In a busy offseason for the Bills, perhaps the position that underwent the biggest overhaul was the offensive line. 

At the beginning of the offseason a position that was generally thought to be "upgraded" was Center. With Duke Preston and Melvin Fowler being dominated inside by the powerful nose-tackles of the AFC East, Buffalo began immediately pursuing a center. They found one in Geoff Hangartner, a FA from Carolina that had performed well in a backup role there.

Then came the release of Derrick Dockery who the organization may have viewed as being too expensive and not productive enough. The Lions reportedly offered a 7th round pick for him, but front office paperwork was not There was a bit of controversy surrounding his release. Buffalobills.com lead journalist Chris Brown explains:

"Detroit came in very late, right before the deadline to release players under contract, expressing interest in Dockery. By the time the two teams agreed on terms there was not enough time to submit the paperwork to the league on the deal (by fax). A 7th round pick was what Buffalo would have gotten in return. A shame? Yes. Catastrophic? No."

Dockery was released and finally signed with the Washington Redskins to a large contract.

Then the bombshell trade happened. Pro Bowler Jason Peters to Philadelphia for a 1st, and a 4th round pick in the 2009 draft and 6th round pick in the 2010 draft.

In the aftermath of these two major events Buffalo's entire left side of the line was up in the air. And Bills fans fresh off their jubilation over the signing of Terrell Owens, all of a sudden became quite worried about Bills line without its guard, and pro bowl left tackle. A line that had surrendered 38 sacks last year.

The new question was how would Buffalo react in the draft? They needed a tackle, a guard, a tight end, a pass rusher, and a ball hawking safety, and although they had extra draft picks did they have enough to find the talent they needed at those positions?

Well the jury is still out but first signs look very good. Buffalo decided to go an unexpected route and go without drafting a tackle which perplexed experts and fans alike. But the more the draft was analysed the better it looked, with both ESPN draft pundits Todd McShay and Mel Kiper Jr. praising the draft in general as one of the best drafts of any team.

The two lineman the Buffalo drafted were Eric Wood in the first round and Andy Levitre in the second.

Wood, a hard working center from Louisville, is the model of durability having started 49 consecutive games and is known for his mean streak and physical strength. There were rumors about the Patriots wanting Wood's services before they traded down. Regardless, Eric Wood's ruggedness and intelligence appear to be a perfect fit for the new Bills line and the front office who want to bring about a major attitude change for next season.

Levitre, out of Oregon State, is another strong, bulky, smart, and experienced athlete who like Wood, plays with what is described as a nasty demeanor. A natural team leader, one of the few knocks on him is his speed.

Bills Journalist Chris Brown had a good take on the consensus opinion of these lineman: "Guardedly Optimistic"

And so here is who factors to be Buffalo's current starting line:

LT: Langston Walker
Walker is currently the highest paid lineman for the bills and figures to play a vital role as their new left tackle. The position isn't completely new to Walker who played it in Peter's stead last year. Though a talented and solid player and a great pass protector, Walker will face big challenges against powerful, speedy, and relentless pass rushers. At 366 no one can question Walker's strength, but does he have the speed and durability to protect QB Trent Edwards long term?

LG Andy Levitre
Praised for his run blocking abilities and toughness, Levitre seems to be a lock for this position(EDIT: or after further discussion perhaps NOT a lock!). He is a rookie but one with leadership skills, experience, and all the right tools to pose problems to opponents. He and Eric Wood both have so many similarities and it will be interesting to see if both play on the same line and which one will figure to be the more dominant of the two.

C Geoff Hangartner
Carolina's loss may have been Buffalo's gain. Hangartner shined when he played in 2008, and at 26, has tons of upside. An extremely smart player who faces big challenges in the form of the big and fearsome nose-tackles of the AFC East.

RG Eric Wood
Eric Wood will have to adjust to play guard after primarily playing center in college (he played guard in the Senior Bowl). However he possesses all of the qualities you want in the position. He can endure tons of punishment and is built like a tank, however he is still a rookie and need to develop rapport with the rest of the line. Fortunately, he loves studying film and should be able to win and adjust to a starting guard spot quickly.

RT: Brad Butler
Yet another player who plays with meanness, Butler's most natural position has been right tackle which is the same position he played in college at Virginia. Although durability is always concern, one can almost picture Butler and Wood fighting side by side and really creating havoc. Butler is the type of player who may be underestimated by defenders.

Then there are the "X" factors:

Demetrius Bell
Bell, the son of Karl Malone was drafted out of Northwestern State by Buffalo in the 7th round, as a project player. Last Year, Bell spent the 2008 season adding bulk, becoming stronger and learning about more about the position. Bell has amazing upside but little experience. Buffalo has extremely high expectations for this player and perhaps may even see him as a successor to Jason Peters. (Hopefully he won't be a successor to Jason Peters in terms of ego!)

Joel Bell
An undrafted free agent out of Furman, Joel Bell like Demetrius Bell (no relation) has incredible potential. He has all the right tools, but hasn't played against major talent. It would be a dream for Bills fans to turn another undrafted and a 7th round players into major fixtures of the line, but for right now Joel Bell figures to be a lock for the practice squad.

Kirk Chambers
Chambers is a backup, but a worthy one who is capable of surprisingly good performance. Against Seattle in 2008, he filled in admirably at left tackle, and surprised many by how well he manned the position. Whenever someone goes down in Buffalo's line this important player does the dirty work and fills in for them without much drop off. As such he is an X factor that many teams don't take into account.

Now what faces Buffalo is a race against time. Buffalo's revamped and reinvigorated offensive line must gel quickly. They must unite, they must fight for each other and the team, and they must protect young Trent Edwards, on whose shoulders rests the hopes, dreams, and ultimately fate of the team.

UPDATE: Apparently there was another addition I forgot to mention: Seth McKinney (thanks BigBadBillsFan). To be honest I don't know alot about him other than he played for Cleveland, and figures to be a backup to either of the guards or Hangartner. I'll type up more as I find out more.