2017 Draft Position Possibilites

[DesertFox24]

Hey guys not a thread talking about where we will pick. It is more trying to look at potential positional needs and what positions the bills will look to draft or potentially fill via free agency.

WR
DL
Interior OL
Safety

Are the top 4 I came up with. Would like to start a dialog on college kids in those positions and games they play against other Sunday talent guys in college.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

Interior OL or CB I would say is the top of the list. Don't think there is any chance Gilmore gets paid here.

So if you draft top 12, you get the corner. If you draft around 20, you get the guard.

I think this team will draft anywhere from 12-20.

[trapezeus]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

good thread idea. especially if you do the college football threads once college starts. would be helpful for a guy like me who doesn't watch a lot of college football.

I think you nailed the positions. problem is that front office sucks at drafting linemen, but that they are good with CB. if Seymour is as good as hyped, they may not need a CB. But they definitely need to look at safety. they are aging and injured right now.

I don't think WR is a need if Sammy continues to have very limited injury time. I think they could keep wood if he has a good year as the #2. If Clay is good in middle of field and targeted more often this season, you probably consider another TE before another WR. depending on TT's vision of field this year, we'll know by end of season. if he continues to stay outside hashmarks, get the WR, If he's utilizing the full field, take a TE.

DL, they should be good after Lawson is back, but getting another LB to try and be the QB of the d would give them two very good linebackers in ragland and new guy . Hopefully give them a good pash rush and run stopper in ragland and a good pass rusher and potential coverage/spy personnel if they pick LB early.

If TT shows any issue with durability, I think you have to draft another qb. one who may be a little more ready to assume the reigns than Cardale. This way you replace EJ, upgrade the position, and put the onus on TT to stay healthy or have options. and you keep cardale developing and keep pressure on him to showcase those improvements.

also think the bills will be drafting top 10.

[Mahdi]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

Interior OL or CB I would say is the top of the list. Don't think there is any chance Gilmore gets paid here.

So if you draft top 12, you get the corner. If you draft around 20, you get the guard.

I think this team will draft anywhere from 12-20.

I don't see Buffalo letting Gilmore go. No way. He will be tagged at minimum.

[stuckincincy]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

They continually stick themselves the same rut - drafting for need and not being able to draft for depth. This fascination for flash players - dumping serviceable RBs to draft yet another new one, buying the McCoys and Marios, dealing off picks for their flavor-of-the-year. When they sold the farm in 2014, they picked Watkins sans a viable QB and lifted their leg on Khalil Mack. Insane.

Simply astonishing that they didn't select an OL this April - instead - another RB.

They should cool the wow-wee picks next April and build up the depth.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

I don't see Buffalo letting Gilmore go. No way. He will be tagged at minimum.

I don't foresee that even being a possibility.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/2017/

As of right now, they're only 9m under the 2017 salary cap with contracts they have now.

The tag price in 2016 for corners is 13.95 and will certainly uptick a little next year.

[Mahdi]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

I don't foresee that even being a possibility.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/cap/2017/

As of right now, they're only 9m under the 2017 salary cap with contracts they have now.

The tag price in 2016 for corners is 13.95 and will certainly uptick a little next year.

Does that include dead money that might come off the books in 2017 and maybe dropping a couple of bigger contracts?

I can see some restructures also happening, Dareus, Clay, KW, McCoy.

[Ed]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

Obviously a lot depends on how things go for certain players, but right now I would probably put WR at the top of the list. Woods, Goodwin, Salas, and Little are all FA's after this season. Not sure if any of them would be restricted, but either way, I could see any or all of those WR's being gone for one reason or another.

The right side of the OL definitely has a lot of questions right now, so we'll just have to see how those guys play.

Zach Brown and Spikes are both on 1-year deals, so ILB will probably be a need. I don't see Spikes coming back since he was only a late emergency addition, and I think Brown is going to have a good year and earn himself a decent new deal somewhere else. Maybe not a top priority with Ragland returning, but they'll likely need to add some draft talent there.

Aaron Williams and Corey Graham have cap hits of about $6.6 and $5.4 respectively. Cutting Graham would provide significant savings, Williams not so much. Hard to see them spending that much money at safety though. so I could see Graham being gone and the team target safety in the early rounds.

I think they'll work something out with Gilmore or tag him, but I don't see him playing somewhere else next year.

[Ginger Vitis]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

That 2017 salary cap number is $155 million max the same as 2016... the 2017 salary cap max should be at least $160 million to $165 million so the BIlls at this point are anywhere from $14 million to $19 million under the 2017 cap

[X-Era]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

I look at the following as our top positional needs:

WR- We have some bigger guys trying to fill the role but we may get a bigger WR early
S- Graham is getting older and Aaron cant stay healthy

After that you have a series of positions that will be affected by players already on the squad:

RT- If Henderson can't regain form and Mills is only average
CB- If Gilmore is gone but I think they would at least tag him
WR- If Woods is gone
C- Wood is getting up there in age but hes also a C. I could see a pay cut being the better move
DT- Kyle is long in the tooth but there are some young options on the team already
QB- EJ is as good as gone so were likely looking at a backup. Could even be moving Cardale up to #2 and getting a UDFA

I don't see:

G- Cog's is very good and Miller is developing. Backup maybe but that applies to all positions
RB- Plenty of options

[X-Era]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

Does that include dead money that might come off the books in 2017 and maybe dropping a couple of bigger contracts?

I can see some restructures also happening, Dareus, Clay, KW, McCoy.

Don't forget the rollover of unused cap

[Bill Cody]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

No disrespect to the thread, interesting enough topic, but just wondering how many boards in this league already have their minds wandering to next year's draft? Not that I don't get why.

[Ed]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

No disrespect to the thread, interesting enough topic, but just wondering how many boards in this league already have their minds wandering to next year's draft? Not that I don't get why.

I think the point of the thread is to identify college players that would be interesting to watch during the college season. It's not about where anyone thinks the Bills will finish.

I don't personally know enough about college football to comment on any specific players.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

Don't forget the rollover of unused cap

I'm not quite sure how that part works...

Sportrac shows the Bills at 170,125,049 in total money spent and 150,475,049 in top 51 money with a 157,375,731 adjusted cap. 4.4m rollover and a -2.4m adjustment.

Cap space with all they're 12m over, top 51 they're 6.9m under.

Hell, I'm not quite sure how the salary cap works in football at all after looking at the numbers. And here I thought the NBA was complicated in their salary rules.

[DesertFox24]

Re: 2017 Draft Position Possibilites

good thread idea. especially if you do the college football threads once college starts. would be helpful for a guy like me who doesn't watch a lot of college football.

I think you nailed the positions. problem is that front office sucks at drafting linemen, but that they are good with CB. if Seymour is as good as hyped, they may not need a CB. But they definitely need to look at safety. they are aging and injured right now.

I don't think WR is a need if Sammy continues to have very limited injury time. I think they could keep wood if he has a good year as the #2. If Clay is good in middle of field and targeted more often this season, you probably consider another TE before another WR. depending on TT's vision of field this year, we'll know by end of season. if he continues to stay outside hashmarks, get the WR, If he's utilizing the full field, take a TE.

DL, they should be good after Lawson is back, but getting another LB to try and be the QB of the d would give them two very good linebackers in ragland and new guy . Hopefully give them a good pash rush and run stopper in ragland and a good pass rusher and potential coverage/spy personnel if they pick LB early.

If TT shows any issue with durability, I think you have to draft another qb. one who may be a little more ready to assume the reigns than Cardale. This way you replace EJ, upgrade the position, and put the onus on TT to stay healthy or have options. and you keep cardale developing and keep pressure on him to showcase those improvements.

also think the bills will be drafting top 10.

Only reason I said WR was pure numbers Sammy only WR on contract for next year currently.