FanPost

Shadow's completely uneducated offseason plan.

As the title suggests, I have pretty much zero experience in scouting. This is more of a post about how I'd like to see things shake out between re-signings and the draft. My draft order is based entirely on need, not BPA (i know, not the best way to go about it, but hey, this is my mock). I used Drafttek, CBS Sports Draft Rankings, and WalterFootball to learn which players would fit.

Let's start with the guys we already have.Key additions and subtractions:

Cuts

  • Ryan Fitzpatrick. As I've stated elsewhere, he'd be a great teacher and a solid backup, but not at his current price tag. If he accepts a major restructure, I'll keep him. Otherwise, adios.
  • Chris Kelsay. Too much money for not enough production. We've all discussed this numerous times.
  • Terrance McGee. Too injury prone, can't even count on him as a depth player.
  • George Wilson. He looks like he's lost a step and is already splitting time with Searcy. I think it's time for Searcy to take over.
  • Dorin Dickerson. I've seen nothing to make me think he's worth keeping on the team.

Re-signings

  • Jairus Byrd. My number one priority. We just can't afford to let him walk. I'm more than happy making him one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL. I think he's earned it.
  • Andy Levitre*. *means I'd love it if we could, but with the money we'll be spending on Byrd, I don't know if this will happen. But we have to try.
  • Tavaris Jackson*. *this one is dependent on whether Fitz takes the monster pay cut or not. If we let go, I'm happy to re-sign TJax and let him compete for the starter's job. Watching Seattle's game tape led me to believe he's better than Fitz, but not exactly great. Also, he can probably be kept for a fairly modest price.
  • Leodis McKelvin. I don't know if this one will happen either. As we all know, this is entirely for return ability/ CB depth. As many have pointed out, he'll probably get a big payday elsewhere though and we have more pressing needs. If he walks, it sucks, but we'll make due.
  • Corey McIntyre. He's a special teams beast. He's a solid FB in an offense that looks to move back to more of a power running game. He has that sweet "vampire fangs" mouth guard. What's not to like?
  • David Nelson. I'm worried about how well he'll do coming off such a serious injury, but when he was healthy, he was one of our best receivers.
  • Shawn Merriman. He's been solid in run defense, he's a motivational guy, and nobody else seems to want him. He can be kept fairly cheap, and it will be interesting to see how he does in our hybrid defense.
  • Chad Rhinehart. With the possibility of Levitre leaving, we need all the help we can get at guard.

Ok, on to the draft. As I said before, I don't have experience with this so I based our picks on positional need, put in the players I liked and plugged in the rest based on where my sources projected them and what little info I found about them. Also, I didn't do any trading (sorry Ron from NM).

Round 1 (8): Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee). We need WR help bad and he's projected as one of the top WR's. To me, this is a no brainer.

Round 2 (41): Alex Okafor (Texas). This one is provided by Drafttek. I can't argue with the logic, though. We need another DE/ OLB for our hybrid defense.

Round 3 (71): Zac Dysert (Miami, OH) Some mocks have Glennon falling this far. I seriously, seriously doubt it. Dysert is really starting to grow on me. Steady under pressure, good arm strength, good accuracy (at least from what I've seen). He seems to stare down his receivers a bit, but that can be corrected.

Round 4 (102): Terry Hawthorne (Illinois). According to Walterfootball, Hawthorne has good size, athleticism, and the ability to swivel his hips well for a CB his size.

Round 5 (136): Braden Hansen (Brigham Young). Hansen is a three year starter, and the word on him is that he's been very good in run blocking and solid in pass protection. If Levitre walks, we could use a guy like Hansen.

Round 6 (166): Devonte Holloman (South Carolina). Apparently, he's a bit undersized, but he has experience as both an OLB and SS (where he was pretty solid). Seems like a good replacement for Scott. He will probably need some time to develop, however.

Round 7*: Brad Sorenson (Southern Utah). Before you guys jump on me for this, let me explain. I'm aware we traded away our seventh rounder for TJax. However, it has been mentioned that we might receive a compensatory pick. If that's the case, I see no reason not to take another QB. And since Sorenson is the only 7th/ FA QB I've heard anyone even mention....

I didn't do anything for UDFA. Obviously, I didn't re-sign Choice so a RB would be a good start for this. Also, TE's wouldn't be a bad idea either.

So there you have it, friends. I have finally stumbled my way though my first ever mock draft. WOOHOO!! Let me know what you think in the following poll. Thanks, everyone!

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