Huff makes most sense...

[Mahdi]

Picking at number 8 where the best linemen will most likely be off the board, the best pick for the Bills and the one that will make the most sense IMO is Huff. Why?...

1) We have no one at SS. We have Baker who has been a back-up his whole career and who is not spectacular in any aspect of his game. (Tackling, playmaking, speed)

2) Our projected starter is also a back-up and its seems as though he was signed for his special teams ability. If you listen to Marv's comments about Bowen, he said that Bobby April told Marv about Bowen and encouraged him to sign him for his special teams ability.

3) Nate Clements doesnt seem like a player who wants to stay in Buffalo. He's looking for money that he doesnt deserve and it doesnt look like he will be in B-lo next year.

4) Troy Vincent is 35 and I doubt he's here next year.


Now if we select Huff, he provides a solution for all those scenarios. He can play anywhere in the secondary, is faster than Nate, as good a tackler as Milloy and a great playmaker like Vincent was in his day. Not to mention the fact that he is a perfect fit for the Cover 2 since he can line up anywhere on the field, and can match up with any teams TE (McMichael, Watson, Graham, Gates). Lastly, a requirement for Cover 2 safeties is that they have to be able to cover AND tackle, and he certainly can do both of those.

Do you guys agree? If not, assuming Mario, Brick, Bush, and Leinart are gone, who do you draft? Player and Reason.

[casdhf]

I want Huff and have for months!!

[Devin]

I agree, Marv Levy wont reach. IMO with Brick and Mario gone he will take the best avail player (if we dont trade down of course) I truly believe that we will, if we stay at 8, be looking at Huff, Ngata or Davis.

[NorthCarBills]

While I'm a big proponent of addressing the lines before anything else, I would not be completely shocked or upset if Huff is drafted (vs. my initial reaction when TD took McGahee in '03).

My reasoning is similar to your points -- namely how a guy like Huff would fit into the new scheme and most likely have an impact in his first year, and he'd bolster an aging secondary with little or suspect depth.

But again, my ideal draft would mean trading our pick for a mid first round pick (unless Brick fell to us by a miracle), and we'd get nothing less than an additional second rounder. With these early round picks you address the lines.

[ShadowHawk7]

You make good points Mahdi. At this point, I would want either Brick, Super Mario, Huff, or a trade down. The first two will probably not happen, but I'd be very happy with Huff at 8.

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

What is it with the Marv talk about drafting I keep telling you guys Modrak is the one going to be doing the drafting. Marv has never done this before Modrak has. See my sig.

[alohabillsfan]

Here's the deal top 8 picks as voted by the resident draft expert ME

1) Bush
2) Lienhart
3) D'Brick
4) Williams, m
5) Young
6) Hawk
7) Cutler
8) Huff/Davis/Ngata

Somebody is going to want 1 of those players Bring on the trade
Then draft Eric Winston period!

[Kenny]

I wouldnt mind Huff... I think he fits in the Ed Red mold.

[Mahdi]

I wouldnt mind Huff... I think he fits in the Ed Red mold.
Exactly....Id take Ed Reed at 8 anyday. And Huff is probably a better tackler than Reed as well.

[Turf]

Roy Jones made the most sense too, but everyone felt #4 was too high for a safety. In retrospect who cares, get the impact player you need.

[ddaryl]

Here's the deal top 8 picks as voted by the resident draft expert ME

1) Bush
2) Lienhart
3) D'Brick
4) Williams, m
5) Young
6) Hawk
7) Cutler
8) Huff/Davis/Ngata

Somebody is going to want 1 of those players Bring on the trade
Then draft Eric Winston period!


I agree we can parlay our #8 move down 5 -10 picks and pick up another #2 pick in the process, and some change possibly.

There are solid players at many of the Bills need positions throughout the draft, getting more picks makes the most sense.

I wouldn't be unhappy with Huff though

[LifetimeBillsFan]

I think a lot will depend on who is still left on the board when the Bills make their first pick, but it would not surprise me if the Bills take Huff.

Still, I would not be upset at all if they chose to take someone else over Huff with their first pick because this is such a deep draft at safety. There are safeties who should still be on the board in the third round who are not nearly as much of a step down from Huff as you would find at some of the other positions that the Bills need to fill and some who may end up being just as good or better in the Bills' Cover 2 scheme--where speed and coverage skills are more important than being a hard hitter. Because Bowen, who is better than you think in a Cover 2, and Baker should be able to hold down one safety spot, the Bills could even opt to go for a "sleeper" that they feel they can develop at safety over the course of the season to replace Vincent, who probably will be gone after this year.

As for alternatives to Huff, Jimmy Williams of Va Tech is a cinch to go in the first round, but there are a couple of pretty good options who are projected to go late in Round 1 who might still be there in Round 2:

Donte Whitner, Ohio State--the Bills interviewed him at the Combine
Ko Simpson, South Carolina--a FS that at least one mock has dropping to the Bills in Round 2

Other safeties who are likely to go anywhere between the second and fourth rounds that have the potential to be big-time players on the NFL level that could fill the Bills' needs at safety are:

Daniel Bullocks, Nebraska--as fast as Huff, makes big plays, coachable
Pat Watkins, Florida St.--playmaker with speed, not great in man coverage
Jason Allen, Tennessee--almost as fast as Huff, playmaker, played CB & FS
Darnell Bing, USC--a true SS playmaker, hard hitter, can be over-aggressive and sometimes struggles in man coverage
Bernard Pollard, Purdue--playmaker in coverage, but has lapses at times, not super fast, inexperienced
Danieal Manning, Abilene Christian--small college CB/S sleeper who has size and speed and is a playmaker, needs time to step up to NFL level

And, there are other safeties in this draft who are projected to go lower in the draft who have a history of being big-time playmakers on the college level who just might surprise in the pros, including Charlie Pepprah, Alabama; Shannon James, UMass--a Div IAA terror; and Jamhile Addae, West Virginia who starred in the Senior Bowl.

It's hard to tell exactly what Marv Levy and Co. are thinking right now with regard to how they are going to approach this draft because they are changing both the offensive and defensive schemes and have made a point of saying that they are looking for players who will fit the scheme, especially on the defensive side. It wouldn't surprise me if they cross everyone up and take H.Ngata or reach for Bunkley, or if they take the OT that they have highest rated on their board or if they just go with the BPA--who just might be V.Davis--or if they trade down out of the # 8 spot. The Bills have so many holes and there are so many different ways that the draft could play out that nothing they do would surprise me, including drafting Huff or passing on him in favor of someone else when their first round pick comes around. IMHO Huff would be a good pick, but he's certainly not the only option that they could or should go with at this point.

[Oaklandraider]

hell no were not taking a qb we have three and there all capable of making plays were taking huff so find a new player to want.

[jamze132]

Now that we have another draft pick from the Texans, how many does that bring us up to? Isn't there a limit of 10 per draft. If we are there, it wouldn't make much sense for us to trade down and pick up more draft picks this year.

[Tatonka]

Roy Jones made the most sense too, but everyone felt #4 was too high for a safety. In retrospect who cares, get the impact player you need.

who is roy jones?

[Tatonka]

if i knew for sure that huff was going to be the difference maker that Ed Reed is... i would love the pick..

but i just am not convinced that he is..

and i do like alot of other safeties in this draft.

[don137]

I would not be surprised at all with Huff if none of the big 3 (williams, Hawk or Brick) fall. The saftey position does need an upgrade and Huff is nit a reach. Levy has said DT is not a position you necessarily need to take in round one. Levy will not go after people known to take plays off or have character issues (i.e. pull a pellet gun on a fellow student). This is why Huff makes sense. Davis also makes sense but not as much as Huff. I could see Buffalo opting to trade down at #8 if Davis is available and someone wanted him.

[Tatonka]

see, i see davis filling a big void left by moulds leaving..

and i will admit, part of me thinks that bowens could be a solid player.

[Dozerdog]

I think he meant Williams.


Or the guy who is a boxer

[Tatonka]

if he ment roy williams.. i do NOT think he is worth the 4th pick.. he hasnt been that big an impact at all with the cowboys.. he has made some plays.. but he hasnt come close to being as good as ed reed, who just dominates games almost like ray lewis used to.

and williams was a number 4 pick.. reed was late first round.. i would just rather look later for a safety.

i think there is a good chance that san fran takes him anyway.

[Ickybaluky]

Now that we have another draft pick from the Texans, how many does that bring us up to? Isn't there a limit of 10 per draft. If we are there, it wouldn't make much sense for us to trade down and pick up more draft picks this year.

There is no limit to picks in the draft (The Pats actually have 11 this year). You can acquire as many as you like, although realistically there are only so many players who can make your team. In many cases teams with extra picks like to roll them over into next year, because they figure in many cases they are just drafting players they will end up cutting anyway. It wouldn't surprise me if Buffalo tries to trade some picks for future choices.

[don137]

see, i see davis filling a big void left by moulds leaving..

and i will admit, part of me thinks that bowens could be a solid player.

I hear what you are saying but I think secondary may be a bigger need than TE. I would not be upset seeing Davis in a Buffalo uniform but between Everett and Royal TE is not a huge need. Huff can play DB or saftey so if Clements asks for too much or has an off year Huff could fill the void if Clements goes elsewhere. If Clements works out Huff would make the secondary one of the better ones in the league. He could play the nickel when necessary or be an every down safety in the basic cover 2.

In regards to Davis I also would not be surprised if Green Bay or San Francisco took him. Davis could be the impact player that Farve wants to help convince him to stay or Davis could really help Alex Smith.

[eyedog]

How is a safety the pick over a linemen ?

If you don't fix the lines it doesn't matter who you have playing in the secondary or backfieled.

You pick a safety when you have strong lines, like the Steelers. The Steelers weakness is their corners, still won the Super Bowl. Pass rush.
Their o-line makes a college backup into a good NFL runner.

When you can pick in the top-10 and have a chance at a good linemen you take him.

[The Quebecer]

Any confirmation on what we got for HOU in the Moulds's trade?

So far, no confirmation from the Bills... no update on NFL.com draft tracker...

Everyone is assuming it's a 5th, but nothing official yet...

[Saratoga Slim]

see, i see davis filling a big void left by moulds leaving..

and i will admit, part of me thinks that bowens could be a solid player.

I think you're right. I was always intrigued by Davis, but thought it was kind of a luxury pick. but with Moulds gone it does seem to make more sense. would be difficult to pass up that kind of talent if we even arguably have a need for it.

Huff or Davis would be OK with me.

But if we do take Huff or Davis at 8, I want to see at least two of our next three picks (if not all) spent on the lines.

[Patti120]

Good post LTB!

It's hard to tell what will happen. If they stay at 8 Huff would be a good pick up but so would a talent (freak) like Davis. A TE like that is a huge asset to any team but especially a team with a young QB.

We'll have to wait and see. I wouldn't be surprised if we traded down either.

[Oaklandraider]

The niners have really been eying the guy and so has the raiders im pretty sure one will pick him up.