With The Combine Starting, Most Important Player is..

[patmoran2006]

Jay Cutler, especially if your a Buffalo Bills fan.

A really strong showing at the combine may propel Cutler all the way up to the fourth spot in the draft, which would slide a player that otherwise wouldn't down to Buffalo at number eight.

The Jets would be very high on taking Cutler fourth given the Pennington situation. While the Jets have many needs, no spot on the football field is more important and can turn a team around faster than a solid quarterback.

Even if the Jets didn't want to go take a QB that high, they do have so many holes they'd be tempted to move down in a trade to a team that would want Cutler first. A few of these teams would include:
Miami - though unlikely the Jets would trade in their own division.
Detroit- Harrington may be done, and Jets would still pick 9th.
Arizona- yes they re-signed Warner but he's getting old.
Chicago- Grossman oft-injured and at least one team seems to come from nowhere come draft time.
Raiders- Kerry Collins.. bye bye

This would also effect the Bills if Cutler climbed all the way to four on the draft board. At least one player who would have been gone would slip to eighth. I'm not big on taking DT Ngata with the 8th pick. I feel that there isn't much dropoff at DT with the next 3-4 DT's and finding an adequate run stuffer elsewhere is easier than game-breakers at some other positions.

Here are four players, with one guarenteed to slide down to Buffalo if Cutler went fourth.

Brick- Would be Buffalo's LT for the next decade. If the Jets took Cutler, Bills fans would have to sweat GB at five and then pray Oak and SF didn't trade down (dont think they would) and Brick would fall into their laps.

AJ Hawk- Many think could end up being the best defensive player in the draft. If Spikes can't come back, there is your answer. And even if Spikes did come back, Hawk would be a ridiculously huge upgrade over Crowell (Posey would so be gone.). Best case, can you imagine a 90% Spikes with Fletcher (getting up in age but was STILL the best player on team last year) and a pure stud in Hawk? can you say BEST LB trio in football? He could go at any spot between 5-7 if Cutler goes fourth.

Mario Williams - Being compared to Peppers and Freeney shows his potential. Playing on opposite end of Schobel would make Bills pash rush scary and more importantly, could produce pressure without having to blitz fans out of the stands to get the QB, something that didn't happen last year. Any team between 5-7 would look at him seriously, just like Hawk.

Michael Huff - Some think he will come into league as corner but I think he'll end up at safety. With Milloy older, expensive and in last year of contract, Huff could fill a perfect role there. Best case, this guy could be the next Polamolu. We've all seen what he's done for Pittsburgh. Anyone who watched Texas last year saw that Huff is a playmaking machine. Oak and SF are both interested in him prior to Buffalo. Levy would take Huff this high only if they thought he could be dominant at safety. With Nate coming back and McGee developing, would make no sense to take him as a corner.

So there you have it. Personally of this group the guy I think would fall all the way to eighth if Cutler goes fourth would be Mario Williams.

I'd hope for Brick, but I think he'd be gone with GB at fifth, or they'd trade down with a team (Detroit- replacing Backus) who would take him.

I'd be MORE than thrilled with any of the other three, especially Williams.

[ICE74129]

Re: With The Combine Starting, Most Important Player is..

Jay Cutler, especially if your a Buffalo Bills fan.

A really strong showing at the combine may propel Cutler all the way up to the fourth spot in the draft, which would slide a player that otherwise wouldn't down to Buffalo at number eight.

The Jets would be very high on taking Cutler fourth given the Pennington situation. While the Jets have many needs, no spot on the football field is more important and can turn a team around faster than a solid quarterback.

Even if the Jets didn't want to go take a QB that high, they do have so many holes they'd be tempted to move down in a trade to a team that would want Cutler first. A few of these teams would include:
Miami - though unlikely the Jets would trade in their own division.
Detroit- Harrington may be done, and Jets would still pick 9th.
Arizona- yes they re-signed Warner but he's getting old.
Chicago- Grossman oft-injured and at least one team seems to come from nowhere come draft time.
Raiders- Kerry Collins.. bye bye

This would also effect the Bills if Cutler climbed all the way to four on the draft board. At least one player who would have been gone would slip to eighth. I'm not big on taking DT Ngata with the 8th pick. I feel that there isn't much dropoff at DT with the next 3-4 DT's and finding an adequate run stuffer elsewhere is easier than game-breakers at some other positions.

Here are four players, with one guarenteed to slide down to Buffalo if Cutler went fourth.

Brick- Would be Buffalo's LT for the next decade. If the Jets took Cutler, Bills fans would have to sweat GB at five and then pray Oak and SF didn't trade down (dont think they would) and Brick would fall into their laps.

AJ Hawk- Many think could end up being the best defensive player in the draft. If Spikes can't come back, there is your answer. And even if Spikes did come back, Hawk would be a ridiculously huge upgrade over Crowell (Posey would so be gone.). Best case, can you imagine a 90% Spikes with Fletcher (getting up in age but was STILL the best player on team last year) and a pure stud in Hawk? can you say BEST LB trio in football? He could go at any spot between 5-7 if Cutler goes fourth.

Mario Williams - Being compared to Peppers and Freeney shows his potential. Playing on opposite end of Schobel would make Bills pash rush scary and more importantly, could produce pressure without having to blitz fans out of the stands to get the QB, something that didn't happen last year. Any team between 5-7 would look at him seriously, just like Hawk.

Michael Huff - Some think he will come into league as corner but I think he'll end up at safety. With Milloy older, expensive and in last year of contract, Huff could fill a perfect role there. Best case, this guy could be the next Polamolu. We've all seen what he's done for Pittsburgh. Anyone who watched Texas last year saw that Huff is a playmaking machine. Oak and SF are both interested in him prior to Buffalo. Levy would take Huff this high only if they thought he could be dominant at safety. With Nate coming back and McGee developing, would make no sense to take him as a corner.

So there you have it. Personally of this group the guy I think would fall all the way to eighth if Cutler goes fourth would be Mario Williams.

I'd hope for Brick, but I think he'd be gone with GB at fifth, or they'd trade down with a team (Detroit- replacing Backus) who would take him.

I'd be MORE than thrilled with any of the other three, especially Williams.

Good post. NFLN Was talking about how not throwing at the combine will hurt Young and Lionfart more than help. They are affraid of having a bad day blah blah blah. Look teams know one workout isn't going to change what you did over your college career. They are going to be asked to throw routes they don't like, routes they aren't used to. So what? Teams need to see your strengths and weakness so they know what to work on when you get drafted.

I hope Cutler blows their doors off. Jets, New Orleans and Tennessee will all take a QB if Cutler does well. That definatly drops a guy to us that wouldn't normally drop. With the Texans being morons and committing to Bush that again helps us in the possible Dbrickshaw sweepstakes. If not, another Stud Defensive lineman will drop.

[mysticsoto]

Re: With The Combine Starting, Most Important Player is..

I agree completely. Jay Cutler must have a superb combine to ensure that the Jets feel he is worth a #4. Vince Young must also have a good one. I kind of feel he is overrated and I don't want the Titans having 2nd thoughts on him. :) If Ngata looks good, the 49ers will probably grab him. So, I kind of think we have a legitimate shot at Brick!

[ICE74129]

Re: With The Combine Starting, Most Important Player is..

J
Mario Williams - Being compared to Peppers and Freeney shows his potential. Playing on opposite end of Schobel would make Bills pash rush scary and more importantly, could produce pressure without having to blitz fans out of the stands to get the QB, something that didn't happen last year. Any team between 5-7 would look at him seriously, just like Hawk.

Williams.

On Mario, Is he a LDE or a RDE? If he is a RDE I move Schobel to LDE. Mario is much quicker and should be at RDE if at all possible

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: With The Combine Starting, Most Important Player is..

I totally agree about Cutler being the key to the Bills' draft. And it is looking more and more like Cutler could be the Jets' guy: apparently Pennington and his agent took no time in rejecting the Jets' offer to radically restructure his contract and Mangini is sounding like he really isn't counting on Pennington. (URL: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/fo...p-333531c.html )

With Brees' injury forcing the Chargers to hold off on trading either Brees or Rivers and McNair deciding to stay with the Titans (at least so far), the Jets options are really limited: Griese, Volek, Collins are the most viable, but Griese and Volek are going to cost draft picks the Jets can't afford to give up and Collins really isn't a guy that a young staff is likely to want to rebuild their team around, especially since he doesn't fit the "consistently accurate passer" mold of the offense that Mangini is used to having on his side.

There have been little snippets that have appeared in various articles for almost a year now about the Jets being high on Cutler, so it is entirely possible that they may go with him, knowing that they are going to need a couple of years before they can get out of salary cap hell and truly become serious contenders again. If they do go with Cutler, it will really set the Bills' draft up nicely, even if Oakland or SF decides to trade down with someone. I'm not sure though that the Bills would go with Huff or Hawk if those two slip down to them and Ngata is still on the board (I know a lot of people will hate me for saying that, but I believe that the Bills will be looking to solidify their run-defense first and may not be able to do enough before draft day in free agency to accomplish that--they probably take Mario Williams because he is such a freak and Levy and Jauron know how important a good pass-rusher can be, but, even then, I wonder if they still wouldn't prefer the space-eater in the middle)--Hawk, like Crowell, is a MLB-WLB, not really a SLB, which is what the Bills need to replace Posey and LBs are less effective if they don't have good D-linemen to keep the blockers off of them (which the Bills don't have enough of right now) and, as good as Huff is, the drop-off in talent at the safety position in this draft isn't as steep as it is at the DT and perhaps even the O-line positions after the first two rounds and there are going to be some pretty decent safeties who should be available in Round # 3, like G.Blue of Georgia, etc. If Mario Williams is still on the board, the Bills brain-trust might make an exception, but I really see them going into this draft looking to go defensive line-offensive line or offensive line-defensive line (if they can get Ferguson in the first round) in this draft, with safeties, LBs and WR as later round options. Of course, all of this depends on what the Bills are able to do in free agency before the draft, but, with so many other teams needing players at the same positions that the Bills have needs at on their lines, I think it will be extremely difficult for them to fill all of their needs in free agency to the point where they will have a whole lot of flexibility in this year's draft--some, perhaps, but not much.

And, that's why Cutler--to either the Jets or to Oakland (remember, they need a starting QB, too!)--is such a key to the Bills' draft: because he can provide them some flexibility at the top of their draft and, if he goes before they are on the board, his selection will insure that the Bills get a player who is likely to make them a much better team in the not-too-distant future.