Two days of drafting and the Buffalo Bills appear to be a much better tam than they were on Wednesday.
Obviously the selection of Marcell Dareus was an easy decision and will help the team from get go. However, Nix made two more choices on day two that appear to be wise. At least on the surface.
Aaron Williams, a versatile CB/S was Buffalo’s second round pick and it seems safe to assume he will fill the spot left by free agent, Drayton Florence. I didn’t love this pick. Williams was projected as one of the better safety prospects in the draft, but I have never been a fan of the “he can convert to safety at the next level” line. It doesn’t hold water for me. That being said, the Bills were in a bit of a tough spot with most of the big-name quarterbacks off the board. I am certain this pick would have been Christian Ponder had he survived.
What I didn’t like about selecting Williams was the fact that he is an outside player. You aren’t going to plug him into your front seven or your offensive line. There were no offensive lineman at #34 worthy of a selection, so I understand that. But the Bills have declined because they continue to select fringe players. I’m not sure Williams was the best selection they could have made. What makes this pick acceptable is the fact that Terrence McGee seems to be on the downside of his career and Reggie Corner doesn’t instill faith as a nickel back.
The third round, however, did bring a brilliant selection for the Bills. Kelvin Sheppard, from LSU, is an athletic inside linebacker who has the skills to potentially bump outside. I would say that is a long shot in the 3-4, but if he can polish his pass rush skills it would certainly be an option.
Sheppard was the perfect choice for Buffalo in the third round. Again, they addressed a need in the run game and in the bigger picture, their depth on the front seven. Depending on what free agency brings for the Bills, they will know have a much deeper linebacking and defensive line corps to run through the 3-4. Sheppard will offer a great compliment to Paul Posluszny, in fact, he may even end up being the superior ILB.
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