Opinions from all Zoners

[Marvelous]

-I've been meaning to post this for about a month now(busy)

-This year i'm getting more annoyed at Mock drafts from experts. Fans are 1 thing, but experts should see a larger picture..

-~Howcome experts always mock draft us & every team based on the teams need at the moment?
Or having somewhat mediocre teams drafting non skilled positions in the top 15-ish?
-What kills me is all the Pettigrew perfect fit nonsense.. We are thin at skilled positions like OLB,DE,CB and maybe even QB.. And i see Guard & FS a need also.
-But what expert mock drafters like Sporting News and whomever else has a opinion forget is that a player could emerge on any team at any time..

--Guess i get annoyed at TE in the 1st when 2 things-
1- we are still mediocre and can't afford not to draft a skilled position. IMO TE in 1st is for teams picking 20 or later.(IMO of course)
2- When it's obvious that WE are a struggling team. Proof is we've been picking around 11 for years now. Pattern?
-So with that in mind, why don't the mockers and fans alike want TE in the 2nd or 3rd? That way we can get a CB like Jenkins in the 1st or a stud Linebacker like Cushing etc.
--Shouman did emerge last year. The team likes him & i was impressed with his power YAC. I agree that we need more, but not like we aren't used to it..We had 1 year w/ Fluite to Big-Riemersma and besides that it was Metzelaars & M.C Kellar..

--T.0. Might mean the difference and convince some fans who are pissed at ignoring the position because a #2 Wideout might be our answer. I'm sure is deff is with Freaking TO.O, but even a TJ Housh or any clutch wideout would amade a difference IMO...
---I base this on the way Trent Edwards targets the short stuff. Fred Jackson,Josh Reed, and Marshawn Lynch. Something we aren't used to, but we miss BIGTIME form Kelly & Thurm...Who remembers Travis Henry standing wide open on pass plays waving his arms & Drew ignoring him? I think Trent Uses the RB's enough to be the alternate to hurting form lack o' TE threat. Same could be said vice versa i suppose. Like how much MORE effective Trent could be with one. But imo it's not as needed as when we had JP at the helm...
-Curious to why "experts" don't evaluate Teams & QB's before just seeing a what they think is a obvious pick -Pettigrew. I just don't see our staff ignoring more important positions...

-I could use some thoughts from Zoners about what they think when they see Pettigrew on mocks & how the mocker always says something like "perfect fit" etc..

[Mitchell55]

Id say trade up to get Pettigrew if anything (I mean in the 2nd to top 5 2nd). No to 11

[Buddo]

Actually, this year, there can be argued there's a lot of logic to doing it.
What we haven't had in years, is a good TE who does pretty much everything we want of him. That means, blocking and catching the football underneath.
It's also safe to say, that in Edwards, we have a QB, who can utilise a TE. If Royal hadn't kept dropping and fumbling the football last year, he would have had a very good year. As it was, for all that, he still had a 'career' year.
While we may still have issues in certain areas on our D - LB being an obvious one, with DE close behind - it wasn't the D that held the team back last year. The D was what, 14th overall? While you would want it to be better still, when you consider that the O was in the region of 10 spots worse, you can see where the major worry lies.
With the signing of TO, we have at least addressed the #2 WR position. Hardy and Johnson get extra time to develop, with an awful lot less pressure upon them. Drafting a #2 WR at this point in time, is probably a redundant move.
Pettigrew makes a lot of sense to draft for us, as he gives us exactly what we want from a TE. Assuming that Peters gets signed, and we get a decent Guard from somewhere, the Offense should then have all the pieces it needs to work - and work well.
While Fine may develop into a decent TE, I can't see Schouman being anything other than a 'jack of all trades, master of none' guy. He's quite obviously a guy who wants to play football, and has most of the instincts of a footballer, but he simply isn't physically able to match up properly. He's probably spent as much time on the physio's table, as he has on the field, in the time he's been in Buffalo.
There's an old coaches quote - I'm not sure who it was, or whether it's simply apocryphal - that basically goes, when asked about what player was the most valuable on his team, the coach replied 'The player that turns out every Sunday'. That still applies.
I'm more than a little confused as to why we should draft Jenkins in the first round. Haven't we got enough good corners atm? Unless you are thinking of converting him to Safety, but I really do not believe we have the luxury of doing that. Drafting Jenkins, actually puts you in the same boat as those you criticise, possibly more so, as at least we know we have a definite use for Pettigrew.
One thing I will say, is that the supposed draft 'experts' do tend to get fixated on what they think is, or isn't, 'value', and I do believe that that clouds their judgement as to what teams do, or don't, need.
Also, you need to remember, that the closer the draft gets, the more the different 'mocks' tend to converge. ATM, FA has been pretty quiet, with many teams not actually rushing out to grab guys. This invariably means that analysts generally, have less of an insight as to which way teams may 'jump' as they have a variety of needs still.
FWIW, I have seen different mocks having us take DE's and LBs at different times.

[Nighthawk]

Pettigrew is not that good...he is Robert Royal all over again. I'd pass on him at the #11 spot. He is NOT the type TE this team needs...we need a field stretcher, who can make plays down the middle of the field. Pettigrew is not that...he's more of blocker.

[Philagape]

A big reason this team is below average is the lines have sucked. It all starts there. So I'm not going to grab someone just because he's at a "skilled" position.
I want someone who's a safe bet to be an instant upgrade in a crucial position of dire need. Tight end is not that crucial, not with TO here, so no to a TE at 11.

[TigerJ]

I've gotten a little peaved at some mock drafters slotting Pettigrew to Buffalo, but for a slightly different reason. Some reason that Buffalo really doesn't want someone who can stretch defenses. They only one someone who can block. One guy slotting Pettigrew to the Bills writes, "The Bills haven't had a marquee pass catching tight end in the history of their franchise. Pettigrew isn't one either."

http://fantasyfootballjungle.com/y/n...mock-draft.php

What is the point of even saying that? It's like he's saying, "Buffalo has never had a star tight end, and this guy won't be a star either, but I'm sticking him here just because." He goes on to praise Pettigrew's blocking skills and says he's a solid pass catcher too. Do the Bills really discount the value of a tight end who can run fast? I've seen one mock that has the Bills picking two tight ends, Pettigrew and Dan Gronkowski. Pettigrew can at least catch the football. Gronkowski, western NY native not withstanding, couldn't catch anything at the combine, but he is a great blocker.

That's not to say Buffalo won't under any circumstances pick Pettigrew. It's possible they will. It wouldn't be my first choice, but I'll see who the whole draft goes before I cry a river.

Just one more thought. I would be more disappointed with a cornerback in the first (Jenkins) than with Pettigrew. I'm hoping for a pass rushing defensive end or an outside linebacker, though I realize that with the Peters situation, circumstances could evolve to where they need to take an offensive tackle.

[jamze132]

If we draft Pettigrew with our first pick, I'm done.

[SeatownBillsFan21]

If we draft with our first pick, I'm done.

Yeah im right behind you. the way this offseason is going we need a HUGE draft.and it dont start with Pettigrew. IMO

[X-Era]

-I've been meaning to post this for about a month now(busy)

-This year i'm getting more annoyed at Mock drafts from experts. Fans are 1 thing, but experts should see a larger picture..

-~Howcome experts always mock draft us & every team based on the teams need at the moment?
Or having somewhat mediocre teams drafting non skilled positions in the top 15-ish?
-What kills me is all the Pettigrew perfect fit nonsense.. We are thin at skilled positions like OLB,DE,CB and maybe even QB.. And i see Guard & FS a need also.
-But what expert mock drafters like Sporting News and whomever else has a opinion forget is that a player could emerge on any team at any time..

--Guess i get annoyed at TE in the 1st when 2 things-
1- we are still mediocre and can't afford not to draft a skilled position. IMO TE in 1st is for teams picking 20 or later.(IMO of course)
2- When it's obvious that WE are a struggling team. Proof is we've been picking around 11 for years now. Pattern?
-So with that in mind, why don't the mockers and fans alike want TE in the 2nd or 3rd? That way we can get a CB like Jenkins in the 1st or a stud Linebacker like Cushing etc.
--Shouman did emerge last year. The team likes him & i was impressed with his power YAC. I agree that we need more, but not like we aren't used to it..We had 1 year w/ Fluite to Big-Riemersma and besides that it was Metzelaars & M.C Kellar..

--T.0. Might mean the difference and convince some fans who are pissed at ignoring the position because a #2 Wideout might be our answer. I'm sure is deff is with Freaking TO.O, but even a TJ Housh or any clutch wideout would amade a difference IMO...
---I base this on the way Trent Edwards targets the short stuff. Fred Jackson,Josh Reed, and Marshawn Lynch. Something we aren't used to, but we miss BIGTIME form Kelly & Thurm...Who remembers Travis Henry standing wide open on pass plays waving his arms & Drew ignoring him? I think Trent Uses the RB's enough to be the alternate to hurting form lack o' TE threat. Same could be said vice versa i suppose. Like how much MORE effective Trent could be with one. But imo it's not as needed as when we had JP at the helm...
-Curious to why "experts" don't evaluate Teams & QB's before just seeing a what they think is a obvious pick -Pettigrew. I just don't see our staff ignoring more important positions...

-I could use some thoughts from Zoners about what they think when they see Pettigrew on mocks & how the mocker always says something like "perfect fit" etc..

Considering the crappy record of even the well known draftnicks as far as mocks goes... why should anyone put too much stock in what they say?

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com...scorecard.html


MOCK DRAFT TRACK RECORD (first round, 2005-07)

Mock Draft Clown	No. correct	Pct.
OurLads	29 of 96	30.2%
Jay Glazer (Fox Sports)	28 of 96	29.2%
Mel Kiper Jr.	25 of 96	26.0%
Scouts Inc.	22 of 96	22.9%

[FlyingDutchman]

I pray we dont go TE at 11. We absolutely need to go Dline, or possibly linebacker in the first and Oline in the second (pref center like Mack or Unger). We can afford to hold off on TE til a later rounds like 3 or 4. There is no need to move around to get a TE, there should be plenty available.

[FlyingDutchman]

as far as "experts" its just writers who know basics about teams but dont look deeper like us hard core fans. They know we need a TE and figure why wouldnt the bills take the best at that position at that point.