I’d say that Buffalo’s adherence to athleticism and versatility has a lot to do with the quality of linemen the Bills have fielded for the past several years. Give me the maulers and road graders, thank you.

I think that LG will be high on our wish list so I’d look for a possibility of a Duke Robinson or to me more likely drafting a player like Kraig Urbik in the 3rd to 4th rounds.

both Peria Jerry and Evander Hood are perfect for a cover 2 and while doughtful that Jerry will slide to us in the 2nd but he could be a very good option for us, Evander Hood would be more likely to be there.

I really hope it’s some how Alex Mack or Eric Wood!

We stay away from drafting Pettigrew in the 1st because of the depth at the TE position available in the following rounds for us and at the same time with other positions of need there is a much steeper drop off in talent that we could take at those positions with our 1st-while there will be plenty of viable options for us at TE in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.

I thought Bob Sanders was the new D-Line coach. Who is Bill Johnson? Do we know for a fact that he has already started to turn McCargo around?

1. Everette Brown
2. Brian Orakpo
3. Aaron Maybin
4. Duke Robinson
5. Brandon Pettigrew

your not crazy…..Poslunsky….gotta love it…..It’s always fun looking back at comments….I was high on Darell Revis that year and he hasn’t disappointed….

Offensively its hard to find a “fit” when our offense has been in the bottom 3rd of the league for 6 straight years…..If I had to draft a DE it would be Orakpo….i hate the idea of Brown or Maybin at this point……Especially Maybin…..i think our D coaches would have no idea how to use him effectively

I know a lot of people around here are high on Orakpo and there is no denying his talent and the production he had in college. The thing that scares me about him is his attitude and “want to”. It has been documented in several places (including by Chris Brown) that he takes plays off and isn’t always giving his all. That alone makes him not the best fit for a team who pride themselves on effort and hard work. I remember immediately losing (more) respect for Randy Moss when he admitted “I play when I want to play”. Chris Brown believes that this attitude is quite common among Texas players and that they have a sense of entitlement. The coincidental fact that Orakpo played for the Longhorns has nightmarish visions of Mike Williams dancing in my head.

Brian, you should add OLB Matthews to the mix. He has a slightly better first step then Maybin and better fits a 4-3 defense then Maybin. If Buffalo trades down in the first round and pick up 2nd and 3rd round picks in the process, they could then add Robinson or Unger if its another 2nd round pick. With Our pick in the 2nd round go for either Sintim OLB or go TE with either Casey, Coffman or Nelson and the TE’s might be there in the 3rd round also.

The reason why i don’t have Pettigrew in with 3 TE’s above is pretty simple to me.
1. In the combine, he ran a pedestrian 4.89 on the 40, and his shuttle time was not very good as well.
2. Buffalo already has a blocking TE on there roster from last years draft Derek Fine. So do we need 2 blocking TE’s?
3. Pettigrew’s redzone production was not eye popping in college and here is a comparison between the other 3 names mentioned………..
              a. James Casey’s senior year- 111 rec. for 1329 yards and 13 TD’s
              b. Shawn Nelson’s senior year- 53 rec. for 557 yards and 3 TD’s
              c. Chase Coffman’s senior year- 90 rec. for 987 yards and 10 TD’s
              d. Pettigrew’s senior year- 42 rec. for 472 yards and 0 TD’s
4. If Pettigrew was having trouble in the passing game against college LB’s, do you think its going to get better in the Pro’s where the linebackers are faster and better across the board?
5. Character issues………. do we need more of that on our team?

So everyone tell me, who is the better playmaking TE in this years draft?

Spending a 3rd round pick on Sidbury would be nice too. The Scouting report on him is pretty favorable for a developmental pick on Scout.com . Would be a nice add in the 3rd round if Brown and Orakpo are gone by #11.

with your #1 best fit in relation to your criteria. bj raji, while dominate at times, also has trouble staying motivated and was also suspended during his stay at BC. I’m not saying that OBD shouldn’t draft Raji, all I’m saying is they better do their homework to make sure he is motivated and disciplined enough to succeed at the next level.

Impossible. We always draft some ST monster!

All five are line players and we seem to be hopeful for line upgrades. This is a good list keeping in mind what little has leaked out of OBD so far.
1. Raji. Wouldn’t it be nice. But me thinks we’re in no man’s land with him too (just like Mack). 1A – If he is not there, and in all probability he won’t, I hope OBD considers Jerry. He is said to be a good 3 technique DT whom Indy covets. With Raji or Jerry next to Stroud they would command the double teams and constantly disrupt the middle. Has lots of upside too. Consolation prize, Evander Hood.
2. Maybin. I like him too. If OBD can at all think long term this year he’s the man. He’ll be mucho disruptive immediately. BTW Brian I like the use of the word disruptive. Much more important than sacks. Throw their timing off and we get the advantage. At this point I’d rate (long term) Maybin and Brown over Orakpo with Maybin having the highest ceiling.
3. Unger. It’s his versatility that is his strength. This is a tough one. Do we reach for him at 11? Trade down and get him at, say, 21? Hope he’s there when we pick in the second round? He’s not known as a road grader like Mack or Woods. If Geronimo is correct and we do draft at least 2 OLinemen, do we go DL in the first and OL in the second? I still think we’ll go TE in round 1 or 2. But if we trade down and get two second roiund picks then we will (hopefully) get an OLineman in the second. I think Unger, Mack or Woods could play guard with decent coaching.
4. Pettigrew. He is worth taking ONLY with a trade down scenario. I can understand OBD’s liking of him because he is such a good blocker now, but… If it were my choice and we wanted a TE first, I’d trade down and take Shawn Nelson.
5. Sidbury. Worth a pick. Round 3? Will he last until round 4? I too hope OBD goes after two DE’s.
What are we to make of Geronimo’s thoughts? He is saying multiple OL’s and a defensive playmaker with the first pick. If we don’t trade down in the first and get a defensive playmaker first, we almost have to go TE in the second. And where does LB come in? Things will be fluid even on draft day. What if there’s a run on TE’s early? As Bette Davis said, buckle up everyone. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

He was the late round pick, Karl Malones son, who was physically gifted but lacked football experience. Any chance we can depend on this guy this year?

In fact I said that I would eat crow if we DID NOT take a corner? What happened guys?

Not that Sidbury is not a good player, but not sure if he is “best fit” at DE compared to Matthews at LB. Love the Maybin pick though. Are the Bills patient enough to take him? If we are looking for a swing player, Mack would still be my pick. If we got Raji, I would be jumping around like many were after the TO signing.

BJ Raji as number one is right on target! He is my #1 guy.

I have not seen any tape on Aaron Maybin so he’s not my #2. If you could provide a link where I could watch some tape that would be great. Because of this, my number two guy is Everette Brown.

Max Unger at # 3 I don’t agree with. Although you say the Bills prefer athletic lineman, I don’t think that is true at all. Someone mentioned they have the biggest line in the NFL. I think the Bills need a road grinder. I think you are confusing Dereck Dockery as a “road grinder”, dockery is just a fat and lazy $hit. So, my # 3 guy is Alex Mack.

Pettigrew at # three I’m not sure about. I think he is a GOOD player, but not great. I just have something against drafting a tight end in the first round. I watch him on tape and he does everything well, but just not great. I think Aaron Curry would be a much better fit for the Bills at #4 if not higher. Curry could be #2 even. I don’t know if you are discounting curry because you don’t think he will be there.

Lawrence Sidbury at 5 I don’t agree with. If someone who played at Richmond deserves to be on a top 5 list, they better have set every frickin conference record in the books over there and had a pretty damn good combine. I just don’t like taking a guy from Richmond. I"m not trying to criticize you and I know there are many players who do well from these small schools. Leodis did well, but Leodis was also a freak punt returner. I’ve seen sidbury on tape, he looks like a guy who would get pushed around. Duke Robinson I think would make a lot of sense for the Bills at #5 best fit.

Thanks for the clarification with Curry, I figured something was up there.

I’ll admit Sidbury looks very good on tape, i’m just surprised you rate him ahead of Everette brown. Brown looks better on tape in my opinion, and he didn’t play against mediocre athletes. In your defense though, Sidbury was very good at senior bowl practices and what not.

My avatar has been everette brown since even before the bills season ended, so i mean, I love the guy.

one of the most infuriating lists I’ve ever seen you put together. Woah. This list is not best fit for Buffalo, this is a list of all of your pre-draft crushes (all of which I share, with the exception of Maybin). Some of the things you mention are just exaggerated or biased, and others confusingly wrong. Apologies for the strong language but I’m pretty flabbergasted at the list.

#1. BJ Raji – he’s a premium talent but he’s not the best fit for Buffalo because he would not get a ton of playing time as a high 1st rounder with 3 solid veterans ahead of him… but you have been toting a torch for him ever since the very beginning of draft discussions.

#2. Aaron Maybin – this is the one that sent me over the edge. You said Maybin has the quickest first step in the draft, which is a joke… becuase Everett Brown does and it’s not too close. But that’s neither here nor there because it’s not a provable point. But you also said he has upside, a good frame, this, that, and the other thing. First of all, he’s the least likely to make an impact as a rookie of any player on the list because he is so raw… Chris Ellis has a quick first step and is a natural pass-rusher, but he didn’t do jack for us because he was raw, and he had 2 more years starting experience in the college game. Give me a break. Secondly, Maybin added just 10 lbs to his frame and it caused him to run a 40 yard dash in over 4.8 seconds, how is he supposed to add more strength and bulk and compete in the NFL…. and how on earth is that upside? It’s one thing to out-quick tackles in college, but in the NFL if you become an outright liability.

#3. Max Unger – agree with this one… however, I haven’t a clue what you were talking about when you said that this regime prefers more athletic linemen compared to road-graters. Before we cut Dockery, 4 out of 5 of our starters were of the mauler/road-grater un-athletic type.

#4. Brandon Pettigrew – agree, but he should closer to the top of the list.

#5. Lawrence Sidbury – I’m actually really glad you brought this kid up, he just seems like a “who doesn’t belong here” on this list. But I love Sidbury, I just figured if Buffalo was going to address DE in the draft they would do it high.

IDK how much importance you place on 3 cone drill times. I was watching the drill on NFL.COM/COMBINE and it seems like a drill a pass rushing D end would be good at. It involves turning the corner or “working the arch” as they said in the video. Demarcus Ware had an excellent 3 cone drill time and you can clearly see how it helps him with his pass rushing.

that user name is pretty edgy man. idk about that. And if Brian kicks me off for a personal attack for saying that then so be it.

The two players that are the best fit for Buffalo are Aaron Curry & Brian Orakpo. However, both these guys will probably be gone by #11 so here are the 5 next best fits:

#1. Aaron Maybin – DE, Penn State (Best QB rusher after Orakpo)
#2. Brian Cushing – OLB, USC (2nd hardest hitting LB in the draft)
#3. Clay Mathews – OLB, USC (Can play in coverage, against the run, and pressure the QB)
#4. Alex Mack – C, CAL (Best center in the draft and can be a rock on the line for the next decade)
#5. Max Unger – C/G, Oregon (versatile lineman that can play any position)

After these 5 guys there is still lots of talent left to pick from in the first 4 rounds and this is a list of quality players that would be the best fit for Buffalo:

#6. Jarron Gilbert – DE, San Jose State
#7. Shawn Nelson – TE, Southern Miss
#8. Rashad Johnson – FS, Alabama
#9. Sean Smith – CB, Utah
#10. Darius Heyward-Bey – WR, Maryland
#11. Derrick Williams – WR, Penn State
#12. Zach Follet – OLB, CAL
#13. Sammie Stroughter – WR, Oregon State
#14. Stephen Hodge – SS, TCU
#15. Stephen McGee – QB, Texas A&M
#16. Lee Robinson – OLB, Alcorn State
#17. Rulon Davis – DE, CAL
#18. Jason Phillips – ILB, TCU
#19. Vance Walker – DT, Georgia Tech
#20. Chris Baker – DT, Hampton