The NFL Season is over. We are now officially into draft and free agency season. Oh joy. 'Tis the season of "Sources". With the NFL Draft not coming until May this season, we have an extra 1-2 weeks to read mock drafts, hear from NFL Scouts, and of course, the social media scouts. With the majority of the readers here and my twitter followers being Bills fans, let's talk about the Bills and what they could possibly do come draft time.
My mock is below and I currently have Buffalo taking Ha'Sean (Ha-Ha) Clinton Dix, Safety from Alabama. Since this mock is taking place before Free Agency, my thinking is that The Bills will be unable to sign Byrd. Yes, tagging him is an option, but if they can't reach an agreement I'd like to think the Bills will do the right thing and let Byrd explore his options. As it seems like always with the Bills, it is always the worst case scenario.
With Byrd gone (hopefully not) the pick that makes most sense is Clinton-Dix. With the height, speed, experience and smarts, Dix should be able to start right from day one. Dix, an underclassmen, is very good against the run and aggressive, which is something the Bills need.
OBVIOUSLY let's all hope the Bills do the right thing and pay Byrd. I was one of the fans who thought Byrd didn't deserve to be the highest paid Safety, but man, oh man, was I wrong. Byrd came in and balled out. Does a lot of that have to do with it being a contract year? Sure, but he has proven his worth since his arrival. I'm at the point where they should pay him whatever it costs. I know Spiller is due for a contract soon, but Running Backs in this league come and go. Pay Byrd, and pay him now.
Going into every draft, I always write down a list players I'd like to see the Bills draft. I had EJ Manuel pegged to be Buffalo's QB last year, but he wasn't on my wish list in April of 2013.
I preferred Matt Barkley, Geno Smith & Tyler Bray over EJ [tugs collar]. It's of my opinion, pending on what happens in FA, the Bills biggest needs are: LB, WR, OG/OT, Safety, CB, TE, RB, and yes even another QB. (None of those are in any particular order mind you so calm yourself).
Forget about drafting an offensive lineman in the early rounds, The Bills have shown during this era they value other positions in the early rounds, Cordy Glenn excluded. Cordy Glenn by the way is turning himself into a very good LT. You barley heard his name called this year, and for left tackle's that's a good thing. The Bills grabbing him in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft was an absolute steal. Anyways, here is my wish list of players, which I'm sure will change between now and post combine.
1. Johnny Manziel QB, Texas A&M — I know, I know..I KNOW.. It's not going to happen, but what would be so bad about drafting Doug Flutie 2.0?
2. Jadeveon Clowney DE, South Carolina – If The Bills brass are as desperate as the fans are to make a mark and be, you know, RELEVANT, why not move up to #2 and draft the most compelling pass rusher coming out of college since Bruce Smith? Clowney is an athletic freak who was NFL ready at the end of the 2012 season. If The Bills landed Clowney….. Bad things, man..BAD THINGS…
3. Sammy Watkins WR, Clemson – Big time WR, Big time play maker, and BIG time talent. Would be an instant impact player for the Bills offense and nice target for EJ.
4. Anthony Barr LB, UCLA – Barr is a dynamic pass rusher. Barr, who de-committed from Notre Dame (excuse me while I drink bleach), is another freaky player. Tall, long, and very athletic. His steps off that edge are powerful. The Bills could really use his pass rushing skills.
5. Eric Ebron TE, North Carolina – Could The Bills take a tight end with pick nine? Possible. Ebron is legit. Fast, strong, and big. I would compare him to Antonio Gates. The Bills haven't had a dominate pass catching Tight End since..since… since no one. Ebron would be the red zone target they so desperately need.
So here is my 1st Mock Draft, again it's WAY WAY early in this process. I know the majority of you will say it stinks, and I'll agree. I hope you like it and if you want me to do another one or two let me know. Enjoy!
1. Houston Texans – Teddy Bridgewater, QB Louisville – New Coach equals New QB. Most NFL ready QB. Manziel maybe?
2. St Louis Rams – Jadeveon Clowney, DE South Carolina – If I'm St Louis, I'm trading out of here. Atlanta, Cleveland, Tampa Bay all possible trading partners. Why not Buffalo?
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – Blake Bortles, QB Central Florida – I compare him to Ben Roethlisberger. Big guy, big arm who can move. Jags need a QB.
4. Cleveland Browns – Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M – Johnny Football is that dude. It will depress me seeing him go to Cleveland.
5. Oakland Raiders – Sammy Watkins, WR Clemson – Best WR in the draft. Don't see him getting past this spot.
6. Atlanta Falcons – Greg Robinson, OT Auburn – Atlanta needs Offensive Line help badly, need a pass rusher also (See #2 Spot)
7. Tampa Bay – Khalil Mack, LB Buffalo – Bills fans were pining for some #MACKtion all season. He could possibly go higher. Cleveland perhaps? Mike Pettine, hello.
8. Minnesota Vikings – Derek Carr, QB Frenso State – Don't compare Derek with his brother David. Derek Carr is legit. My favorite QB in this draft behind Johnny.
9. Buffalo Bills – Ha-Ha Clinton Dix, S Alabama – With Byrd possibly gone, The Bills should be able to grab the best safety on the board
10. Detroit Lions – Anthony Barr, LB UCLA – Barr is another player high on my Bills wish list.
11. Tennessee Titans – Jake Matthews OT Texas A&M – Matthews and Greg Robinson the two best tackles in this draft. Tennessee would like either.
12. New York Giants – CJ Mosley, ILB Alabama – Another guy The Bills may like. Tackling machine who brings leadership.
13. St Louis Rams – Eric Ebron, TE North Carolina – Best TE in the draft. The Rams could really use a QB, also. Bradford hasn't lived up to anything.
14. Chicago Bears – Darqueze Dennard, CB Michigan State – The Rose Bowl was a gem of a football game, wasn't it?
15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Louis Nix, DT Notre Dame – Nix probably should've left after last season. Injuries slowed him down in 2013.
16. Baltimore Ravens – Mike Evans, WR Texas A&M – Texas A&M has a lot of talent on their team. Kevin Sumlin really building something nice.
17. Dallas Cowboys – Timmy Jernigan, DT Florida State – So Dallas lets Rob Ryan go, brings in the corpse of Monte Kiffin, demotes him, and promotes Rod Marinelli. All in a year. Jerry Jones, y'all.
18. New York Jets – Marqise Lee, WR USC – Rex Ryan gets my vote for Coach of the Year. Jets had absolutely no respectable skill players on offense and won 8 games.
19. Miami Dolphins – Cyrus Kouandjio, OT Alabama – If the Bills just made the playoffs once..ONCE..in the last 14 years, the Miami Dolphins would get my vote as the biggest joke in the NFL. They seem clueless on every level.
20. Arizona Cardinals – Dee Ford, DE Auburn – Bruce Arians is a real good coach, and Dee Ford shot up the boards after a dominating Senior Bowl. In the 10 minutes I watched, he had 2 sacks.
21. Green Bay Packers – RaShede Hageman, DT Minnesota – Hageman had a good week at Senior Bowl and should fall anywhere from late 1st to early 2nd. I think adding another WR or TE would be beneficial for the Packers.
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Calvin Pryor, FS Louisville – When The Eagles were firing on all cylinders on offense there wasn't a better offense to watch.
23. Kansas City Chiefs – Kony Ealy, DE Missouri – I'm fairly confident that if Thad Lewis started against KC, the Bills would've won that game. That's sad for everyone involved.
24. Cincinnati Bengals – Justin Gilbert, CB Oklahoma State – Marvin Lewis will forever be the coach of The Bengals.
25. San Diego Chargers – Zack Martin, OT Notre Dame – Zack Martin on the other side of DJ Fluker (last year's 1st round pick) would be nice.
26. Cleveland Browns – Cameron Erving, OT Florida State – Florida State was awesome in 2013.
27. New Orleans Saints – Kelvin Benjamin, WR Florida State – If Kelvin Benjamin lands here with Drew Brees as his QB…Watch out. This guy has a very high ceiling (I heard Jay Bilas' voice in my head as I typed that). Also, at what point does New Orleans start to look at drafting a QB? I'm thinking the 2015 draft.
28. Carolina Panthers – Allen Robinson, WR Penn State – Steve Smith isn't getting any younger.
29. New England Patriots – Jace Amaro, TE Texas Tech – The Patriots have made the AFC Title game 3 straight years, yet they need to address a lot of positions this off season: WR, TE, RB, LB, DE, DT (Wilfork is old and coming off an Achilles injury), S, and CB. They need a lot. Just shows you how great Belichick and Brady are. Another team that needs to start looking at QB's at some point, unless you're a Ryan Mallett believer.
30. San Francisco 49ers – Marcus Roberson, CB Florida – Jim Harbaugh is a lunatic.
31. Denver Broncos – Aaron Donald, DT Pittsburgh – Aaron Donald is an absolute beast of a young man. Would be a nice fit.
32. Seattle Seahawks – Stephon Tuitt, DE Notre Dame – Marshawn Lynch is only getting better. Oh, and Tuitt is another guy who should have left after 2012. Wasn't as dominate in 2013, but offenses paid way more attention to him. Tuitt could fall to Round 2.
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