Turning the time machine to April 20, 2002 - who to draft? Mike Williams

[Ebenezer]

A lot of us are convinced Mike Williams is a bust or at the best a marginal lineman (not even sure of the position he should play). That draft, imo, sucked. If not MW then who? Take a look at the list. Julius Peppers really was the best talent in that draft. I wanted Roy Williams (Mikey82 can confirm). I still say that TD wanted Harrington and then got blindsided by Detroit. Hence the trade for Bledsoe.

There are some hits and some misses. Who was deserving of the 4th overall? I would hazard to say Dwight Freeney or Ed Reed. As it was nobody had either projected in the top 10.

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1. Houston David Carr QB Fresno State
2. Carolina Julius Peppers DE North Carolina
3. Detroit Joey Harrington QB Oregon
4. Buffalo Mike Williams OT Texas
5. San Diego Quentin Jammer CB Texas
6. Kansas City (from Dallas) Ryan Sims DT North Carolina
7. Minnesota Bryant McKinnie OT Miami (Fla)
8. Dallas (from Kansas City) Roy Williams SS Oklahoma
9. Jacksonville John Henderson DT Tennessee
10. Cincinnati Levi Jones OT Arizona State
11. Indianapolis Dwight Freeney DE Syracuse
12. Arizona Wendell Bryant DT Wisconsin
13. New Orleans Donte Stallworth WR Tennessee
14. NY Giants (from Tennessee) Jeremy Shockey TE Miami (Fla)
15. Tennessee (from NY Giants) Albert Haynesworth DT Tennessee
16. Cleveland William Green RB Boston College
17. Oakland (from Atlanta) Phillip Buchanon CB Miami (Fla)
18. Atlanta (from Washington through Oakland) T.J. Duckett RB Michigan State
19. Denver Ashley Lelie WR Hawaii
20. Green Bay (from Seattle) Javon Walker WR Florida State
21. New England (from Tampa Bay through Oakland and Washington) Daniel Graham TE Colorado
22. NY Jets Bryan Thomas DE Alabama-Birmingham
23. Oakland Napolean Harris OLB Northwestern
24. Baltimore Edward Reed S Miami (FLA)
25. New Orleans (from Miami) Charles Grant DE Georgia
26. Philadelphia Lito Sheppard CB Florida
27. San Francisco Mike Rumph CB Miami (Fla)
28. Seattle (from Green Bay) Jerramy Stevens TE Washington
29. Chicago Marc Colombo OT Boston College
30. Pittsburgh Kendall Simmons OG Auburn
31. St. Louis Robert Thomas MLB UCLA
32. Washington (from New England) Patrick Ramsey QB Tulane

[Novacane]

I don't even fault TD for that pick. A lot of people thought MW would be a stud and OL was a huge need. In hindsight Levi Jones has turned out to be the best OL but Cinci was ridiculed for taking him at #10 so he was not an option. TO bad we could not have traded down and taken Feeney.

[justasportsfan]

At 11, Freeney was a steal.

[Novacane]

At 11, Freeney was a steel.


He would have been a steal at #4. To bad we can't see the future

[FinFan]

Ed Reed is a BEAST as well. I wish he was a Dolphin.

[Billsouth]

many people wanted us to take roy williams. now i wish we had.

[Stewie]

I would take dwight freeny over anyone else and that includes peppers.

[Lexwhat]

I don't even fault TD for that pick. A lot of people thought MW would be a stud and OL was a huge need. In hindsight Levi Jones has turned out to be the best OL but Cinci was ridiculed for taking him at #10 so he was not an option. TO bad we could not have traded down and taken Feeney.


Exactly! A lot of people are going to whine and complain about the MW pick. But any 10 year old can say "oh we should have gotten this player instead" after seeing that player succeed for so many years.

Freeney was not a consensus top 10 pick. At that time, O-Line was a major need and it was basically between McKinnie and Williams. If you look at history, many top 10 picks do not live up to expectations. That year, it just wasn't our luck.

But TD has generally been successful with 1st round picks during his tenure here.

[Phincinatti Phinz]

It's nice to wish of going back and making different movies.

How I'd love to take back the Eddie Moore, Jamar Fletcher picks. :crap:

Thank god you guys didn't get Freeney or Reed.

[rsmithgi]

The player to take was clearly McKinnie. He is almost finished with his third full year of starting at LT on an offense that has been pretty good. He played LT in college (unlike Williams who played RT). MW was never going to be quick enough to play LT in the pros. You don't draft a RT at #4.

I don't think anyone anticipated a bust of this magnitude, but IMO there was a better choice sitting there for TD and he blew it.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I wanted Roy Williams.

That way we could have passed on Milloy later and spent some money somewhere else.

[rsmithgi]

At 11, Freeney was a steal.

The irony is that Polian should still be the GM of the Bills.

[JWatts]

The player to take was clearly McKinnie. He is almost finished with his third full year of starting at LT on an offense that has been pretty good. He played LT in college (unlike Williams who played RT). MW was never going to be quick enough to play LT in the pros. You don't draft a RT at #4.
I don't think anyone anticipated a bust of this magnitude, but IMO there was a better choice sitting there for TD and he blew it.

Actually Mike Williams played with Simms who is left handed so he actually played LT being he protected the blind side. But at the time we needed a OT we got who was rated by almost every team at the best one on the board.

[rsmithgi]

Actually Mike Williams played with Simms who is left handed so he actually played LT being he protected the blind side. But at the time we needed a OT we got who was rated by almost every team at the best one on the board.

It doesn't matter, he was a RT. He had never played the left side of the OL in his college career. I think McKinnie was ranked higher on most draft boards that I saw because he played LT in college.

Look at where they ended up in the pros (at least until MW was demoted to LG), McKinnie at LT and MW at RT.

[Hounds]

Jermey Shockey would have been a nice player to have too. I think that teams with top 5 draft picks should trade down because if they are in the top 5 they need more then 1 good player and a mid round first usually is going to still be a good player.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I still say that TD wanted Harrington and then got blindsided by Detroit. Hence the trade for Bledsoe.
Well we need to thank Detroit for that. :whew:

[RedEyE]

Isn't Bryant McKennie the guy that died in Minnesota? I don't feel like looking it up.

[eyedog]

TD had more outs than just Mckinnie {the logical pick}. He still could have taken Henderson or Haynesworth. Either of those two wouldn't have been that great of a reach.
Let alone taking a chance on a Freeney or Jones.
Also who the hell was scouting Baby Mike ? My God couldn't they see he was too damn slow to move to the left side? And did they check into his mental makeup ?It sure as hell doesn't look like it.
" The guy got his 11 million dollar signing bonus and doesn't care. He wasn't even mad about losing his right tackle job. "
That was said to me in the airport on Friday going down to the Miami game by a Buffalo news reporter who's main job is a beat writer for the Bills. And that wasn't even all of it but I won't release the rest.
BUST.

[JefftheBillsfan]

wow, i forgot all about ryan simms. what has he done?

and no, mckinnie was not the one that died in Minnesota. That Was Korey Stringer

[JefftheBillsfan]

another thing, was that the same offseason we signed lawyer milloy? i would have definately gone with roy williams had i known they were looking to upgrade our status at SS, but I was under the impression we were going to let Coy Wire have a look. i dont know, maybe it wasnt the same year, but i would have love rw.

[JefftheBillsfan]

another thing, was that the same offseason we signed lawyer milloy? i would have definately gone with roy williams had i known they were looking to upgrade our status at SS, but I was under the impression we were going to let Coy Wire have a look. i dont know, maybe it wasnt the same year, but i would have love rw.

[don137]

If we can go back alittle further in time to the December game between the Panthers and Bills. The Panthers and Bills had one win each I beleive. The Bills were down 24-6 and came back to win the game. As a result of the comeback the Bills drafted #4 overall and the Panthers drafted #2 overall :cry:

[ArcticWildMan]

many people wanted us to take roy williams. now i wish we had.

I remember I was at the draft party begging that we pick him. I was sooo pissed when we picked the other Williams. :(

[dannyek71]

Isn't Bryant McKennie the guy that died in Minnesota? I don't feel like looking it up.

Korey Stringer died.

If I remember things correctly, many people had McKennie higher, but didnt he have some sort of knee injury that made him questionable?

[The_Philster]

Korey Stringer died.

If I remember things correctly, many people had McKennie higher, but didnt he have some sort of knee injury that made him questionable?he also made it pretty clear he didn't want to play here..and one of the first things TD said when he was hired was that we wouldn't take people who didn't seriously want to be here

[Novacane]

If we can go back alittle further in time to the December game between the Panthers and Bills. The Panthers and Bills had one win each I beleive. The Bills were down 24-6 and came back to win the game. As a result of the comeback the Bills drafted #4 overall and the Panthers drafted #2 overall :cry:




Yep! We lose that game and we have Peppers instead of lard ass :rage:

[JefftheBillsfan]

mike williams was the one with the knee injury, not mckinnie. mckinnie had attitude problems, if i remember correctly, he bashed on the bills pretty good pre-draft.