FanPost

How I would handle the draft and Jason Peters *Revised*

As we all know, alot is going on with our Bills right now: Are we going to get Fred signed soon? What is going on in Peters head? Who will play LG? Who will play RG? Why won't the team just admit that you, me, they, we, are all correct in what we want done by the team? We just resigned Stroud to some decent amounts of cashola, why?

Anyhow, as it stands, if, and I really wish this was true, if I was running the Bills for Mr. Wilson right now, this is how I would approach the next month.

Note- results I think will occur happen in italics.

Step 1- Get Fred signed tomorrow, no more BS with him, just get him to sign a new deal paying him an average of 1.5-2 million a season for 4-5 years with a pile of incentives based on carries, receptions, yardage and TDs. Deal gets done, Freddy is now back in the fold.

Step 2- Call Jason up, get him and Parker to fly into Buffalo and meet me at OBD. Sit them down and lay it on the line: You have two choices here Jason, negotiate with us in good faith, or I ship your ass to the most wretched team in the NFL tomorrow. If you want to make a new deal with us, we'll talk, but your going to have to get it through you and your agents thick skulls that your *NOT* going to get to be the best paid LT in the NFL, but you will get top 5 money IF you toe the line with us. Peters decides to NOT toe the line and dares me to deal him, I do.

Step 3- I call Detroit up and make them a deal they can't refuse: Peters, and Roscoe Parrish, for their #20, #82 (3rd round) this year, along with a 3rd next year. I explain they need someone who can protect Staffords back for the next 5-8 years, and Peters can do it. And Peters is a proven commodity, unlike any of the tackles coming out this season. Detroit haggles with me a bit, then takes the deal as they need a LT for QB protection AND they have only Megatron as their WR corps and have NO return game to speak of.

Step 4- I call up the KC Chiefs and make them a deal as well they can't refuse. I offer them Detroits #82 pick along with my own 6th (183) for Brian Waters who asked to be traded. We fight a bit and let Pioli pick my pocket for the 3rd and a 5th (#147) instead of the 6th.

At this point I take a step back and review what I have accomplished and what must be done come draft day. I break my list down into 2 categories, things to accomplish, things accomplished. I always like to see what I did first..

Things Accomplished:

  1. We have a new C
  2. We have a new backup QB
  3. We have resigned Fred Jackon
  4. We have filled the hole at LG by getting Waters
  5. We have replaced Jabari with Florence and lit another fire under Youbuty, and that worked out well last year before injury hit him again.
  6. We have stockpiled an additional pick in next years draft and made use of the one from this year for Waters.

Things to be Accomplished:

  1. Find a new LT
  2. Upgrade at SLB
  3. Upgrade at TE
  4. Upgrade at Rush DE
  5. Depth at several positions, especially C

Draft Day- At this point, I now control the following picks: #11, #20 #42, #75, #110, #183, and #220. I then begin to build my board and plan to draft in the following order unless someone unexpectedly falls into my lap. LT, TE, OG, DE, OLB, depth at various positions. I am an advocate of looking at all positions of need, and then taking the best player from ANY of those spots to fill the holes on the roster.

I think the draft will fall out like this come draft day as it stands today, post my moves made prior to this day, I think Round 1 could shake out this way:

  1. Detroit- Matthew Stafford QB
  2. St. Louis- Jason Smith OT
  3. KC- Aaron Curry OLB
  4. Seattle- Mark Sanchez QB
  5. Cleveland- Everette Brown DE
  6. Cincinnati- Eugene Monroe OT
  7. Oakland- Michael Crabtree WR
  8. Jacksonville- B.J. Raji DT
  9. Tampa Bay- Josh Freeman (trade with GB swapping their 1st rounders and tossing in their 2nd next year along with a 6th this season, they do this to keep him away from Denver, NYJ, and San Fran.)
  10. San Francisco- Jeremy Maclin WR
  11. Buffalo- Andre Smith OT (Somehow the guy OBD is hoping to be here, ends up here, Modrak runs up to the Comish with a huge smile on his face.)
  12. Denver- Tyson Jackson DE (due to upcoming switch to 3-4)
  13. Washington- Micheal Oher OT
  14. New Orleans- Chris Wells RB
  15. Houston- Sean Smith CB
  16. San Diego- Rey Maualuga LB
  17. NY Jets- Brian Orakpo DE
  18. Denver- Clay Matthews OLB
  19. Green Bay- Aaron Maybin DE
  20. Buffalo- Robert Ayers DE (Bills now have a new DE who is in the style of Schobel, but younger)
  21. Philidelphia- William Beatty OT
  22. Minnesota- Eben Britton OT
  23. New England- Connor Barwin DE/OLB
  24. Atlanta- Brandon Pettigrew TE
  25. Miami- Brian Cushing OLB
  26. Baltimore- Kenny Britt WR
  27. Indianapolis- Perry Jeria DT
  28. Philidelphia- Donald Brown RB
  29. NY Giants- Percy Harvin WR
  30. Tennessee- Hakeem Nicks WR
  31. Arizona- Knowshon Moreno RB
  32. Pittsburgh- Max Unger C/G

Wow, thats an interesting 1st round isn't it? Anyhow, with the surprising move by Tampa Bay everyone else sits on their hands hoping for falling players and it pays off for several teams. As of right now, I have fixed the LT spot, and upgraded our DE position just fine. We still need an OLB, TE, and oline backup though to make this day complete. Due to Cushings injury history, I bypass him, I need someone who will be in for at 15 games a season. Round 2 follows:

  1. Detroit- Malcolm Jenkins CB
  2. New England- James Laurinaitis ILB
  3. St. Louis- Darius Heyward-Bey WR
  4. Cleveland- Vontae Davis CB
  5. Seattle- Phil Loadholt OT
  6. Cincinnati- Micheal Johnson DE
  7. Jacksonville- Alex Mack C
  8. Oakland- Jarron GIlbert DE/DT
  9. Green Bay- Ron Brace DT
  10. Buffalo- Clint Simtim OLB (I now have the man who can force Ellison to the bench except passing downs. He is by far a superior pass rusher, and can put his hand down on pass plays, and Ellison can go into coverage expanding our DE rotation to 6 guys on passing downs.)

After this point, I just wait to see who falls to me at #75, IF things go that way I want them too, I can get Chase Coffman. With his sick hands and massive frame and some training from Kugler and learning from Fine, he could become an all around beast, and he gives Trent a sick safety blanket in the passing game. I base this on many teams making noise about Casey and Cook, and I think we might sneak Chase in the 3rd.

With my 4th round pick (110) I select TJ Lang OT/G from Eastern Michigan U. He played LT there for three straight seasons never missing a game due to injury. He should be able to play G and RT in the pros according to most draft "experts" so he sounds like a Butler clone to me, just without the brittleness. If you want more info NFL Draft Scout has some on him here

In the 6th round and 7th round I take whatever warms bodies I think are the most use to me depth wise taking a DT project and speedy scat back with sick return skills to round out my draft. In the end, after the draft these are the additions I have made to the team.

  • Andre Smith as my new starting LT
  • Robert Ayers as my new DE who will be my Schobel replacement when retirement or injury pushes him off the field, will also push Ellis
  • Clint Simtim as my new SLB, and can be a pass rush specialist on passing downs from the DE position as well
  • Brian Waters as my new LG
  • Chase Coffman as my new security blanket for Trent in the passing game, will also make the loss of Owens next season very neglible if we don't chose to resign him
  • A swing G/RT who can fill in on the interior for us, and perhaps we can teach him to snap as well giving us our backup and future C
  • With the last two picks I get McCargo insurance AND a guy to give me Parrish's production without the price tag and an edge turner in the run game

With those moves, I feel the Bills would be a stronger team all around with the possible exception of LT, and thats just because were replacing Peters with a rookie, but a rookie with two guys to lean on in Fine and Waters who can make his job a lot easier. So I will now open it up for the ridicule I know will be coming, bring it on fellow Rumblers!

 

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.