Yikes. Not only do I think trying to guess draft picks at this juncture is extremely premature, but I think some of your round projections (Tony Pike and especially Ryan Mallett would go far earlier than the third round, and Juice Williams might not even get drafted) are way off.

Right now, the only thing we can do is talk positions of weakness and prospects in general.

Yeah, right now it’s impossible to tell exactly where teams will be drafting, so we really have to wait until at least week 14 or so before draft positions get solidified and we start making predictions.

On your draft I would keep Tackle and QB at the top of the list (probably a good RT in the first round and a QB in the second round/trade up for a LeFevour, Bradford, whoever is left really.) After that, we can deal with LB and Defensive Line.

As long as we know that it’s too early to accurately talk specifics about the offseason, then I don’t think it’s ever too early to mock draft.

Here’s a few Bills salary facts that I’d bet people don’t know:

Last year, Buffalo finished 16th in salary (that’s base salaries and bonuses) and had the 4th highest salary in the entire league in 2007.

The 2009 numbers aren’t out there yet, so only the New Orleans Saints have spent more money on players in each of the last two seasons.

Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Cincy, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Indy, Kansas City, Philly, San Diego, Seattle and Tampa Bay (14 teams) have spent less money than Buffalo in two straight seasons.

Ralph Wilson is not half as cheap as people think he is. Jason Peters was not traded because Ralph Wilson didn’t want to pay him.

USA Today provides the salary info:
http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/teamresults.aspx?team=3

And onto the offseason:

I’m fine with going with a defensive lineman in the first round if it’s a best available situation and if there isn’t a stud QB available. This team cannot pass on a top notch QB. If a stud like McCoy is sitting there, it would be really tough to not take him.

I don’t think Ciron Black can handle the left side at the next level. I think he could become a star RT very quickly, but unless we’re comfortable with Bell, I’d rather grab someone with lighter, quicker feet than Black.

I don’t understand the fascination around here with Dan LeFevour. He won’t be drafted anywhere near the 2nd round. He’s a mid rounder at best. More likely to go in the 6th round than the 2nd round.

I’ve seen LeFevour play twice this year. The first time was against Michigan State and I came away very impressed with his arm strength, but he didn’t throw down the field. HIs arm strength looks much better than it is because a ball thrown 10 yards looks a lot harder than a ball thrown 30 yards downfield. When I watched him play UB, I came away pretty unimpressed with his arm strength.

If people think Edwards doesn’t throw downfield enough, then I don’t understand why anybody would want LeFevour. Trent’s yards per completion for this season is a little over 10.8. LeFevour’s is 10.5 and he hasn’t had a number higher than 11.1 since his freshman season. That’s also against crappy MAC defenses where his weapons (Bryan Anderson, Antonio Brown) are some of the best in the conference.

LeFevour’s completion % and low INT numbers are largely due to the simple and safe offense that lead to those low yards per completion numbers. It’s all bubble screens, slants, 5 yard curls, drag routes and other easy reads, simple throws and short gainers. He puts up big yardage numbers by throwing the ball 30 times a game, but typically has stinkers against decent compitition.

I also think his athleticism is overrated due to the spread runs. He’s not a guy who buys time and chucks one down the field like Big Ben or Romo. He uses designed runs and short scrambles to pick up yardage.

I think he could fall as far as 10th. I truly feel with our remaining schedule, that we will be picking in the top 10. He is very accurate with a better arm then given credit for, has enough mobility to escape the rush, and reads defenses well. There is one thing he does that puts him in elite class as far as I am concerned. This one thing is what Brady, Manning, and all of the other great QB’s do. It is the main reason Edwards will never be more than a good backup in this league. It is the ability to anticipate a wr coming open and make an accurate throw. This is the main reason QB’s become great. NFL defenses are too big, too fast, too well coached to not have this skill. If you watch tape on most of the great like Montana and Marino they all had this ability. It is the reason that Cutler will never be elite( he has all of the physical tools). His shoulder injury is not a big deal. It is an injury that he can recover fully from. Draft experts just like to over kill injuries going into the draft process just to have something to talk about. The only legitimate complaint I’ve heard about Bradford is his pocket presense. From what I’ve seen watching probably 14 games of his is I think he feels the pressure just fine and steps up well. I think he is just too much of a competitor and leader to not take a soht to make a play. I have done some research on the other QB’s coming out (I am a huge Notre Dame fan), but I just get a bad feeling about Clauden. I feel like he is peeking now. I do not see him becoming that much better than he is now. The only other QB that does intrigue me is Ryan Mallett, but he is extremely raw and I havenot seen enough of him to give an informed decision.

though its obviously not a position of need (relative to others),

Eric Decker, WR, Minn

a lot of teams around the league have had success with young WR’s, they just have much better QB’s. If you where to put stevie and parish and lee on a team with Brady or Favre they would be way better.

I agree with the post A stud DT or LB and id like to try to pick up pike in the 2nd then get some O-line help

We are the worst team versus the run in the NFL and have only 1NFL All Star at either position – Marcus Stroud, who is >30 yrs old.

With the Jets and Dolphins run games in our division, we need to get bigger and tougher in the front 7 to stop the run.

With resigning McGee, we should be Ok in the backfield.

Would prefer we sign a veteran QB in FA and bolster Oline the same way.

Gerald McCoy and Brandon Spikes for me

Brandon Spikes if hes on the board and we’re not in the top 8. The guy is simply a freak… and we could use that on our D.

Was suspended for throwing a groin shot at a BC d-lineman (Ron Brace, I think …).

Should we get rid of him too?

One play does not define a players career … not one like that …

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101005aau.html

Very difficult question to ask at this point of time, though it goes without saying that we’re clearly lacking the QB of the future, which is hurting our chances of making much out of our vast offensive talent. If Sam Bradford is available at the seventh or eigth spot, which is where I expect us to draft at, I sure he hope he’s the pick, as I’ve been a long-time believer that he’s going to be one hell of a pro QB. I love the versatility of Jake Locker, though he – like Ryan Mallett – desperately needs more experience.
In the second round, I’d trade up for a guy like Terrence Mount Cody, who might very well fall longer than he should in the draft given his questionable work-ethic and somewhat inconsistent motor; all this being said, he’s a monster run-stopper and will immidiately clog our middle.

The problem with drafting defense first is that there are very few elite D players in the draft. Suh, Berry, McCoy… not much more than that. And it is foolish in my eyes to draft a Linebacker up near the top 10 when there will be so many available in the 2nd round. Personally I think they either have to get a new Tackle or get a new QB in the first round, those are the two positions that will be drained early on and they might not have any options in the 2nd.

Id love Tebow as a 2nd round pick but I just can’t imagine him falling that far.