over at qb.

[better days]

if you sense EJ isn't moving forward, then qb is obviously a need. If he looked ok, then i think a TE, LB and OL are needs. You probably want another NT/DT to fill in for kyle williams.

but like stuckincincy said, we have no round 1 pick. its a scary place to think about if we don't get to 9-11 wins this year. no pick and essentially aneed to start over at qb.

Thurman Thomas was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Kiko was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Colin Kaepernick was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Russell Wilson was drafted in the 3rd rnd.

I am not scared

[Mike]

Thurman Thomas was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Kiko was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Colin Kaepernick was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Russell Wilson was drafted in the 3rd rnd.

I am not scared

Lossman was drafted in 1st round
Maybin was drafted in 1st round
EJ was drafted in 1st round

[DesertFox24]

The only reason not having a first is scary is if EJ blows and we could have drafted a good qb.

That being said I do not agree with drafting OL we drafted 3 OL this year and have 2 solid fringe pro bowl starters and 1 average starter (Urbik).

Kyle Williams will be a very hard guy to replace as he is a 3 technique that can also play 1 technique those are usually different guys and that is what makes him so good and so valuable. I think we need to draft another 3 technique and a pass rushing DE this year so that we can give Williams and Williams/Hughes a blow, which will protect them in season and prolong their careers.

[swiper]

if you sense EJ isn't moving forward, then qb is obviously a need. If he looked ok, then i think a TE, LB and OL are needs. You probably want another NT/DT to fill in for kyle williams.

but like stuckincincy said, we have no round 1 pick. its a scary place to think about if we don't get to 9-11 wins this year. no pick and essentially aneed to start over at qb.

Not having a #1 in 2015, essentially gives Manuel 2 years instead of just one. Trading that pick to get Watkins was purely stupid.

Watkins had better be the next Jerry Rice.

[swiper]

Thurman Thomas was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Kiko was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Colin Kaepernick was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Russell Wilson was drafted in the 3rd rnd.

I am not scared

And you prove every day that you're not too bright.

[tampabay25690]

Thurman Thomas was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Kiko was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Colin Kaepernick was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Russell Wilson was drafted in the 3rd rnd.

I am not scared

I'm with you on this..
How many 1st rounders have been busts for the Bills??
Watkins will be good this year and great down the road.
Let's just win this season.

- - - Updated - - -


Not having a #1 in 2015, essentially gives Manuel 2 years instead of just one. Trading that pick to get Watkins was purely stupid.

Watkins had better be the next Jerry Rice.

If Watkins is great then it doesn't matter.

[Topas]

Thurman Thomas was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Kiko was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Colin Kaepernick was drafted in the 2nd rnd.

Russell Wilson was drafted in the 3rd rnd.

I am not scared


Good grief. Tom Brady was a 7nd round pick, so lets trade away all picks from round 1 to 6 and stockpile 7 round picks. Makes sense according to your logic. A few examples show nothing.
Bust rate in 2nd round is higher than 1st round. Bust rate in first round is still high, but lower than second round. How many above average QBs are not first round picks. Only a few.
You might get lucky, but planning on this is a bad strategy. See exhibit A: Bills, Buffalo ...

[trapezeus]

i just worry that ej isn't going to show us brilliance or awfulness. and to that extent we are going to ride the losman train with him. seeing a few good games, see some real stinkers. see his inaccuracy when he's pushing the ball instead of throwing it take a toll on us.

i think swiper is right. manuel, regardless of injury or skill will get this year and next. watkins can be the greatest ever, but if a qb isn't putting the ball in his zipcode, it won't matter and it will be two wasted positions.

i really do hope ej gets it this year. he seems like a guy you want to root for. he never comes off the field with slumped shoulders and a look of defeat like so many qb's before him. it was inspiring in the carolina game, it was maddening during the pitt beat down. if he gets it, i will be so grateful this hailmary draft strategy worked.

[Fletch]

6 of those 7 positions sound like Bills "draft needs" for the past 15 years

LOL

We need a GM that understands how to build a team, not one that runs out and blows all $5,000 that he brought to the casino on two spins at the roulette wheel.

Until we have that the rest is moot. Hopefully the new owner has an interest in football but not so much of an interest that he wants to meddle ala Snyder, Jones, and a few other gems in the NFL's history.

[justasportsfan]

Yikes!

I am just starting to get comfortable with not having to read anymore mock drafts from the last draft and now we're ready to start 2015 mock drafts before Nix has even had a chance to take his nap?

[Fletch]

i just worry that ej isn't going to show us brilliance or awfulness.

Your worries are justifiable. He didn't show brilliance or awfulness at FSU for four seasons.

He was good enough on a team that had superior talent to every team that they played during his stint there, and he himself was athletic enough to be superior. But when the team tried to "coach him up" they failed and instead dumbed down their offense and changed their offense to match his skills.

That was the same here last season. Expecting to change after five seasons of the same really isn't a good hope, is it.

[Fletch]

Not having a #1 in 2015, essentially gives Manuel 2 years instead of just one. Trading that pick to get Watkins was purely stupid.

Watkins had better be the next Jerry Rice.

That's how it's going to have to play out if Whaley is to avoid looking like the fool that I claim he is.

The problem is that Watkins' success in college was not at all similar to how WRs succeed in the NFL, so he's going to have to change his entire MO and succeed at a level much tougher than the one that he succeeded at in college, but against teams for which he and his team won't have a decided talent advantage, if anything it will be the opposite, we'll typically be facing teams with better talent than we have on a week to week basis for now.

I agree though, simply hitting 1,000 yards and 8 TDs ain't going to cut it for Watkins, he's going to have to post historical rookie top-10 great numbers to have been worth that trade up, and next season he'll have to hit at least 1,200 yards and 10 TDs. As you know, I think that Mike Evans is going to be a better WR in the NFL and have a better rookie season too, on a team with similar circumstances but a better coach.

[better days]

That's how it's going to have to play out if Whaley is to avoid looking like the fool that I claim he is.

The problem is that Watkins' success in college was not at all similar to how WRs succeed in the NFL, so he's going to have to change his entire MO and succeed at a level much tougher than the one that he succeeded at in college, but against teams for which he and his team won't have a decided talent advantage, if anything it will be the opposite, we'll typically be facing teams with better talent than we have on a week to week basis for now.

I agree though, simply hitting 1,000 yards and 8 TDs ain't going to cut it for Watkins, he's going to have to post historical rookie top-10 great numbers to have been worth that trade up, and next season he'll have to hit at least 1,200 yards and 10 TDs. As you know, I think that Mike Evans is going to be a better WR in the NFL and have a better rookie season too, on a team with similar circumstances but a better coach.

As a Bucs fan, I am very happy to see Lovie return to Tampa.

He hired Leslie Frazier as his DC which I think is a good hire.

But he hired Jeff Tedford as his OC & Tedford has no experience in the NFL.

The talk is Tedford will run an uptempo offense.....sounds a lot like Hackett to me.

If Whaley didn't give up an extra first rnd pick for Watkins there would be no problem, but he did.

Watkins needs to be a HOF type player for that extra first rnd pick to be worth it.

But I think a rookie season of 1,000 yds & 8 TD's is a good start.

[better days]

Good grief. Tom Brady was a 7nd round pick, so lets trade away all picks from round 1 to 6 and stockpile 7 round picks. Makes sense according to your logic. A few examples show nothing.
Bust rate in 2nd round is higher than 1st round. Bust rate in first round is still high, but lower than second round. How many above average QBs are not first round picks. Only a few.
You might get lucky, but planning on this is a bad strategy. See exhibit A: Bills, Buffalo ...

Actually Tom Brady was a 6th rnd pick. Can you name me 3 other 6th or 7th rnd picks that make that list as good as the list I named?

Trading away next years first rnd pick was a desperate move made by a GM that knows he may not be around for the draft next year if the Bills don't turn things around this year.

The point I was making is what is done is done. You can't cry over spilled milk. The Bills will have to deal with the fact they have no first rnd pick next year, but I think they will pick someone in the second rnd that will have first rnd talent but some question that kept him from getting drafted in the first rnd.

[Fletch]

Actually Tom Brady was a 6th rnd pick. Can you name me 3 other 6th or 7th rnd picks that make that list as good as the list I named?

Trading away next years first rnd pick was a desperate move made by a GM that knows he may not be around for the draft next year if the Bills don't turn things around this year.

The point I was making is what is done is done. You can't cry over spilled milk. The Bills will have to deal with the fact they have no first rnd pick next year, but I think they will pick someone in the second rnd that will have first rnd talent but some question that kept him from getting drafted in the first rnd.

More than that, the team will have to deal with the problem if they don't improve significantly this year, and that problem will have proven to be Whaley himself. At that point we'd be waiting for that stopped clock to align with the correct time to be able to call Whaley a good GM. I don't see that happening with Brandon running the show.

[Mr. Pink]

QB
TE
CB
LB

[BuffaloRedleg]

1) A 1st round pick. :kid:

If EJ doesn't show progress to the point where drafting a QB is not necessary the whole FO should be fired. They made their bed by giving up next year's 1st rounder, they can sleep in it.

[swiper]

I'd rather sleep in my own bed.

[BuffaloRedleg]

Actually Tom Brady was a 6th rnd pick. Can you name me 3 other 6th or 7th rnd picks that make that list as good as the list I named?

Trading away next years first rnd pick was a desperate move made by a GM that knows he may not be around for the draft next year if the Bills don't turn things around this year.

The point I was making is what is done is done. You can't cry over spilled milk. The Bills will have to deal with the fact they have no first rnd pick next year, but I think they will pick someone in the second rnd that will have first rnd talent but some question that kept him from getting drafted in the first rnd.

What drives me the most nuts about it all is that when they're long and fired for taking an absurd risk we'll be the ones still around without a QB or a prayer. Like we always are. It's cute they are willing to take a chance, but it's us that suffers. They'll find work somewhere else and still make a ton of money.

[swiper]

If Watkins is great then it doesn't matter.

It absolutely does if there is no one to get him the ball.

[TacklingDummy]

I'm with you on this..
How many 1st rounders have been busts for the Bills??
Watkins will be good this year and great down the road.
Let's just win this season.

- - - Updated - - -



If Watkins is great then it doesn't matter.Watkins won't be great until he gets a QB to get him the ball. Until then you can add him to the pile of busts the Bills collect.

[GingerP]

Can you name me 3 other 6th or 7th rnd picks that make that list as good as the list I named?

I agree the best QBs tend to be 1st round picks, but here is a list of QBs drafted after the 1st since the merger that were pretty good (I may have missed a few):

2nd Round

Drew Brees
Colin Kaepernick
Andy Dalton
Jake Plummer

3rd Round

Russell Wilson
Matt Schaub
Nick Foles
Brian Griese

4th Round

Rich Gannon
Joe Theismann
Aaron Brooks

5th Round

Mark Brunell

6th Round

Tom Brady
Marc Bulger
Matt Hasselbeck

7th round and after

Bart Starr
Roger Staubach
Brad Johnson

[psubills62]

LB and DL, IMO. I've said before that next year will be the year to revamp the DL. And obviously still need a little more depth at LB.

There's clearly more, but I think those are the two to focus on. QB shouldn't be drafted until later, even though it is a need. They just drafted a bunch of OL. TE is a need, but they seem to focus elsewhere. CB remains a need.

Other positions are reasonably set, but at the same time could always stand to upgrade talent where possible.

[sudzy]

QB shouldn't be drafted until later, even though it is a need.

What?? That is the craziest thing I've ever heard. We have needs at QB and kicker, but, we can fill those late in the draft.

[psubills62]

What?? That is the craziest thing I've ever heard. We have needs at QB and kicker, but, we can fill those late in the draft.
How is it that crazy? Second round QB's are notoriously bad. If I want to draft a QB early, I want to do it in the first round, no later. A lot of decent QB prospects fall to the 4th round or later.

[paladin warrior]

1st round :teary:
2nd round T.E
3rd round LB
4th round RB
5th round DT
6th round CB or safety
7 round LB
undraft QB. CB OLB , DE