Don't Count Out Brick Coming To Buffalo

[patmoran2006]

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/va/galleries/02FootballPhotos/g-isiahjohnson.jpg
Bills fans have pronounced all over the Internet who is at the top of their draft day wish list and the consensus is a Brick... as in D'Brickshaw Ferguson.

Picking eighth, my initial thought was that Bills fans are delusional thinking that Brick is going to fall all the way down to number eight. He's the irrefutable top lineman in the draft and some scouts say he may be the next Walter Jones.

But a funny thing happened as I studied the draft position and needs of the seven teams selecting before the Bills. I started noticing scenarios where Brick could end up in Buffalo.

Let's examine:

* For starters, you can do away with three teams from taking him. Houston, New Orleans and Tennessee have the first three selections and Reggie Bush, Matt Leinhart and Vince Young will fill those spots in some order.

* You can eliminate the Raiders (6th) and San Francisco (7th) from grabbing him. Both teams have huge contracts already tied into tackles; Jonas Jennings with the 49ers and Robert Gallery with Oakland. Both clubs have many other needs and neither is going to pay two tackles a franchise salary.
That leaves the New York Jets at four and Green Bay at five as the two biggest threats.

The Jets have a left tackle in Adrain Jones they like and with oft-injured John Abraham a free agent, will be enamored with defensive end prospect Mario Williams. They also have a necessity at running back (though there are none worth taking fourth overall) as well as other holes. That's not to say that Brick isn't an option here, but it's far from a lock.

With Green Bay, they have holes in the middle of their offensive line after losing a pair of starting guards to free agency last year. Being in the same division as Chicago, they get a first hand view of what a dominating linebacker like Brian Urlacher can mean to a defense. Don't be bewildered if they go after Ohio State's AJ Hawk here.

This isn't to suggest that you go sprinting off to Laux to put your Brick jersey on reserve. The Jets or Packers might find he's too good to pass up despite other needs and take him anyway. There's also a strong possibility one or both might decide to trade down, with the Jets being the frontrunner.

Brick might not, in fact likely won't make it to Buffalo at number eight. But it probably won't be because of the way the draft board is shaping up as of now. It will be because someone moves up to jump over Buffalo.

If Marv Levy determines to be aggressive in pursuit of Brick, he can be had. Buffalo owns two picks in the early third round and could package a deal to move up the 3-4 slots it would take to land him.

Then JP Losman may be able to sleep a little better at night... Or is that Kelly Holcomb?

[Novacane]

Good post but I think it would cost us to much to move up 3 or 4 slots to get him. It would cost us at least our #2 and prolly more. We need more than just a big OT.

[patmoran2006]

I don't think it would cost a No. 2 to move up 3-4 slots. Now a team in the mid-to-late first round like a Miami or Dallas then I would say a second rounder as well.

But I think the Jets and/or Packers would be willing to move down only 3-4 spots to land an extra third round pick.. Both teams have a lot of holes, as do the Bills.

[That Guy]

Once you're getting into the top 10 picks, you have to give up AT LEAST a second. The Redskins got an entire team's draft to move back 3 spots in 1999 (and still got Champ Bailey).

[ICE74129]

I think we can move up two or so and get him. Just offer up our 3rd and keep the titans 3rd we got from them.

[patmoran2006]

Well lets go under the assumption there are no trades in the top 8 spots.. With Bush, Young and Leinhart in top three and Oakland and SF not going OT... That leaves the Jets and Packers... I really think the Jets will go with Mario Wiliams if they keep that pick... And with GB, it comes down to Brick or Hawk.

Seeing that Aaron Rodgers will start this year or next if Favre overstays his welcome by another year; I can see them building a line around him with Brick.

[ICE74129]

I can tell you now Green Bay has said if Lindale White (sp) is there they take him. So we can rule GB out.

There is a small chance DF is sitting there at #8. If so and we don't take him, I will go biblical in my rath on OBD!

[patmoran2006]

you really think White would go FIFTH Overall? He WILL be sitting there at five... I like White, but I dont know if he's top-five material. Believe me, I'd LOVE if it did happen.

[ICE74129]

you really think White would go FIFTH Overall? He WILL be sitting there at five... I like White, but I dont know if he's top-five material. Believe me, I'd LOVE if it did happen.

All I know is I have read and seen on NFLE that they have hinted there is no way he drops past them. They need him BADLY. Personally I try to make a trade and get up to get DF. Draft Davin Joseph with our 8th pick in the 2nd round and we have an OL!

[Dr. Lecter]

I think we can move up two or so and get him. Just offer up our 3rd and keep the titans 3rd we got from them.

To move up far enough to get Brick it would take much more than a 3rd.

[hydro014]

you really think White would go FIFTH Overall? He WILL be sitting there at five... I like White, but I dont know if he's top-five material. Believe me, I'd LOVE if it did happen.

He could go 5th. GB is not one of the better drafting teams over the last few years, and i have also seen where GB loves L. White. You have to remember that every year people are off on who goes in the top 10.

I posted this earlier so here what i think:

I really get into the draft each year so i have been looking at a lot of guys and this is what i think:

After watching the Senior bowl and hearing all the hype this is how i think the first will work out, IMO.

1. Bush (HOU)
2. Leinhart (NO)
3. Young (TEN)
4. D. Williams (NYJ)- looked great at the senior bowl and all year, i really think they want to trade down for cutler but no good offers, its to early for him here and they feel as though they need a skill position guy so they say no to D'Brick.
5. L. WHite (GB) - i know you think i am nuts but their was a report that after the Rose Bowl the pack was in love with white, they had a good D last year and if Farve comes back they need a better RB, Green is most likely not going to be resigned so they shock the world and go with White. Also, GB has not drafted well since Wolfe and Holmgren left.
6. Cutler (OAK)- They need a QB and they dont get Culpepper, so they go to Cutler and hope he can get the ball to Moss.
7. M.Williams (SF) - They really want D. Williams (RB) to fall after the staff coached him at Senior bowl, they really love him, but i think they have to get a D player since he's gone, so i think it could be Williams or Hawk.

8. D'Brick (BUF) - I know many people dont think he'll fall, but i think he could. Even if he does fall to us Hawk is still there so we could take him also but i think Marv finally takes care of the OL. One person i dont want at this pick is Ngata, i think he will be a good player but i really think this is to early for a DT, I also think that we'll bring in a FA DT, Edwards will be back and maybe Adams, so we draft one in the 3rd or 4th.

* I know these picks may be a little different than what most Draft sites have us picking, and some of these guys might be gone b/f we pick, but i have seen crazier things before. So remember this is my opinion and how AS OF TODAY i think our draft may look like. Also, as for the top 10, its hard to predict this early or even at all, so i explained my reasoning for some of the picks.

[alohabillsfan]

We have too many holes ourselves to be giving up picks! Let the draft come to us there are many tackles that can be had in round 2. If brick is there at 8 trade offers will have to be listened to! We have to get younger on Defense!

[Ferrygoat]

We have too many holes ourselves to be giving up picks! Let the draft come to us there are many tackles that can be had in round 2. If brick is there at 8 trade offers will have to be listened to! We have to get younger on Defense!
If Brick is there at 8 we take him, unless some team wants to give us all of their picks in this years draft.

[ICE74129]

We have too many holes ourselves to be giving up picks! Let the draft come to us there are many tackles that can be had in round 2. If brick is there at 8 trade offers will have to be listened to! We have to get younger on Defense!

That is exactly what is wrong with this team for years. You NEVER pass on a 10+ year franchise LT, NEVER. If he is there we damn well better have the card up there in less than a minute.

[Ferrygoat]

That is exactly what is wrong with this team for years. You NEVER pass on a 10+ year franchise LT, NEVER. If he is there we damn well better have the card up there in less than a minute.
I agree, you cant pass on that freak if he is there....There is such a need in the NFL for good linemen, when you have a chance to grab an elite prospect like Brick you cant pass.

[patmoran2006]

If Brick is there at eight for us, he's as good as gone.

HOwever, I'll say that after the Mike Williams disaster of 2002, I don't see the Bills giving up anything to move up to grab an offensive lineman. Coming out of college, Williams was regarded as the best run-blocking tackle to come out the draft in a decade.

That being said, I dont think WIliams career is done in Buffalo, at least as a tackle.. But thats another post for another time.

[ICE74129]

If Brick is there at eight for us, he's as good as gone.

HOwever, I'll say that after the Mike Williams disaster of 2002, I don't see the Bills giving up anything to move up to grab an offensive lineman. Coming out of college, Williams was regarded as the best run-blocking tackle to come out the draft in a decade.

That being said, I dont think WIliams career is done in Buffalo, at least as a tackle.. But thats another post for another time.

If TD was making the pics I agree. He isn't here anymore. Let modrak and co pick. Use Jim McNally to help determine who to pick.

[clumping platelets]

I don't think it would cost a No. 2 to move up 3-4 slots. Now a team in the mid-to-late first round like a Miami or Dallas then I would say a second rounder as well.

But I think the Jets and/or Packers would be willing to move down only 3-4 spots to land an extra third round pick.. Both teams have a lot of holes, as do the Bills.


Review draft history and yes, it would take our #2 to move up in rd 1

[Devin]

Didnt detriot and Cleveland make a trade a 2-3 years ago to basically swap places in the 1st (1 was 6 the other 7th) and that included a 2nd I believe.

I think it has more so to do with the players on the board.

[gonzo1105]

Um Last time I checked GB has two pretty darn good tackles in Clifton and Tauscher. They just sucked at Guard last year. They will not take D'Brick. The only team ahead of us that would take D'Brick is the Jets and I seriously think after the Senior Bowl that D'Angelo Williams is a serious candidate. Plus dont be surprised to see Jay Cutler move in before us. QB's sore up the draft charts by draft time.

1. Bush
2. Leinart
3. Young
4. D'Angelo
5. Williams
6. Ngata
7. SF- Huff, Greenway, anybody
8. D'Brick

I see it as a serious possibility he falls.

[Ferrygoat]

Um Last time I checked GB has two pretty darn good tackles in Clifton and Tauscher. They just sucked at Guard last year. They will not take D'Brick. The only team ahead of us that would take D'Brick is the Jets and I seriously think after the Senior Bowl that D'Angelo Williams is a serious candidate. Plus dont be surprised to see Jay Cutler move in before us. QB's sore up the draft charts by draft time.

1. Bush
2. Leinart
3. Young
4. D'Angelo
5. Williams
6. Ngata
7. SF- Huff, Greenway, anybody
8. D'Brick

I see it as a serious possibility he falls.
I dont think Ngata goes that early, i think Hawk will be drafted before him, plus Cutler could slide in there and the rumors of GB taking Lendale White could change that up a bit

[ddaryl]

If Brick fell past the Jets you can almost bet another team will move up to get him.

Hell there might be a few teams willing ot jump up to grab a LT. The Bills at #8 would be a longshot but not completly unfathomable. Especially if Brick's value drops some at the combine for whatever reason, or players rise up.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I think that a lot will depend on the health of Chad Pennington and what the Jets do with their pick.

There have been several articles in the NYC area papers over the last couple of months that quoted noted MDs who know something about the surgery that Pennington had who doubt that he will be ready to play, feel that he will not be able to regain his former arm-strength, or, more importantly, will have a much greater risk of re-injuring his shoulder after this second surgery. While Pennington has been maintaining that he will come back and that his recovery is on schedule, the Jets owe Pennington a huge roster bonus this Spring and, if they feel that his arm is not going to recover sufficiently or that he will not come back in time to start the season for them, it is very possible that they may look to grab his successor in this draft. Jet fans really love Leinart and most would probably like to see the team trade up to draft him, but that would probably cost more (at least a # 1 and possibly more) than their FO will want to pay. Before Mangini took their HC job, there were some intimations in the press that the Jets also liked Jay Cutler a lot.

Right now the talk in the NYC area press is that they will go with D.Ferguson with their pick, but, depending on how they see Pennington's recovery coming along in March, they may opt to go with Cutler--which will draw a host of boos from their fans, but might be the right move for them--over Ferguson. I would be very surprised to see them go with DeAngelo Williams--because a lot of the perception here is that C.Martin still has something left and his back-ups, C.Houston and D.Blaylock, are not that bad. Abraham wants out, although not as badly as last season, and the Jets are over the cap, so they may not be able to keep him, but it is hard to say if Mangini, who may want to run more 3-4 defenses, will want to replace him with Mario Williams when the Jets still have Bryan Thomas, a former # 1 pick who came on a bit last year, to replace Abraham. Since the Jets still don't have an OC and Mangini is a defensive guy, it is hard to say what they will do at this point, but if they feel that they need a QB at the top of this draft, they won't be able to trade down that far (or ask for that much in a trade-down) because Detroit might be looking for a QB with their pick and snatch up Cutler.

The most likely scenario is that the Jets will try to trade a # 2 to Tennessee for Volek, if the Titans take Leinart or Young, and will take Ferguson with their pick. However, if the Jets can't get Volek and decide that they have to go with Cutler to replace Pennington, there is a decent chance that D.Ferguson will fall to the Bills at # 8.

If Ferguson should be available at # 8, the Bills simply can't afford to pass on him, even though Marv Levy indicated that he would be looking to fix the Bills defense and has a history of drafting for defense over offense first. In that case, however, I believe that the Bills would then look to take the best available DT with their # 2 pick--probably either Bunkley or Watson (I think Wroten is pretty much out of the picture now).

I seriously doubt that the Bills will try to trade up to get Ferguson. First of all, it would cost too much for them to jump ahead of the Jets or Green Bay--at least a # 1, if recent drafts are any indication--who are the two teams most likely to be interested in taking Ferguson. The Bills have too many other needs for that and know that they can get a pretty good, though less dominant, left OT in the second round.

If Ferguson is gone at # 8, I think that the Bills will go with Ngata to fill their need for a space-eating, run-stuffer in the middle of their defensive line. Ngata is the kind of high-character guy that Levy loves and addresses what ML has to see as their defense's biggest weakness. The only way I don't see them taking Ngata, if Ferguson is gone, is if Mario Williams is still on the board, simply because Marv has had two dominant pass-rushing DEs (A.Still and B.Smith) on the teams that he coached in the NFL and may be tempted to go that route in rebuilding this team. Either way, if Ferguson is gone and the Bills go defense in the first round, I believe that they will take an OT with their # 2 pick.

I think it all will depend on what the Jets do with their pick as to whether Ferguson will still be there when the Bills pick or not. I think Marv will be delighted if he is, but I don't think he will be unhappy if he isn't. I think it's a situation where he will feel that he can address the team's two biggest needs in this draft either way.

[don137]

Simply put, the Bills have too many needs to trade up for a player especially after being burned by Mike Williams.
If anything they will trade down for more picks.

[Saratoga Slim]

yeah. I don't see us trading up. I think LifetimeBillsFan hit the nail on the head. If Brick is there at 8, we give him the keys to the city and our prettiest virgin daughters. If Brick is gone, we nonetheless do a back flip for Mario Williams or Haloti Ngata--and still get Jon Scott, Eric Winston, Winston Justice, Marcus McNeill, or Max Jean Gilles, etc. in the second round.

I think the contents of this year's draft line up pretty nicely with our needs. Who knows, maybe we even tag and trade Nate Clements for another first-rounder.

[mysticsoto]

I think that a lot will depend on the health of Chad Pennington and what the Jets do with their pick.

If Ferguson should be available at # 8, the Bills simply can't afford to pass on him, even though Marv Levy indicated that he would be looking to fix the Bills defense and has a history of drafting for defense over offense first. In that case, however, I believe that the Bills would then look to take the best available DT with their # 2 pick--probably either Bunkley or Watson (I think Wroten is pretty much out of the picture now).

I seriously doubt that the Bills will try to trade up to get Ferguson. First of all, it would cost too much for them to jump ahead of the Jets or Green Bay--at least a # 1, if recent drafts are any indication--who are the two teams most likely to be interested in taking Ferguson. The Bills have too many other needs for that and know that they can get a pretty good, though less dominant, left OT in the second round.

If Ferguson is gone at # 8, I think that the Bills will go with Ngata to fill their need for a space-eating, run-stuffer in the middle of their defensive line. Ngata is the kind of high-character guy that Levy loves and addresses what ML has to see as their defense's biggest weakness. The only way I don't see them taking Ngata, if Ferguson is gone, is if Mario Williams is still on the board, simply because Marv has had two dominant pass-rushing DEs (A.Still and B.Smith) on the teams that he coached in the NFL and may be tempted to go that route in rebuilding this team. Either way, if Ferguson is gone and the Bills go defense in the first round, I believe that they will take an OT with their # 2 pick.

I think it all will depend on what the Jets do with their pick as to whether Ferguson will still be there when the Bills pick or not. I think Marv will be delighted if he is, but I don't think he will be unhappy if he isn't. I think it's a situation where he will feel that he can address the team's two biggest needs in this draft either way.

I agree in that the Jets taking Ferguson is not a lock. My ideal draft would be Brick #1 (OT) and Davin Joseph #2 (OG). However, if we miss out on Brick and end up taking Mario Williams or Ngata, I would still take Joseph as #2. In reality, we have a much higher need of good guards than of Tackles. Gandy and Peters were the best part of the line this past year. It's our guards that were stinking up the place and even Teague was getting beat. Once we took Mike Williams out of RT, play there improved greatly. I think we should concentrate on the inside of the line and get a powerhouse like Joseph instead.

Getting both Brick and Joseph would mean we have to turn to FA to address the D-line, but it would make for a hell of a solid Oline!!! Which would probably start as: Brick, Gandy, Preston, Joseph, Peters. I can't think of a better line than that at this point (this is assuming Preston is ready for Center duties).

Then, I would hope they didn't go cheap on the Dline as far as FAs go...

[Saratoga Slim]

I think Villiarial is going to return to form this year. Just a hunch, in part based on his interest in playing for Jauron. I would be pumped if Preston stepped it up a notch to outplay Teague in camp.

I also would be pumped if we grabbed LeCharles Bentley in FA.

[patmoran2006]

I dont think the Jets take Williams at FOUR and Pack take take White at FIVE. I can see both those guys in those uniforms, but one or even both of those teams could trade down and still get their guys.

I could see a team move up into one of their spots to take Brick.

Based on the draft board NOW as it stands.. Brick would have a shot to fall to number eight.. But that is with NO trades, and I dont see that happening.

If your a Brick guy.. I'd be sweating on picks and four and five.. AFter that, unless someone trades with SF or Oakland, he's as good as ours.

[ICE74129]

Looking at the mock drafts, it sure looks like 'Brick' will fall to us. But I also agree he starts dropping I bet someone makes a move. I would be on the phone to teams 4-7 saying 'hey if someone trys to make a move call us'. And YES Teams do that. It's called a bidding war.

I am not sure how much I give up, but I would be willing to make a trade to get the guy IF Mcnally feels he is good enough.

[The_Philster]

I would be pumped if Preston stepped it up a notch to outplay Teague in camp. Teague's a free agent...I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't return. Personally, though...we have such a need in the middle of the O-line, I'd like to see him stick around...though I wouldn't pay him much above the vet minimum

[Saratoga Slim]

Teague's a free agent...I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't return. Personally, though...we have such a need in the middle of the O-line, I'd like to see him stick around...though I wouldn't pay him much above the vet minimum

yeah, I was writing under the assumption we resign Teague. I'm a little sketchy on putting it all in the Duke's shoulders at this point though. Maybe he'll be a good one, but I'd kinda like to see us sign a veteran upgrade to Teague. we'll probably find an upgrade free agent Center cheaper than a free agent Left Tackle. Thus I think it makes more sense to upgrade C in free agency and draft a tackle.