If Shelton is grabbed on draft day, Bills

[X-Era]

I could argue they should continue to get o-lineman, but with Shelton at LT, Anderson at LG, Teague still starting at C, and RG and RT locked up, why spedn your first pick on the o-line? They wont go that way IMO. But this assumes that Shelton is traded for before they pick, thats still a big if, but with Henry dropping his "must have a new contract demansd", and the Cards dropping their "want more than just Henry demands" the ball is is our court and I think we land Shelton AND swab 2nd's, or at least swab for Shelton straight up.

Anyways, I can easily see that even if we DONT get Shelton, we still dont go o-line in the 2nd round. Teague would likely be our new starting LT which leaves C open and really no one is worthy of the 55 pick at C, Baas is the only one and he will be gone. As far as T go, Terry may still be there but his off the field problems are not the type of crap the Bills take. Munoz has bigtime health issues so hes probably out.

As far as DT, Hawthorne may be there and he would be sorely tempting and may be our pick. Patterson is a reach at that spot IMO.

So, where do we go then? Maybe, just maybe we go with the big TE Alex Smith from Stanford, he is a pass catching stud and has done well with the blocking so far.

There is a guy out there that is a stud in the making from a very small school. If and only if, the Bills land Shelton AND stay at 55, I would not be against drafting Jerome Mathis WR from Hampton, he was the fastest gut at the draft and one of thje fastest ever. He should during the post season bowl game that he is a stud with 2 TD's. He can kick return, is a solid deep threat, is well built, gets tough yards, and would be an instant upgrade to Reed, or Aiken. His potential is sky high IMO, and with our starting o-line set, we really could afford a sleeper pick. Yes its a risky pick, but the reward could be huge with one of the best WR corps in the league and a stud rushing game. Again, this is all revolving around not needing any starting o-lineman. I would grab Matt Jones maybe, but he is said to have issues with working hard.

If I were the Bills, and I could afford to make a risky pick at 55, and my o-line was set, and there were no DT's that intrigued me, and even if Alex Smith was there, I would probably draft Jerome Mathis or take a chance no Matt Jones (but yes, I would convert him to TE or an H-back or at leats play him in the slot).

BTW, Nugent is said to be a 3rd rounder at best.

MY other sleeper WR is Chauncey Stovall from Fla State, he a Moulds clone without the hype.

[Kenny]

Personally, -I'd spend the 2nd rounder on a corner (so long as we lock up Shelton).

Later rounds we draft for depth on both the OL and DL, and spend a 4th-6th on a backup for McGahee.

[HurryUpTom]

I think we're going best available regardless.

But if I were Donahoe, my ideal situation would involve us having a good WR option at our 2nd pick and then hoping an OL falls to us in the 3rd.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I think it depends on what the team plans to do with N.Clements and whether the Shelton-Henry trade goes through.

If the trade gets done, the Bills will have to pick up a big RB at some point in this draft. I love S.Williams and he showed that he can contribute as a back-up for McGahee last season, but he isn't very big and did not do very well in short-yardage situations as a rookie. With Henry gone, I think that the Bills would have to look for a rookie who can gain the tough yards in short-yardage situations that S.Williams had a hard time gaining last season. The good news is that this is such a deep draft at RB that there should be a couple of decent prospects of sufficient size available in the 4th round. Picking up a RB to back-up McGahee with S.Williams after the 4th round, though, might be a stretch.

If the Bills do not plan to do everything they can to sign N.Clements, they will have to go for a CB early enough to get one who will be ready to step in and start after this coming season--2nd or 3rd round at the latest. If the Bills don't go for a CB with one of those picks, I would take it as a sign that TD intends to do whatever he needs to do to keep Clements.

If the Shelton-Henry trade goes through, I agree that the need to take an offensive lineman with their first pick will be alleviated. Still, with T.Teague entering the last season of his contract, I think that it is still important to take an offensive lineman on the first day, if at all possible (ie, if the team is going to keep Clements). But, depending on who is still available, I could see the them waiting until the third round before picking an O-lineman.

With P.Williams gone through free agency, J.Bannan moving to the O-line, and S.Adams getting older, I think that grabbing another young DT in this year's draft almost be considered a "need". Coach Krumrie seems to like to take a year to develop his young D-linemen before throwing them into the fire, so anyone that he takes probably won't be asked to contribute much this season, but that also means that adding young talent to the D-line has to be done further in advance. Depending on who is still available, I could see the Bills taking a DT as high as with its 2nd round pick or as low as with its 5th rounder, but I tend to think that they will try to take one in either the 2nd (if Hawthorne is on the board) or 3rd round--especially if the Shelton-Henry trade goes through and the team plans to keep Clements.

Matt Jones is certainly an intriguing player because he would fit well into the kind of "Slash" role that Coach Mularkey likes to be able to use in his offense and it would not surprise me to see the Bills take him if he lasts until they pick in the 2nd round--but only if the Shelton-Henry deal goes through. Jones has the potential to not only fill the "Slash" role, but serve as a future replacement for Moulds--whose contract may force the team to cut him before next season if he is unwilling to renegotiate. So, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the Bills will go for Jones if they can get him and try to fill their needs on the offensive and/or defensive lines on the second day or by picking up a cheap veteran FA down the road. The Bills might still choose to go this route even if the Shelton-Henry deal does not take place: S.Gragg from SF--who has played both OG and OT and was coached by Coach McNally when he broke into the league with the NY Giants--is likely to be cut on June 1 and might be an option that the Bills would consider if they don't get Shelton; but I would be a lot more comfortable with them doing so if they have Shelton.

With all of their needs, the fact that the Bills primarily run a power-rushing attack, and the relative availability of FA # 3 WRs in the off-season, I doubt that the Bills would spend one of their top 3 picks on a WR other than M.Jones--who is more "Slash" than WR at this point--rather than give J.Reed and S.Aiken one more chance to show what they can do. Despite Moulds' contract situation, a top WR is not as great a priority for this season as some other positions would be--unless the team is going to be able to get an unusual athlete or talent, like Jones, with their pick.

At this stage, with TD playing his card intelligently "close to the vest", I don't think that any of us fans can logically predict what the Bills will do in the draft: anything anyone says at this point is pretty much a guess. But, given his history, I wouldn't be surprised if TD does something to surprise us on draft day and does something that seems to ignore what appears to be a pressing team need to us fans!

[generalmills]

Later rounds we draft for depth on both the OL and DL, and spend a 4th-6th on a backup for McGahee.[/QUOTE]

Do we really need to sign a backup for McGahee.. I think Joe Burns is a quality backup who can come in and carry out the mop-up duties for Willis and if an injury were to occur, I would be fine seeing Burns in the backfield for an extended period of time. I just do not think that we need to spend a pick in the late rounds on something that we already have.. (the late 2nd day picks are where the statement: "we took the best available" can allow a team to find a true "diamond in the rough" haha I sound like the segment they play at the games haha)

[Jan Reimers]

If we have Shelton by draft day, I agree that we go best available - be it a CB, TE, WR, C or whatever. If we have LT covered, we will have no gaping holes, and will have the luxury of taking the best player still on our board.

If we don't have Shelton or another veteran LT, we best go O-line.

[BuffaloRanger]

Matt Jones could fill the role of #3 WR, #4 WR in spread sets or as a TE. He'd be a big target for JP that can catch. I don't think he lasts until 55 though. But I'd rather have him then Alex Smith.

TDs draft isn't set, that's not possible. Too much depends on who's taken before the Bills pick.

I don't want to get too caught up in who the Bills should take this draft. When the player I want is there and TD passes on him for something out of left field I get pissed.

[R. Rich]

If Shelton is grabbed on draft day...

Someone's spending too much time watching the Michael Jackson trial.

[jamze132]

I wouldn't be suprised at all if TD and co. went to the draft with a clear and open mind about anything. With our first pick in the middle / late 2nd round, there are just so many possibilities. It should be fun to watch and wait to see what happens. But I gotta say, I will disapointed if we don't do anything at all and then draft someone we've never heard of.

[HurryUpTom]

What sort of statement is it about our WRs when a guy that's never played the position before is expected to be our 3rd best.

[X-Era]

I agree, but he has loads of potential

What sort of statement is it about our WRs when a guy that's never played the position before is expected to be our 3rd best.

Jones is short on having the right approach to the game and is listed as a guy who will "drive coaches nuts". But you cant agrue with speed.

Jones questioned one un-named head coach who asked him if he would add 20 lbs to be a TE, saying, "why add 20lbs and run a 4.5 instead of a 4.3"? Its a decent question but a TE at 6'6" and 240 who runs a 4.5 is a stud!!! His hands are outstanding, hes got what he needs.

Personally I dont like moving him to WR. He is fast, yes, he is athletic, yes, but more of a basketball player than a track star WR. To me he is perfect for a premiere TE mold with adding 15-20 pounds instead of being a ho-humm WR in the mold of Jurevicious.

I do seriously believe that by adding 15-20 and still keeping his athleticism, and even if he drops to say a 4.5, he can be an all star TE!!!

I dont mind drafting him and even starting him in the slot, but it should be a stepping stone to move him to TE where he can be the next Shockey with even better speed!